History and future
825 and 1361: these two dates mark the beginning of the University of Pavia, the oldest university in Lombardy and one of the oldest in Europe. The year 825 saw the emperor Lothair's capitulary, which established in Pavia a school of rhetoric for the kingdom's officials; the Studium Generale, instead, was founded by Charles IV in 1361: a renowned legal and literary school that attracted students from all over Europe.
Among the periods of greatest fame of the University of Pavia is the 18th century, with the radical reform by Maria Theresa and Joseph II of Habsburg. Many famous professors contributed to its prestige, from the naturalist Lazzaro Spallanzani, to the mathematician Gerolamo Cardano universally known for his contributions to algebra and mechanics (the Cardan joint), to the mathematician Lorenzo Mascheroni, to the physicist Alessandro Volta, who was a professor of Experimental Physics, Rector of the University, and inventor of the electric battery, to the physician Antonio Scarpa, initiator of modern surgery. Among the great masters of the Napoleonic era were Vincenzo Monti and Ugo Foscolo, who in 1809 delivered the famous lecture "On the Origin and Duties of Literature" in Pavia. Many illustrious doctors emerged from the University of Pavia, such as Carlo Forlanini, inventor of pneumothorax for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, and Camillo Golgi, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine in 1906. Alongside Golgi, two other professors from the University of Pavia have been awarded the Nobel Prize: the chemist Giulio Natta and the physicist Carlo Rubbia.
Today, the Alma Ticinensis Universitas of Pavia offers, in its two campuses in Pavia and Cremona, 2 faculties, 18 departments, and 85 degree courses. It positions itself as a Research University, participates in international projects, and is part of work networks with major colleges worldwide, promoting interdisciplinary research and engaging with businesses.
The University of Pavia is a student-centered campus, with more than 26,000 enrolled students, 21 university colleges where boys and girls live and grow together, exchange ideas and projects, and prepare for their future. To these young people, the University of Pavia guarantees a personalized orientation path, with over 400 collaboration agreements with foreign universities and over 700 Erasmus agreements, 3300 internship opportunities, contacts with companies, and the world of work.