Gambarana

The history of Gambarana's territory has always been conditioned by the proximity of the Po; once it was flowing further south, leaving room for a large historically important center, Sparvara; and also the current fraction Cambiò was a remarkable place, as on the other hand the same Gambarana. In fact, among the branches in which the counts of Lomello palatini, lords of the Western Lomellina until the 12th century were divided, two of the main ones beared the names of Sparvara and Gambarana. In 1311 the palatine accounts were represented here by Federico, Giuliano and Riccardo di Sparvara, and Alberto, Ruffino, Giannone and Opicino di Gambarana. In 1164 all Lomellina was subject to the city of Pavia; its diploma by Federico I appoints both Sparvara and Gambarana. Under Pavia, he continued the lordship of the Palatine Counts of Sparvara and Gambarana on their respective feuds which, unless short interruptions, continued until the 18th century (the Sparvara became extinct in 1769, the Gambarana still exist). Already in the previous century, if not before, it had begun the decadence of Sparvara, devastated by the Po; its name did not indicate that some cascina scattered, and also the Counts of Sparvara by now established their headquarters in Cambiò, which was the seat of the municipality still told of Sparvara and Cambiò.

The town of San Martino La Mandria was a municipality until the 18th century; it also belonged to the fief of Gambarana; in 1806 it was aggregated to Suardi and later to Gambarana, as then happened to Cambiò.