There are places where history speaks with greater intensity. There are places that have witnessed dialogues and encounters involving people who have influenced the course of mankind. There are places that history considers crossroads of thought and relations, where some of the most distinguished minds of all time have met and thrived. The Almo Collegio Borromeo is one of those places. The Almo Collegio Borromeo connects past and present through a dialogue that extends across centuries. Founded in 1561 by Saint Charles Borromeo, it is the oldest merit-based college in Italy, established to provide deserving but financially disadvantaged students with the opportunity to study at the University of Pavia.