Pavia is a small town on the river Ticino, with a fascinating medieval centre and the most ancient university of Lombardy. Il parco del Ticino is the biggest green protected area in the Lombard plain. Life in Pavia is calm and pleasant.
Pavia science park – PTP - is located close to the university campus and the major research hospitals, and also close to the Pavia bypass and Milano-Genova highway. Milan (37 km to the north) can be reached in half an hour by car, or in 20 minutes by train from the railway station that is ten minutes walk away. Equally close is the city centre.
The presence of ‘university merit colleges’ attracts many brilliant students, especially in the bio-medical and engineering areas. Since they, especially those with a PH D, find it difficult to find a satisfactory job, given the paucity of Italian high-tech companies, highly-qualified human capital is abundant. Moreover, Milan labour market is easily tapped.