[4] The city Pavia was initially settled by the Ligures and was later occupied by Gaulish tribes; it was conquered by the Romans in 220 BCE.

In 1707 and again 1774, parts of the so-called "principality of Pavia", a province of the Duchy under the Spaniards, were sold to Piedmont; these changes were restored after the collapse of the French Empire in 1814.

The province is crossed by the rivers Ticino and Po, which meet four kilometres south of the capital, Pavia.

The territory of Siccomario, at the confluence of the two great rivers, should properly be included in Lomellina, but for historical reasons it is considered part of Pavese.

The town of Pavia has a major position in northern Italy's textile industry and is renowned for hatmaking.