Corteolona was on the Strada Regina, the road connecting Pavia with Piacenza and the Via Emilia. Most probably, a Roman villa was first built here, on whose remains a royal court – the residence of the Lombard and the Frankish kings – was constructed. At the time, Pavia was the capital of the Kingdom. It was here, in 825, that Emperor Lothair I issued a capitulary establishing the main education centre for Northern Italy in Pavia, thus paving the way for what eventually became the University of Pavia. Places of interest • Parish Church of Santo Stefano