The best gravel rides around Milano

The Parco delle Groane e della Brughiera Briantea is an immense protected natural area in Lombardy that extends for about 8,249 hectares in the upper Lombardy plain, touching 28 or 29 municipalities distributed among the provinces of Milan, Como, and Monza and Brianza. [1, 2, 3, 4] Originally established in 1976, the park has doubled its surface area in recent years thanks to the incorporation of the PLIS della Brughiera Briantea and the Fontana del Guercio Nature Reserve. The term "groane" derives from the local historical name for heathlands, which here represent one of the southernmost heathlands in Europe.

The Cathedral with the Clock Tower occupies the east side of Piazza della Vittoria, and the facades of houses and palaces frame its facade. The square, as a civic and religious center, as we see it today, was formed in different periods. The construction site of the Duomo was organized according to the methods of the time, i.e. by tracing the perimeter directly on the ground and then starting with the construction of the apse area. The so-called "stepped" facade suggests the division of the internal space, in which the central nave is higher and wider than the two side aisles. In the center of the facade, in the upper part, is the aedicule containing a bronze copy of the statue of San Bassiano, the original in copper and gold patina is kept inside the main nave of the cathedral. The central part of the facade is occupied by the rose window which, besides being a typically decorative element, allows for good internal lighting.

The sanctuary stands on an ancient spring believed to be miraculous. In 1506, Charles II d’Amboise, governor of Milan under French rule, ordered the construction of the sanctuary after receiving a prodigious healing: the building became one of the most important health structures in the city, along with the Lazzaretto and Ca’ Granda, whose floor plan it adopted. The architecture, with its classical and Renaissance influences, was long attributed even to the hand of Leonardo and then Bramante; today it is believed to be the work of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, an architect highly regarded at the time and also active in the Milan Cathedral, Santa Maria delle Grazie, and the Certosa di Pavia. Characterized by a sober yet elegant architecture, a reflection of the highest Lombard solutions of Renaissance harmony and grace, the complex preserves precious 16th and 17th-century frescoes in its arcaded courtyards.

Around the rose window and the slopes of the roof, the decoration with interwoven arches and polychrome majolica cups of Byzantine derivation is to be observed. Below the rose window, two Renaissance stone windows have been created. The "candelabra" columns and the side coats of arms refer to the motifs of humanistic culture. The most characteristic element of this facade is the protiron. In the lunette above the portal are depicted the Redeemer, the crowned Madonna, and Saint Bassiano imploring. On the pilasters of the horizontal architrave are depicted Adam and Eve and, below, two other figures that recall the vices of man. The portal is framed by spiral columns, and the decorations surrounding the portal arch consist of naturalistic decorative motifs derived from the Lombard school, with shoots, spirals, and aquatic plant leaves. Finally, the small roof that frames and shelters the portal is supported by stylophoric lions.

always very fun to cycle on these dirt roads!!

Fondazione Prada is a cultural institution created by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli in 1993. Believing that culture is useful and necessary, as well as attractive and engaging, Fondazione Prada offers an experimental and multidisciplinary program that includes temporary exhibitions, film screenings, conferences, and music and performance projects.

A long and very varied cycle path with diverse environments and points of interest along the route, where the initial part runs through Leonardo's Adda ecomuseum, places where Leonardo da Vinci designed and carried out several hydraulic experiments with the river. The cycle-pedestrian path winds alongside the Adda river between Cassano d’Adda and Lecco, mainly on wide dirt roads. During the route, we will have the opportunity to see monumental works and world heritage sites such as the Edison and Enel hydroelectric dams, Crespi d’Adda, the locks designed by Leonardo and his ferry, a revolutionary hydromechanical work for its time. In the final stretch, we will skirt the lakes of Olginate and Garlate and important natural areas, finally reaching the center of Lecco for a snack or a coffee.

Montevecchia is a charming village suspended between Milan, Brianza and the Lecco Prealps. It stands at an altitude of almost 500 meters and overlooks the almost 3000 hectares of the Montevecchia and Curone Valley Regional Park, where the famous Pyramids, mysterious rock formations, emerge.