Godiasco is a town of Oltrepò Pavese area, located halfway between Voghera and Varzi, along the course of the river Staffora. Although the town's name has probably Ligurian origins, the village is mentioned for the first time in a diploma, dated 1164, by which the Emperor Frederick I ceded the lands of Godiasco to the Marquis Obizzo Malaspina: The fief belonged to the same Family, except for some brief periods, until 1753 with the last of the Malaspina dynasty, Giuseppe Antonio Malaspina. In the castle, today in ruins, hosted in 1512, the Cardinal Giovanni de 'Medici, future Pope Leo X.
The medieval layout of the town reflects in the names of the streets, that lead to the ancient guilds of arts and crafts, such as : via dei Fabbri (blacksmith) , via dei Conciai (tannery), via dei Fornai (bakeries), via del Mulino (of the mill).
Salice Terme, a district of Godiasco, was already known to the Romans for the important therapeutic properties of the sulfur and bromine-iodine present in the area.
Not to miss:
- the Parish Church of San Siro, built in 1500 in late Gothic style, with attractive leaded glass and woodworks;
- the XVI century Palazzo Malaspina, built on the ruins of the ancient fortress;
- the remains of some towers, forming part of the ancient defensive apparatus of the town;
- the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin;
- the Church of St. John.