The Peutinger Map
Openness to the world
Left on the edge of the major consular roads, Lomellina has few traces of romanization. However, a route already crossed it in the imperial age destined to become very popular over time: the one from Pavia, touching Dorno, Lomello and the statio ad Cuttias (Cozzo), crossed the Sesia at the height from Le Mantie, to reach Vercelli. From there it then forked towards Turin, Susa, the Moncenisio or towards Ivrea, Aosta, the Piccolo or Gran San Bernardo.
This road axis, of which few traces remain on the ground, grew importance in parallel with the growth of the role of Ticinum/Pavia, home to a royal palace already under Theodoric (5th-6th century), then capital of the Lombard kingdom (VI – VIII centuries) and finally of the Italian kingdom (IX –XI centuries).
As the centuries passed, however, the lack of maintenance, floods and wandering of the rivers, the collapse of the bridges meant that the ancient route gave way to a multiplicity of routes, which reused sections of ancient paths and streets local roads, ferries and fords.
In a context of this type, probably at the end of the Frankish age, in the old style route was joined by another, which from Vercelli, touching Palestro and Robbio, it aimed for Mortara and then headed towards Pavia through Tromello and Groppello or again from Mortara he reached Lomello and then resumed a stretch of the ancient road.
These local variants, segments of the road network that came from France, over time they were designated as “Vie Francigene” and became the route privileged destination for pilgrims and travelers from beyond the Alps heading to Rome.
The memory of the ancient route, however, did not fade and was still present in the modern age remembered in the Cozzo area with the name of Strada Regina.