Casei Gerola: Nature and Cultural Heritage

If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Casei Gerola, you can plan your trip around two themes: the natural setting of Parco Le Folaghe, or church art and local history. The following places and their history give you concrete ideas of what may interest you in the municipality.

Parco Le Folaghe natural area

Parco Le Folaghe is a nature park of intermunicipal interest and a nature oasis in the municipality of Casei Gerola. Its landscape originated in disused clay pits. The deepest pits filled with groundwater to form lakes, which today serve as nesting sites for numerous waterbird species. The park therefore brings together two aspects: the land’s former use and its ecological importance as a habitat for waterbirds.

To find your way around the park, visitors should use the marked trails and consult maps. If you include the nature park in your plans, keep these guidelines in mind during your visit. From Milan or Genoa, take the A7 to the Casei Gerola exit, then follow the Voghera–Silvano Pietra turnoff and the SP 12. Check the current route and signage before setting off.

Churches and architectural history

Today’s Chiesa di San Guglielmo was completed in 1426. Before then, the site of the earlier church had been exchanged to make room for the expansion of the castle. The church combines Lombard Gothic with early Renaissance elements. Its gabled façade has two pointed-arch terracotta windows—a specific architectural detail to look out for when viewing the building.

The Collegiata di San Giovanni Battista was built towards the end of the 14th century by Franciscan friars of the Observance of Saint Bernardino of Siena. Its style is purely Lombard Gothic. The Cappella Bottigella, inside the Insigne Collegiata, contains a fresco cycle by the Maestro di Casei, attributed to Foppa by Vittorio Sgarbi. The Collegiata thus brings together the history of the Franciscan order and a distinctive art-historical attribution.

The Chiesa di San Sebastiano also offers an art-historical point of interest: it houses a high-quality 18th-century altarpiece. It depicts Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch and is by the Pavia painter Bernardo Ciceri. During religious celebrations, access to the church is directly from the church forecourt. Check the access arrangements locally before your visit.

Sanctuary and religious traditions

The Madonna delle Grazie di Sant’Agostino sanctuary is associated with several layers of history. The main altar features a historic fresco of the Mater Divinae Gratiae, described as miraculous. Schiaffinati, who was from Casei, commissioned it in 1612. According to religious tradition, the relics of Saint Augustine spent a night at the site where the sanctuary now stands.

Construction of the new sanctuary was approved in 1639 by Bishop Mons. Aresi and was already complete by 1641. During religious celebrations, access is directly from the church forecourt. If you plan to visit during a celebration, check the access arrangements locally; the information about celebrations is not general opening information.

The Cappella di San Fortunato was built between 1768 and 1775 and preserves the relics of Casei Gerola’s patron saint, San Fortunato. The relics arrived in Casei as early as 1765 from Santa Maria in Via Lata, as a gift from the Holy See. The dates distinguish the arrival of the relics from the chapel’s later construction.

A historic building in town

The Palazzotto del Carmagnola was once the seat of the Broletto. Count Francesco Bussone, known as Il Carmagnola and described as the lord of Casei Gerola, lived there. For a themed itinerary, the building complements the churches and chapels with another way to explore local history: alongside religious buildings, the former function of the Broletto and the person associated with the Palazzotto take centre stage.

Discover more destinations: Ceranova, Rivanazzano, Torre D'isola, Montescano, Torre Beretti, Bereguardo, Zenevredo, Golferenzo.

For the broader travel overview: Pavia.