Val di Nizza, amidst stories of Troubadours and Ghosts

Traversed by the Nizza stream, which is a tributary of the Staffora river, the municipality of Val di Nizza comprises around twenty hamlets and numerous villages in the Oltrepo Pavese mountain range and is part of the territory of the Four Provinces (Alessandria, Genoa, Pavia, Piacenza).
There are two parish churches and no less than eleven oratories that are part of the ancient Path of the Oratories.

Image taken from the website of the Comunità Montana Oltrepò Pavese

History

As in the case of other villages in the Oltrepò Montano, the first inhabitants of the area were the Ligurians (6th-5th centuries B.C.), followed by the Romans. In medieval times, the fiefdom passed to the abbots of the Bobbio monastery.

In 1029, the Malaspina obtained the feud of Oramala, reconfirmed in 1164 by Frederick Barbarossa.
The Val di Nizza became part of the Malaspina marquisate and, in the 17th century, was included in the marquisate of Godiasco.

In 1859, Val di Nizza was removed from the province of Bobbio and assigned to the province of Pavia. The municipality was created in 1929 from the union of the municipal seats of Sant’Albano and Poggio Ferrato.

Val di Nizza and its hamlets

Proceeding along SP7, one arrives at Casa Schiavo, where theOratory of the Madonna is located, with a structure that may date back to the 16th century. It has a rectangular plan, a façade with an arched portico and a terracotta gable.

At Casarasco, there are the remains of the Malaspina castle (9th-10th century), one of the oldest in the Staffora valley.
The northern keep, which served as a defensive sentinel, still preserves theheraldic imprint of the Spino Fiorito engraved on a sandstone. At the foot of the climb towards the castle is theOratory of San Rocco (1632), built to ward off the plague and rebuilt in 1981.

At Casa Ponte, you can visit the parish church of St Paul the Apostle, an ancient parish church that has been remodelled over time.
Inside is a gilded tabernacle (16th-17th century) and a statue of St Paul the Apostle.

At Poggio Ferrato, stands theoratory of San Michele or San Giulio (11th-12th century), with an iron cross on the façade and a 17th-century painting depicting the Madonna between Saints Michael and Giulio.

In the village of Sant’Albano, there is the parish church of Sant’Albano, built in the 15th century with stones from the castle of Montefalcone.

At Costa Croce, you can admire theoratory of Sant’Ilario (11th century), the oldest in Val di Nizza.

Among the hamlets of the municipality, Oramala was probably a lively centre of Occitan poetry between the 12th and 13th centuries, where Troubadours from not far away Provence stayed and spread their poems in Occitan📜🪈.
According to tradition, Frederick Barbarossa also stayed in the castle and even Dante Alighieri and Goethe were fascinated by its beauty.

The Castle of Oramala

🏰 The Castle of Oramala, no longer open for visits at the moment, stands at an altitude of 758 metres in the Oramala Area Pian del Re Local Park of Super-Municipal Interest (established in 2014), which preserves chestnut groves more than a hundred years old and is inhabited by a varied local fauna.
This castle is one of the oldest in the province of Pavia; it is mentioned in a document from 1029 and is an example of medieval military architecture. It was the residence of the Malaspina family until the end of the 18th century.

Structure and Legends

• Hemicycle tower with 2.5 metre thick walls
• Chapel of St Euphemia (15th century)
• Collection of 2100 historical artefacts related to rural and medieval life

The castle is said to be haunted by the ghosts 👻 of Federico Barbarossa and Obizzo Malaspina.
According to a local legend, every Christmas night the light in a room in the tower is mysteriously switched on, where the spirits of the Malaspina and Barbarossa would celebrate an ancient banquet. 🕯️🍽️🕯️

Information

Headquarters: Casa Ponte,7 – 27050 Val di Nizza (PV)
Telephone: (+39) 0383578018
Email: info@comune.valdinizza.pv.it

Patrons and events in the area

• Feast of the Conversion of St Paul (25 January)
• Ass-Car Trophy and Gattonero Bakery (June)
• Sapori del Borgo (July)
• Feast of the Holy Name of Mary (12 September, Casa Schiavo)
• Autumn Festival (October, Poggio Ferrato)
• Christmas market in Val di Nizza (December)

Local Products & Catering

• Wines of the Oltrepò Pavese 🍷
• Salame di Varzi PDO
• Honey and local fruit 🍯
• Apple pancakes and jams 🫙
• Pomella genovese della valle Staffora 🍎
• Mushrooms 🍄‍🟫

• Cascina Serzegofarmhouse
• Pappa e Cena Restaurant, Poggio Ferrato locality
• Consorzio Dolce Varzi, locality Fontanino
• Apicoltura Il Bergamasco, locality Poggio Ferrato
• La Valle della Frutta farm, hamlet of Nizza, which also produces apple cider
• La Fungaia, Ponte Nizza

Nature trails

For hiking enthusiasts, Val di Nizza offers several trails to follow:

• ⛲ Fountains Trail (7 km)
• 🪵 Carbonaie Trail (13.5 km)
• 🔔 Oratory Trail (14 km)

So many good reasons for a trip out to the Val di Nizza municipality.