Villetta a schiera in Via Roma 81

The city sits on the low-lying Po plain with the Ticino River running through/along the town and the Po River a short distance to the south-east, forming a riverine floodplain. The Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino (regional park) protects river corridors and wetlands that reach the Pavia area. The immediate landscape within 15 km is intensively farmed lowland with irrigated fields typical of the Po valley, including rice cultivation in parts of the province. The Certosa di Pavia (the Carthusian monastery) is located a few kilometres north-west of the city and is a major historic monument. Pavia functions as a regional transport and service hub with a historic centre, an old university, a railway station with frequent connections to Milan, and hospital and shopping services. There are no ski lifts within the plain; Alpine ski areas lie to the north at least an hour's drive away. The hilly Oltrepò Pavese wine region begins south of the Po beyond the immediate plain rather than inside the 15 km urban/rural fringe.