Lombardia · Pavia
Varzi
A medieval Malaspina town in the Staffora valley of the Oltrepò Pavese, the seat of one of Italy's first DOP cured meats.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Varzi is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 39 min from Milan
- Population
- 3,059
- J9°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J26°
- J29°
- A29°
- S24°
- O19°
- N12°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Varzi sits in the Staffora valley of the Oltrepò Pavese, a strip of Lombard Apennine that runs south toward Genova rather than north toward Milano. The name comes from the Ligurian root Var, meaning torrent. In 1164 the village fell under the Malaspina, the Apennine feudal family who held it as part of their network of upland fiefdoms; the Malaspina tower, called the Torre delle Streghe, dates to the thirteenth century.
The Via del Sale ran through Varzi from the Po plain to the Ligurian coast, and the salami invented to feed traders on that route is now one of Italy's first DOP cured meats: Salame di Varzi, recognized by Europe in 1996, produced by a handful of small companies in and around the town. The 2023 production was 503,561 certified salami. The second Sunday in June, the Sagra del Salame fills the medieval streets. The Sant'Alberto di Butrio hermitage, fourteen kilometers south through the Apennine, is the older religious anchor of the valley.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 1 h 46 min by car.
Milan Bergamo (BGY) is about 2 h 22 min away.
By car from the center of Parma 2 h.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Torre delle Streghe
Thirteenth-century Malaspina tower in the centro storico, also called the Witches' Tower, the surviving keep of the medieval defenses.
Castello dei Malaspina
Remains of the Malaspina castle, the seat of the feudal family that held Varzi from 1164 onward.
Centro storico medievale
Stone streets and arched passages of the medieval borgo, with the surviving village gates from the defensive walls.
Chiesa dei Cappuccini
Capuchin church on the edge of the centro storico, with the convent that served the Apennine community.
Mercato del salame
Salami shops and producers along the centro storico streets, the center of the Salame di Varzi DOP production cluster.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
BusconeRistorante
A Michelin Bib Gourmand, at Buscone.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Varzi is at the end of the road.
- A village of 3,059. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Rivanazzano Terme, is 35 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Alessandria, a city of 92,522, is 1 h 16 min by car. Further than our 30 to 60 minutes, a long way for the hospital visit or the monthly shopping.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 3,059, down 7.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Alessandria, 1 h 16 min drive
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,000 to €1,200 per m² to buy, €2.60 to €3.10 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 94% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Milan Linate airport (LIN), 1 h 34 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Milan, 1 h 39 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
15% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Ukraine and Albania, against 9% across Italy. There are 384 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 56% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Pavia province ranks 56th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Pavia, 42 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Pavia, 42 km away. The nearest IB school is The International School in Genoa, 50 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Alexandria International School, 46 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lombardia spends about €2,410 a month, €510 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €415 a year for water, on the Lombardia average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
SALAME DI VARZI DOP
Recognized by Europe in 1996, one of Italy's first cured-meat DOPs, with 503,561 certified salami produced in 2023.
MALASPINA
The Apennine feudal family held Varzi from 1164, leaving the thirteenth-century Witches' Tower and the castle remains.
VIA DEL SALE
Medieval salt-trade route through the Apennine from the Po plain to the Ligurian coast, the reason salami was invented here.
Common questions
- What is Varzi known for?
- Varzi is a medieval Malaspina town at 416 meters in the Staffora valley of the Oltrepò Pavese, the seat of one of Italy's first DOP cured meats.
- Where is Varzi?
- Varzi is a comune in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia.
- What is the nearest airport to Varzi?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Milan Linate (LIN), about 1 h 34 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Parma to Varzi?
- About 2 h by car.
- When is the best time to visit Varzi?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 17 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Varzi?
- Millesimo, Lucignano and Citerna.
- How many people live in Varzi?
- 3,059 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Varzi a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Varzi is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Rivanazzano Terme, is 35 min away. The nearest city, Alessandria, is 1 h 16 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 94% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 416 m
- Population: 3,059
- Surface area: 57.61 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Varzi appears in
- The 6 prettiest small villages that eat well in LombardiaLombardiaeats wellprettiest villagessmall6 towns · smallest 1,000 residents
- The prettiest villages with a serious restaurant in LombardiaLombardiaserious restaurantprettiest villages7 towns · smallest 1,000 residents
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of PiacenzaNear Piacenzahill townwithin 90 min8 towns · smallest 244 residents · closest 38 min away
- The best hidden hill towns in LombardiaLombardiahill townhidden9 towns · smallest 244 residents
- The best small towns with a serious restaurant in LombardiaLombardiaserious restaurantsmall10 towns · smallest 507 residents
Similar
Towns like Varzi
What all six share with Varzi: inland, away from the coast · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · hill towns
The letter
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