“Pavia 1525: the arts in the Renaissance and the tapestries of the battle” celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Pavia

The city of Pavia is preparing to relive one of the most significant chapters in its history with the exhibition "Pavia 1525: The Arts of the Renaissance and the Battle Tapestries," running from September 19, 2025, to January 11, 2026, in the halls of the Castello Visconteo. At a crucial moment in the fate of Europe and Italy, 1525 saw the Lombard city host a memorable battle: Charles V of Habsburg, supreme ruler of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain, emerged victorious against Francis I of France, forever shaping the course of events thanks in part to the strategic use of firearms. Pavia, already magnificent under the Visconti and Sforza dynasties, became the epicenter of a cultural and military revolution that had profound repercussions across the entire European continent.

The centerpiece of the exhibition will be the famous series of tapestries depicting the Battle of Pavia, housed at the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, symbolically returning "home" for the first time after extensive restoration. Visitors will be able to admire these majestic artefacts, woven in the renowned Flemish manufactory of Jan and Willem De Moyen based on designs by Bernard van Orley, which narrate the victory of the imperial armies with extraordinary pictorial sensitivity. The refinement of the fabrics and the narrative power of the tapestries will offer a spectacle that transports the viewer to the very heart of one of the most decisive conflicts of the Renaissance.

The exhibition is not only a tribute to the battle, but above all an exploration of the artistic effervescence that characterized Pavia between the 15th and 16th centuries. Thanks to the convergence of innovations from Northern Europe, central Italy, and nearby Milan, the city transformed into a true creative laboratory, a hotbed of talent and a melting pot of diverse influences. Prestigious loans from international museums such as the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Veneranda Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva, the Royal Collection at Windsor, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London will enrich the exhibition, alongside masterpieces by undisputed masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Pietro Bergognone, and Pietro Perugino.

Paintings, drawings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, goldsmith's work, and decorative arts will create a vibrant mosaic, capturing the atmosphere of a glorious era. The visit is divided into two distinct parts. The first invites the public to immerse themselves in the Renaissance wonders of Pavia: among the jewels, Leonardo da Vinci's drawings and a magnificent polyptych by Ambrogio Bergognone, reassembled especially for the exhibition, stand out. Special attention is given to the Cathedral and the Certosa, truly symbolic monuments that the patrons wanted "more beautiful than Hagia Sophia in Constantinople." The construction and decoration of these buildings saw the participation of the best artists of the Peninsula, generating a powerful stimulus for the birth of a local school of great masters.

Another gem on display will be the wooden model of the Cathedral, created by Giovan Pietro Fugazza between 1497 and 1583, an exemplar of artisanal skill and a Renaissance architectural dream. Cypress, oak, ash, and walnut combine to create a structure of exceptional beauty, a tangible testament to the aesthetic vision that animated the city.

The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the battle itself: a watershed moment in local history that marked an abrupt end to Pavia's opulent artistic season. The seven monumental tapestries from the Museum and Royal Wood of Capodimonte take center stage, visually recounting the imperial triumph over Francis I of France. Once the property of the emperor himself, these masterpieces are ideally returned to their place of origin, offering the public the rare opportunity to admire them in person and to understand, through the intertwining threads, the complexity and historical significance of the event depicted.

Curated by Francesco Frangi, Pietro Cesare Marani, Mauro Natale, and Laura Aldovini, with the tapestry section curated by Carmine Romano and Mario Epifani of the Capodimonte Museum, the exhibition is supported by a large scientific committee led by Annalisa Zanni. The organization is entrusted to the Civic Museums of Pavia and the Promotion and High Coordination Committee for the Five Hundredth Anniversary of the Battle of Pavia, with the support of important organizations such as the Municipality of Pavia, the Fondazione Monte di Lombardia, the Cremona-Mantua-Pavia Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Pavia, along with key contributions from Intesa Sanpaolo, the Cariplo Foundation, and the Bracco Foundation.

The exhibition offers the public a dual perspective: on the one hand, the epic allure of a battle that changed the fate of the city and the continent; On the other, a fresco of a brilliant cultural era, in which art, architecture, and science intertwined without boundaries. Visitors will thus be able to enjoy an immersive experience discovering one of the "pearls" of the Lombard Renaissance, amidst memories of military triumphs and surprising testimonies of creativity and ingenuity. The Visconti Castle thus becomes the stage for a complex and multidimensional narrative, rediscovering the vitality of a city capable, then as now, of influencing European taste and culture.