Pavia sits at the edge of the Po Valley rice country, and the local kitchen reflects it: risotto in various forms, stuffed pasta, braised meats, and a heavy reliance on butter rather than olive oil. The local wine comes primarily from the Oltrepò Pavese region south of the city, a reliable source of Pinot Nero, Bonarda, and sparkling Metodo Classico that rarely appears on wine lists outside Lombardy. The university gives the city a range of osterie and bars unusual for a town this size.