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Your campus, your education, your hospitality… in Pavia! The University of Pavia is among the most an- cient universities in Europe. Galeazzo II Visconti sponsored its opening in 1361, with courses in law, medicine, philosophy and the liberal arts. Since then, the University has undergone successive transformations, and assumed its present day archi- tectural form thanks to the contribution of the Austrian government during the Hapsburg era. Indeed, during the days of Austrian rule the insti- tution was reformed academically, and the buil- dings were renovated in a neo-classical style and expanded by the architects Piermarini and Pollack. The new halls included the ‘Teresiana’ library, the Anatomy Theatre of Antonio Scarpa and the Phy- sics Theatre where Alessandro Volta presented his invention of the battery to his students. In the 20 th century the University came to occupy also the buildings of magnificient renaissance San Nebbia of Orvieto and his students, while the south wall’s episode of the Saint’s initiation into Cardi- nalship is the work of Federico Zuccari. In the years from 1818-1820 the extension and completion of the river-facing wing caused the ne- arby medieval church of San Giovanni in Borgo to be demolished. Part of the rich sculptural heritage of this church is on display today in the Civic Museums of the Castle. The College was founded in order to allow youths of intellectual talent to gain access to university education, to dedicate themselves to their studies and at the same time to guarantee, in the age of the counter-reform, sound moral groundings. In the 17 th and 18 th centuries the College produced above all graduates in jurisprudence, who became high- ranking officials in the government or in the admi- nistration of the Catholic Church. Matteo Hospital, a large cross-plan building with courtyards decorated in terracotta. Borromeo College, built on the orders of Saint Carlo Borromeo, was designed by the architect Pellegrino Pellegrini, also known as Tibaldi. Work on the au- gust building began in 1564, and was completed in 1588. It is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of Mannerist architecture in Europe. The structure was later enriched by Richini with a bre- athtaking Italian-style garden. Defined by Vasari as the ‘palace of knowledge and wisdom’, the College dominates one of the loveliest squares in the city with an imposing façade made up of alternating projecting window frames, niches and the monumental portal. At the beginning of the 1600s the hall on the upper floor was decorated with a cycle of frescoes celebra- ting the life of Saint Carlo Borromeo. The vaulted ceiling and the north wall were painted by Cesare
