Eugi Gufo's siteEugi Gufo

Someone might ask me what I went to do in a town of just 6,000 inhabitants when far more interesting places exist. I do not ask myself that question: I know that every place has its own unique and unrepeatable peculiarities.
Robbio (in the Province of Pavia), for example, has the highest number of churches per capita of all the towns I have seen so far: I counted at least seven. The cathedral of Robbio is simply large (in terms of size); apart from that, it has nothing particularly interesting.

The church of San Pietro (from the second half of the 12th century) is apparently the only one that deserves our attention because of its age. Naturally, it is closed, like all the most interesting things in Italy.

I did not have a screwdriver with me, so the church’s nice lock remained where it was.

All right, let us forget about the churches. I will just say that the only one really worth seeing is the church of St Michael; you can safely ignore all the others. Moreover, as if real religious buildings were not enough, Robbio also has a certain number of fake churches. This one, for example, is actually the local headquarters of the «Association of Traders of the Province of Pavia». (UPD: I was later informed that in this case it is a church that was used by Napoleonic troops for civilian purposes and therefore deconsecrated.)

The rest of the town centre is also pleasant and well maintained.

Some shops seem to have remained stylistically untouched for more than a hundred years.

The first glimpse of the local castle that I saw is so small and unnaturally beautiful that it looks fake. The gate shown is two metres high, or just over (I managed to touch the top of the arch with my hand).

Yes, at first it really does look fake. Also because in some areas it is flanked by more modern, incongruous buildings.

But in reality it is not fake at all: we realise this once we reach the main entrance. Unfortunately, however, we also become aware of its precarious condition due to the current state of abandonment (look at the windows).

I managed to photograph the courtyard through one of the holes in the gate shown in the previous photo. I would say that if those citizens currently sitting in Robbio’s Town Hall, who are apparently uninterested in history, decided to give me this castle, I would restore it with my own hands. Naturally, I would also be willing to offer guided tours.

Another typical feature of Robbio (after its love for churches) is the great attention paid to water resources. Around the town there are large manual water pumps. I had never seen a structure like this in Italy before.

The pumps mentioned above are sometimes used with excessive enthusiasm.

An even more interesting structure, however, is the bulk-water vending machine, built in a monumental style. (UPD: a reader informed me that the building originally housed the public weighbridge.)

One litre of water costs just 7 euro cents.

The convenience of living in a given town, however, should not be determined solely by the availability of water… I saw few benches in Robbio, but these ones are original:

This litter bin reminds me of a robot from some cartoon (I cannot remember which):

The parking racks for private bicycles are original but poorly installed: bicycles are not made that long nowadays.

In Robbio too (as in Sondrio or nearby Mortara) there are many technologically backward people who still rent films. A vending machine has been installed especially for them.

Local industry is at an advanced level.

Even Robbio’s agriculture has something to make its neighbours envious. These are bananas, right?

And what about transport? Well… The railway station is tiny and locked. From its mere two tracks depart trains with just two carriages: once an hour to Vercelli and Pavia, and occasionally to Mortara.

I love old signs. But you will still find them in their places: I was not equipped to eliminate the witnesses of the theft either…

OK, it is time to tell you that there is nothing else of interest in Robbio, so we can leave.