Zavattarello
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
The name recalls the cobblers who for centuries made slippers here, and their stone houses still line the old quarter reached through a towered arch. Above them the Dal Verme castle rises on its rock in the upper Val Tidone, built entirely of stone with walls up to four metres thick; legend says Pietro Dal Verme, poisoned in 1485, still walks its rooms.
Highlights
- Castello Dal Verme, with more than 40 rooms and views to neighbouring castles (IT)
- The contemporary art museum in the castle's upper rooms
- The old cobblers' quarter, entered through a towered arch with a guardroom
- San Paolo church, up steps at the end of a plane-tree avenue
- The dragon guarding an apple tree, painted above the castle gate
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Zavattarello (IT), Zavattarello (EN)), Wikivoyage (Zavattarello). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 879
Events through the year
- Feast of Saint Paul
- The Passion of ChristPassion play acted out as it moves through the village
- Estate in arteExhibitions at the Dal Verme contemporary art museum
- Traditional fair
- Giornate MedievaliRe-enactments and costume festivities at Castello Dal Verme
- Living nativity sceneNativity scene staged in the old village
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Zavattarello), Wikivoyage (Zavattarello). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Ravioli di brasatoBread and pastaRavioli filled with braised meat
- Porcini mushroom risottoDish
- Cured game with polentaDish
Adapted from Wikivoyage (Zavattarello). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
2 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 1
- B&Bs and guest houses 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Thermal spa: Terme di Rivanazzano · ~39 min by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Varzi · 7.7 km
- Fortunago · 8.6 km
- Golferenzo · 11 km
- Bobbio · 14 km
- Volpedo · 23 km