Porana is located in the heart at Oltrepò Pavese, just a few miles from Voghera and is lost amid the tranquillity of the countryside.

Most notable is the Church of San Crispino, part of an architectural complex that includes, in addition to the house of worship, the beautiful Villa Meroni with the adjoining park and Italian garden, the preschool (which has unfortunately been in a state of decay for quite some time), a large yard and farms scattered around the countryside.

The church of Porana, dedicated to St. Crispin, the Bishop of Pavia, was built in Lombard neo-Gothic styleand reproduces the salient features seen at the time: pointed arches, groin vaults with ribs, buttresses, plenty of stained glass windows, belfries and pinnacles. The interior of the church of San Crispino is majestic and is reminiscent of the basilica style, with Gothic arches and expertly decorated vaults. The central nave leads the way to the apse, illuminated by the light made soft and muted by the coloured glass of the five panes.

Next to the church stands Villa Meroni, surrounded by a large park of oak and chestnut trees and featuring a beautiful Italian garden The villa, designed by the engineer Severino Grattoni in the style of anantique,18th -century residence, has a main wing and two side ones which demarcate the inner courtyard, with large arched windows, in perfect harmony with the sober and majestic style of the building as a whole building, introducing an incredible amount of light into the halls, galleries and interior rooms .

The village of Porana is nestled in the countryside of Oltrepò. Some of the area's mosttraditionalcrops are the pepper, onion and potato. After only a few kilometres the flat landscape gives way to gentleslopes: the vineyards that cover the hills give rise to the renowned wines of Oltrepò Pavese.

Characteristic localdishes includerisotto with peppers, a first course dish witha summery flavour and colour, tripe and ragù sauce. Be sure to try the pumpkin cake (referred to in the local dialect as nusët.) that, in addition to pumpkin, is made with amaretti biscuits, raisins and dried fruit.