Pavia capitale del Regno dei Longobardi: un’iniziativa di studio e valorizzazione

Pavia hides away the remains of its past. The rare artistic and monumental survivals – considerably modified over the centuries and generally poorly preserved – are difficult to present to the public. The project ‘Pavia capitale e il suo territorio: valorizzazione e divulgazione del patrimonio culturale longobardo tra virtualità, multimedialità e ricerca storico-archeologica’ (Pavia, the capital, and its territory: the development and public fruition of its Longobard cultural heritage – virtual and multimedia presentation, historical and archaeological research) was designed as a vehicle for study and critical evaluation aimed at the conservation and re-evaluation of the ancient building remains in the Longobards’ capital. The project is based on multidisciplinary research, com-bining written sources, narratives and documentary evidence from the Early Middle Ages until modern times, with archaeological investigation of the remains and modern imaging techniques, analytical procedures and digital representations. The results of this work will be made publicly available through internet. The project focuses in particular on the most important surviving Early Medieval buildings, such as the crypts of Sant’Eusebio and Santa Maria alle Cacce, and the remains of the church of San Marino: the earliest structures in these multiphase buildings have been identified. The paper includes a summary of the stratigraphic analysis of the crypt of Sant’Eusebio.