The University of Pavia traces its formal founding to 1361, though teaching has been recorded here since the 9th century. The historic campus in the city centre is a series of connected courtyards occupying a large block, with departments, libraries, and the rector's office all within the old buildings. Visitors can walk freely through the public arcaded courtyards.
The University History Museum, housed within the old campus, is the most rewarding of the university's collections: Alessandro Volta's original laboratory instruments, anatomical wax models, antique scientific instruments, and a room dedicated to Camillo Golgi and the Italian tradition of medical research. The Faculty of Medicine's anatomical theatre, an 18th-century surgical dissection room, can sometimes be visited on request — one of the more surprising spaces in the city.