The best walks and hikes around Cernusco Sul Naviglio

The Naviglio Martesana in Cernusco sul Naviglio represents one of the most evocative, elegant, and historically rich stretches of the entire Renaissance canal designed in the 15th century. In this area, the Martesana Cycle Path leaves the Milanese outskirts to open up into the plain, passing by splendid 18th-century noble villas (the "ville di delizia"), centuries-old parks, and historic views that retain the charm of the ancient Duchy of Milan.

The Naviglio della Martesana (also called Naviglio Piccolo) is an artificial canal about 38 kilometers long that connects Milan to the Adda River. Designed in the 15th century under the guidance of Francesco Sforza and completed under Ludovico il Moro, it also saw the engineering contribution of Leonardo da Vinci. Today it is no longer navigable, but its ancient service road (the Alzaia) has become one of Lombardy's most beloved cycle paths.

The Naviglio Martesana cycle path (also called Naviglio Piccolo) is a cycle-pedestrian route of about 36 kilometers that connects the center of Milan with the Adda river, reaching up to Trezzo sull'Adda or Cassano d'Adda. Completely flat and asphalted, it is an ideal itinerary for families, urban cyclists, and cycle tourists of all levels.

The course of the Naviglio Martesana in Cernusco is also a Park. It extends across the entire width of the territory of Cernusco sul Naviglio, from the border with Cassina de'Pecchi to that with Vimodrone.

The Martesana cycle path starts from Cassina de' Pomm at the corner of via Melchiorre Gioia and extends for 30 km passing through the municipalities of Cologno Monzese, Vimodrone, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Cassina dei Pecchi, Bussero, Gorgonzola, Gessate, Inzago and Cassano d'Adda.

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.

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.