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One day trips from Milan without a car: Vigevano and its fine art of shoemaking

Vigevano is a town and commune in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy, which possesses many artistic treasures and runs a huge industrial business. It is at the center of a district called Lomellina, a great rice-growing agricultural centre.

Vigevano is located in the heart of Lombardy's picturesque Ticino Valley, at the crossroads between waterways and artificial canals that bear witness to the city's agricultural core. Vigevano's principal calling, however, is the production of shoes-for every size and price, from the cheapest that end up in flea markets to the custom-made that adorn the most stylish feet in the world. The art of "conzare le scarpe" (shoemaking) in Vigevano can be traced back to a document from 1392 that prohibited the tanning and working of leather on the public square.

The first modern shoe factory was born in Vigevano in 1866, and since the beginning of the twentieth century the city has produced more than one third of the shoes made in Italy. In 1952, when Vigevano hosted the International Shoe Fair, it was manufacturing thirty million pairs of shoes a year. Despite the high value placed on the shoe industry, the basic agricultural soul of the city has been preserved. Just beyond the fortifications are rice fields, windmills, and farms that are active to this day.

To enter the historic center of Vigevano is to be transported to another time. The Piazza Ducale was built between 1492 and 1494 by Ludovico il Moro Sforza, Duke of Milan, and is rightly considered one of the most beautiful Renaissance squares in Italy. A perfect rectangle paved with cobblestones taken from the Ticino riverbed, the piazza was cut to fit into the urban fabric of Vigevano. On one side of the square stands the seventeenth-century concave facade of the Duomo, designed by the bishop-architect Juan Caramuel de Lobkowitz. Some believe the facade was renovated because it is not in alignment with the church but is accentuated by four great arches and perfectly integrated into the square.

The complex of the Palazzo Ducale is imposing, but hidden from sight by houses, even on the side where once a long ramp connected it with the square; only its high tower betrays its presence. Luchino Visconti, the powerful ruler of Vigevano in 1337, began the transformation of the medieval center to make room for a castle. With the help of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, and Ludovico il Moro, the castle became one of the most elaborate residences of the fifteenth century and included stables, the Palazzo delle Dame, and even a falconry. Among the artists and architects who contributed to the project were Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and, arguably the greatest architect of his time, Donato Bramante (1444-1514). The stables appearing in Leonardo's drawings were designed to hold up to three hundred horses.

Visiting Vigevano is an easy half-day trip from Milan, you can get there by car in about half hour, or you can take the train from the station Milano Porta Genova, it takes 27 minutes by train, and the trains run at list once every hour. Check with the Italian state railways company Trenitalia site http://trenitalia.com for updated train schedules. Milano Porta Genova can be easily reached with the "metropolitana" (underground) line 2, green. With the suburban line S9 you can reach the station immediately after Porta Genova, Milano San Cristoforo. The S9 line connects locations from the North of Milan, in the direction of Como and Switzerland, through the East, and the South of Milan.

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