The first stop on our journey through time takes us to a park in the heart of the city, Park Visconteo, where we find ourselves in a place that contains the first traces of the Longobard people: Castle Visconteo. 

Originally a court residence, then a military barracks, and now a cultural venue, today Castle Visconteo hosts Pavia's Civic Museums, containing rooms divided by historical period and temporary exhibitions.

It is within the walls of the castle that the first artefacts from the period can be found, located in the "Longobard Room" of the Archaeological Museum  (the permanent home of the exhibition on the Longobards).

They provide real evidence of the splendour attained by Pavia, the capital of the kingdom, such as goldsmith's work (represented by necklaces in pasta vitrea - a kind of opaque glass, as well as earrings in gold and silver), and an exhibition space dedicated to burial areas found in the area, which are of great historical interest. 

What we find are traces of a people who lived more than 15 centuries ago! Incredible, isn't it?