Oramala Castle Other Pavia, Pavia Italia

Situated on a rocky promontory, the Castello di Ormala dominates the Staffora Valley, one of the most evocative places in the upper Oltrepò. The castle, surrounded by 108 hectares of parkland, was built by the Malaspina family in the 10th century and then was bought by the d'Este family, the bishop of Tortona, and finally returned to the original owners in the 12th century, when the castle reaches its peak as a center of cultural dissemination. It was fortified in 1474 for defensive needs; the huge stone tower with a very particular plan dates back to this period: a semicircle figure leaning against a rectangle. At the top of the tower there is a beautiful terrace that offers an enchanting 360 ° view of the Pavia valleys. Inside the castle, there are numerous rooms, now used as a museum, a chapel, cellars, wells and in the northern wing of the castle there is an underground room that was probably a prison. At the foot of the Castle lies a small village that has been part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy.