Malaspina-Dal Verme Castle
Built in 1304 by Corradino Malaspina, near the ancient Basilica of S. Peter, it was designed to be a military stronghold. In 1341 it became the property of the Visconti family. In 1436 they left it to the Dal Verme family who began transforming the main building into a luxurious country residence. In the XVII century it was bought by the noble Dal Verme family, who owned it until 1956, when it became property of the state. Today of the original building only the central quadrangular keep remains.
The Cathedral of the Assumption
The cathedral was built in the eleventh century but extensively altered in later centuries. The figurative and decorative motifs of the three naves date from the late nineteenth century. The fresco of the main chapel, dated 1723, is by Francesco Porro. A remarkable feature is the fifteenth century Annunciation painted in the chapel of St.John. The crypt is dedicated to Saint’Antonio Maria Gianelli, bishop of Bobbio from 1838 to 1846.
The Convent of Santa Chiara
The current buildings date back to the fifteenth century, but were rebuilt in the seventeenth century. In the eighteenth century it was turned into a boarding school for the noble families of Bobbio and the architectural features of that time remain. It now houses the municipal offices of the town of Bobbio, the historical archives of the city, the public library, a cultural center and the auditorium.
The Tamburelli Palace
The structure dates back to the eighteenth-century when it belonged to the Tamburelli family to whom we owe the remarkable interior. It was taken over by the provincial government of Pavia in 1883, then that of Piacenza in 1923, following the changing fortunes of the town of Bobbio. Since 1933 it has been under municipal ownership.
Saint Lawrence Church
The first mention of this church dedicated to San Lorenzo dates back to 1144. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, it was administered by a lay confraternity called ‘The Beaten’ or ‘The Disciplined’. The church was enlarged in the seventeenth century, with structural changes to the older building. On the left side is the mysterious ‘Segnorino stone’, inscribed with a cross, dating from the twelfth century. The interior has a single nave and houses a precious wooden choir from the church of the convent of San Francesco di Bobbio.