Engrained in local lore and history, San Martino Siccomario awaits. San Martino Siccomario is an Italian town of 6340 inhabitants. It sits in the province of Pavia in Lombardy. The town lies on the right bank of the Ticino River. This location is just downstream from the capital. San Martino Siccomario is part of the Siccomario area.
Legend says San Martino of Tours lived here as a child. In the ninth century, a monastery dedicated to the saint stood here. Emperor Carlo Magno placed it under the jurisdiction of the monastery of San Martino of Tours.
San Martino Siccomario was once known as Terra Arsa. This name appeared in a document from 909. The name Siccomario was added in the mid-1700s. Before that, maps showed Terra Arsa separate from Siccomario.
In the Late Middle Ages, San Martino Siccomario was part of the Siccomario team. It was administratively linked to Oltrepò Pavese. Most of Siccomario was a fief of the Beccaria family of Mezzano. The Arborio family of Gattinara then took over. Next came the Menocchio family of Pavia. Filiberto Buglione of Chieri followed. He became Count of San Martino in 1760. In 1772, he ceded it to the State. The fief of San Martino ended twenty-five years before feudalism was abolished.
In 1743, San Martino in Terra Arsa came under the rule of the Savoy. They had already controlled Lomellina since 1713. Pavia remained under Austrian rule. The Gravellone canal became the state border. It divided San Martino Siccomario from Pavia. This lasted until 1859.
Administratively, Siccomario remained part of Oltrepò until 1818. Then, it joined Lomellina. In 1848, King Carlo Alberto gave his army the Italian Tricolore on the Gravellone. This flag became the national flag of Italy.
San Martino Siccomario’s coat of arms features three gold ears of wheat. These symbolize the land’s fertility. Two wavy silver bands represent the Po and Ticino rivers. The red and silver colors echo Pavia’s coat of arms.
Since May 11, 2013, San Martino Siccomario holds the title of city. This honor was granted by decree of the President of the Italian Republic. San Martino Siccomario is now effectively part of the Pavia metropolitan area. It borders Carbonara al Ticino, Cava Manara, Pavia and Travacò Siccomario.
So when visiting San Martino Siccomario take a stroll and imagine the historical figures walking around.