It is one of the major centers of the Lomellina area, located a short distance from the left bank of the river Terdoppio. The town's name derives from the Celtic "kel-Leski (village of incineration), confirmed by the discovery of a vast Gaul necropolis.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Garlasco suffered the Lombard domination, first, and France, then. It is mentioned for the first time in a document of 909: it is a donation with which Berengario I ceded the lands to Avegerto, archpriest of San Giovanni in Domnarum in Pavia. In another diploma of 988, the Emperor Otto II ceded Garlasco and all the surrounding territory to the monastery of San Salvatore in Pavia. The town submitted the domination of important families, such as: the Pavesi, the Beccaria and the Langosco. In 1436 the village held by the Visconti, was assigned to the noble family of the Castiglioni, who remained in power till 1797.
The Castle of Garlasco was, in the past, one of the most important of the Lomellina area. It was erected in the XV century on the ruins of pre-existing fortifications. Currently visible is only part of the tower adjacent to the town's main square.
The Church, entitled to the Virgin and Saint Francis, was designed by Gerolamo Regina of Pavia, and was built in 1715 where once stood the older church of Santa Maria intra muros, of which remain some XV century frescoes .
Among the religious buildings worth of mention: the Church of San Rocco (1570), the Church of the Holy Trinity (1612), the Sanctuary of Madonna della Bozzola, an important pilgrimage centre.
Not to miss: the Teatro Martinetti (1830).