The best traffic-free bike rides around Brugherio

Parco Increa extends over an area of approximately 330,000 sq m (33 hectares) in the southeastern part of the municipality of Brugherio and borders the municipality of Cernusco to the South-East and a stretch of the eastern ring road to the North-West. Where the park is today, there was once an agricultural area, which from the 1960s was the site of sand and gravel extraction activities; then, in 1985, thanks to the variant to the PRG and the agreement between the municipality of Brugherio and some private quarry owners, environmental recovery interventions began, aimed at the creation of a equipped public park including green areas and a small lake. In 1987 the area was acquired into the municipal heritage and in the following twenty years the works were carried out which have led today to having the largest green lung in Brugherio and the surrounding area.

The Increa Park covers an area of approximately 330,000 sq m (33 hectares) in the southeastern part of the municipality of Brugherio and borders the municipality of Cernusco to the southeast and a stretch of the eastern ring road to the northwest. Where the park is today, there was once an agricultural area, which from the 1960s was the site of sand and gravel extraction activities; then, in 1985, thanks to the variant to the PRG and the agreement between the municipality of Brugherio and some private quarry owners, environmental recovery interventions began, aimed at the creation of a public equipped park including green areas and a small lake. In 1987 the area was acquired by the municipal heritage and in the following twenty years the works were carried out which have led today to having the largest green lung in Brugherio and the surrounding area.

The Increa Park covers an area of approximately 330,000 sq m (33 hectares) in the southeastern part of the municipality of Brugherio and borders the municipality of Cernusco to the southeast and a stretch of the eastern ring road to the northwest. Where the park is today, there was once an agricultural area that, from the 1960s, was the site of sand and gravel extraction activities; then, in 1985, thanks to the amendment to the PRG and the agreement between the municipality of Brugherio and some private quarry owners, environmental recovery interventions began, aimed at creating a public equipped park including green areas and a small lake. In 1987, the area was acquired by the municipal heritage and in the following twenty years, the works were carried out that have led today to the largest green lung in Brugherio and its surroundings.

Inside the Increa park there is an artificial lake that occupies almost half of its surface. Other characteristic elements are: the roccolo composed of lime trees recovered from the renovation of via Manara, the three monumental plane trees located in the northern area of the park and, overlooking the small lake, the longest recycled plastic bench in Italy. It hosts sporting and recreational events, especially during the summer season.

The Naviglio della Martesana, definitively completed in 1496 under the leadership of Ludovico il Moro, flows from Trezzo sull’Adda to Milan for a total length of 38 km. The route runs alongside the ancient Roman road (the current SS 11 padana superiore) which crossed the Adda with two branches: at Vaprio and at Cassano. Irrigation of the land located above the spring belt was for a long time the predominant use of the canal, so much so that initially navigation was limited to two days a week; concurrently with the improvement of the agricultural structure thanks to irrigation, a notable flourishing of stately villas occurred in the Baroque era, aimed at enjoying the convenience of water travel and controlling the owned lands.

The Naviglio della Martesana, definitively completed in 1496 under the leadership of Ludovico il Moro, flows from Trezzo sull’Adda to Milan for a total length of 38 km. The route runs alongside the ancient Roman road (the current SS 11 padana superiore) which crossed the Adda with two branches: at Vaprio and Cassano. The irrigation of the lands located above the spring belt was for a long time the predominant use of the canal, so much so that initially navigation was limited to two days a week; concurrently with the improvement of the agricultural structure thanks to irrigation, a notable flourishing of stately homes occurred in the Baroque era, aimed at enjoying the convenience of travel on water and controlling the owned lands.

The Naviglio della Martesana, definitively completed in 1496 under the guidance of Ludovico il Moro, flows from Trezzo sull’Adda to Milan for a total length of 38 km. The route runs alongside the ancient Roman road (the current SS 11 padana superiore) which crossed the Adda with two branches: at Vaprio and Cassano. Irrigation of the land located above the spring belt was for a long time the predominant use of the canal, so much so that initially navigation was limited to two days a week; concurrently with the improvement of the agricultural structure thanks to irrigation, a notable flourishing of stately villas occurred in the Baroque era, intended to enjoy the convenience of travel on water and to control owned lands.

The Naviglio della Martesana, initially known as Naviglio Piccolo, is one of the Milanese canals that connects Milan with the course of the Adda river through the municipalities of Martesana. Commissioned in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, it was used for irrigating the countryside but also represented the ambitious project of connecting Milan with Lake Como and thus with the Alps and Ticino. The Naviglio della Martesana is a place rich in history and beauty, a heritage for everyone that, however, today is still little known and protected. Along the Naviglio runs a rather busy cycle path, which allows you to admire the landscape and cultural beauties, such as the rich flora, fauna, or the numerous historic villas, including the Renaissance Villa Melzi d’Eril in Vaprio d’Adda.