The ancient settlement of Dianum, dedicated to goddess Diana, was destroyed in the 5th century. The place was later mentioned by Frederick I Barbarossa as “Turris Centum Costarum”, the estate of the Bishop of Tortona, to be included in the Principality of Pavia. The place was called Torrazza Coste after a Tower built a century earlier. After its annexation to the Principality of Pavia, for want of Frederick I, the estate became the property of the Beccaria family. The villages scattered on the sides of the surrounding hills also make part of the municipality of Torrazza Coste. One of those villages, Nebbiolo, was mentioned in 1164, when it was included in the Pavese. Another village, Sant'Antonino, was well known in the early 19th century, although Torrazza Coste was already the capital village. After the extinction of the Beccaria family in 1591, it became the estate of the Couts Rovida of Pavia, who kept it until the end of feudalism. In 1800, Sant'Antonino started being called Torrazza Coste and, in 1818, the small community of Barisonzo was included in the municipality of Torrazza Coste. In 1743, after the Spanish and Austrian rule, Torrazza Coste became the dominion of the House of Savoy and Charles Emmanuel III considered it as a Free State. The Town Hall was moved from Sant’Antonino to Torrazza Coste in 1816. Allegedly, Napoleon Bonaparte stayed in Torrazza, in the Galotti Palace, for a while. The Palace is still very well-preserved. Places of interest • Oratory of Madonna di Pontasso • Church of San Carlo Borromeo • Church of San Rocco • Ravine of Sant’Antonino