Varzi is not simply a picturesque stop in the upper Oltrepò Pavese: its compact old town still reads like a working market settlement. Set on the right bank of the Staffora, where the valley opens into a broad basin, it gathers shops, cafés and civic services beneath a tight medieval street plan. ISTAT’s 2024 monthly demographic balance records 3,071 residents for the whole Comune of Varzi on 31 December 2024; that figure includes the municipal territory beyond the historic center.
A town shaped by passage
Municipal planning records describe an urban core of narrow lanes, low arcades, towers and covered passages. The old east–west route is bracketed by the medieval Porta Soprana and Porta Sottana towers; porticoes once gave traders and people arriving from the upper valley a sheltered place to meet and exchange goods. The provincial visitor portal dates the market arcades broadly to the fourteenth–sixteenth centuries. A municipal landscape analysis interprets the lowest, pointed arcades as shelter for salt loads coming over the Ligurian hill paths. That is a local reading of the town’s trading landscape, not proof that a particular arch served a named caravan.
The Malaspina presence is better anchored in the record: the provincial heritage account cites a document drawn up in a Malaspina house at Varzi in 1168 and links the town’s rise as an autonomous fief to the inheritance division of 1275. The square Torre Malaspina is a landmark in that fortified complex. Its popular name, Torre delle Streghe, carries a more uncertain story. Visitor texts repeat a tradition that people accused of witchcraft were imprisoned there and condemned; the exact number, proceedings and executions should not be presented as established history without archival confirmation. The tower’s use as a prison is separately reported in the Malaspina statutes of 1320. The old lanes also lead to the confraternity oratories of the Rossi and Bianchi and to the civic square at Piazza della Fiera.
Food, craft and the valley
Varzi’s most famous food name travels far beyond the town, but its protected origin is not confined to the municipal boundary. The Italian agriculture ministry describes Salame di Varzi DOP as a product of Varzi and fourteen other municipalities in the mountainous Oltrepò Pavese. The consortium’s production specification regulates the meat, curing stages and use of the designation. In Varzi, tasting it makes most sense alongside the rest of the valley’s everyday table: local wines, cheeses, baked goods and seasonal produce. Shops and cafés cluster around the old center and Piazza della Fiera, where a visitor can pause after walking the arcades.
Just outside the dense core, the Church of San Germano—usually called the Church of the Capuchins—preserves Romanesque and Gothic elements on an older parish site. The provincial heritage portal also points visitors toward Pietragavina, Oramala Castle, Cella’s Temple of the Brotherhood and the church at Bosmenso, all within a short regional excursion. These sites are not all open on a daily timetable, so check locally before setting out.
Arriving and choosing a route
Varzi is the southern endpoint of the Greenway Voghera–Varzi, a walking and cycling route that reuses the former electric railway through the Staffora valley. The dedicated project describes a 33-kilometre trail, while the provincial route sheet lists a different total in its metadata; use its current map or GPX rather than relying on one rounded distance. The 2026 Autoguidovie timetable lists line 151 between Varzi, Godiasco–Salice Terme and Voghera, with stops including Piazza della Fiera. The SS461 is the road approach along the valley. The lanes are best explored on foot, and traffic arrangements can change during fairs or events. Confirm the bus timetable, trail conditions, access to the tower and church openings shortly before travel.
Varzi in three lenses: the Greenway, medieval lanes and its DOP salame
This 15:01 travel episode was published by Vaghi per il mondo on 14 August 2014. The production page identifies the presenters and says local tourism and culture representatives and the Varzi Viva association contributed to the episode; it describes the arcades, town history and food culture. That makes it the most town-focused of these three selections. Its witch-trial story is a retelling of local tradition, not independent proof of the number or fate of the people mentioned; compare it with the municipality’s historical records before treating it as fact. Filming took place in August 2014, so opening and service details will have changed.
ERSAF Lombardia’s 2:41 film, published 11 May 2015, is the food-focused entry: its description says it presents Salame di Varzi DOP and shows stages of processing. The regional agency is a distinct source from the travel creators in the first two videos. The upload predates the 2025 amendment to the product specification, and its description includes a simplified livestock claim; the current DOP rules are the better guide to geographic scope and production requirements. Treat the video as a short historical introduction to the product, not a certification or producer directory.