Arena Po is located in Oltrepò Pavese, just across the river Po, on the right bank. It is a small town but is full of surprises.

Historical Events

The place name derives from the Latin word arena (‘sand’), which recalls its proximity to the river bank.
Before the Royal Decree of 26 July 1863, the municipality was only called Arena.

Crossed by the ancient Via Postumia and a transit station for goods, it had a strategic position along the river route that favoured its development.

In Roman times it belonged to Placentia (Piacenza).

Later, it was the garrison of Ostrogoths, Byzantines and Lombards.

During the Middle Ages, Arena was disputed between Ghibelline Pavia and Guelph Piacenza and played a significant role in the clashes between the people of Piacenza and Frederick Barbarossa.

The presence of the castle is first mentioned in 1145 in the Piacenza archives, although it is dated back to the 10th century, built to ward off attacks from the Hungarians.

The first mention of the municipality of Arena dates back to 1246. It then passed to the Beccaria, Visconti, Sanseverino, Speciani and Mandelli counts.

Curiosities and mysteries of Arena Po

Arena Po was and still is an interesting historical stage on several fronts.

🔔The bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio Martire is considered the oldest Romanesque bell tower in the province of Pavia.

🎬The mystery of the missing film. In 1957, Arena Po was the setting for a small masterpiece of Italian cinema that has unfortunately been lost: Italia piccola (Little Italy), directed by Mario Soldati, with auteur music and a respectable cast – Enzo Tortora, Macario, Rita Giannuzzi and villagers as extras. The original negative was lost and the only fragment preserved is deteriorated.

🔴In 1862, Garibaldi was the guest of Giacomo Griziotti here.

🎨It is an ‘art village affiliated with the Brera Academy‘ and a museum, the Museo Arte Ambiente Arena Po (MAAAPO) in the open air, in the historic centre. An art venue where environment and contemporary art intersect.
It houses sculptures by numerous artists and other works

🖋️Mino Milani, a great writer born in Pavia, published an adventure book for children and young people in 2002 that takes place on the river Po, entitled ‘An Adventure on the River‘.
The adventurous journey full of mysteries of the three young friends on board a boat is near Arena Po, recognisable in the settings described, for those who know the area well.

🛶 The bridge that wasn’t there: the story goes that in Arena Po, until the 1950s, the passage from one bank of the river to the other was made by a boat driven by a rope stretched between the two banks.
The boatmen, who knew every detail of their stretch of the river Po, made a living from this trade.
The Po can be quite menacing. When it was in flood, the ferry was suspended, but to avoid the inhabitants having to make long journeys to reach the village opposite, San Zenone al Po, the river was crossed with small rowing boats, braving the current.

Photo taken from the FB page of the Proloco of Arena Po – Cover image taken from the website of the municipality of Arena Po

The Country Tour

⛪In the Church Square is the parish church of St. George Martyr (12th century), erected in the Romanesque style using the remains of the parish church dedicated to St. Peter, which dates back to 1021. Of the original building, the bell tower has been preserved.
Inside, you can admire a fresco of the Virgin (15th-16th century).

🧑‍🎨 Opposite is the Po oxbow and the towpath dedicated to the realist painter Giuseppe Motti, born in Arena Po in the early 20th century.
He is called the Painter of the Po, because the river and the inhabitants of his hometown were the protagonists of his works.

🏰In Via del Po is the Castle of Arena Po, a fortification with thick walls, which originally had a moat directly connected to the Po that allowed boats to enter its interior.

The municipality of Arena Po is convenient for those living in Pavia and surrounding areas and is only 30 km from Piacenza and 45 km from Milan.

Other places of interest

• Cascina Colombera (pointed arch brick window – 15th century)
• Belvedere Tower (15th century)
• Negri della Torre House (16th-20th century)
• Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie
• Sanctuary Madonna di Fontanasanta (1591) – Frazione Ripaldina
• Pieve di San Gorgonio – Frazione Parpanese – with frescoes by Pietro Delfitto

Annual events

• Bonfire of the Mèrla in February
• Patronal Feast of St George celebrated on 23 April
• the impressive Torchlight Procession on the Po in the hamlet of Parpanese (SPo) in June

Where to eat in Arena Po

• Il Torretto Restaurant – iltorretto.it – Arena Po – tel. 0371 483070: beautiful location for events and ceremonies, in a 17th century manor house
• Ristorante Pizzeria Vecchio Ponte – ristorantevecchioponte.it – via Frazione Frega, Arena Po – tel. 0385 266065

Local products

• 🌾cereals – https://www.molinobelfortiarenapo.it/
  🍯honey – https://www.facebook.com/POGGIOFIORITO/
  🌺 saffron from Oltrepò Pavese – Azienda Agricola Ghezzi Giuseppe Terre Eridane – https://www.facebook.com/zafferanoterreeridane
  
• 🏺Ceramiche d’autore: Gaetano Grillo’s showroom in Via G. Marconi, 6 – https://www.gaetanogrillo.com/
  

A river port in the past, a film set, the backdrop of an adventurous story, lanterns on the water, a castle, a museum: all this is enclosed in a small village in the Oltrepò Pavese. Arena Po is truly full of surprises by day and by night!

Arena Po

We highlight this video from the series OLTREPÒ PAVESE: a Hidden Corner of Italy among Villages and Vineyards from the You Tube channel Sara & Paolo Adventures