The best running trails in Parco Dell’Alto Martesana

Villa Fornaci is a historic hamlet geographically divided between the municipalities of Gessate and Bellinzago Lombardo, in the metropolitan city of Milan. The core rises and develops entirely along the banks of the Naviglio della Martesana (also called Naviglio Piccolo), representing one of the most characteristic and historically rich hydraulic and industrial crossing points in the entire Martesana territory.

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 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.

Naviglio della Martesana is perhaps the least known of the ancient artificial canals connecting Milan to the great Lombard rivers. It originates from the Adda in Concesa, a hamlet of Trezzo d’Adda, crosses the Martesana sub-region, northeast of the provincial capital, and once in the city, it plunges underground beneath Via Melchiorre Gioia, at the height of Cassina de’ Pomm. It measures approximately 38 km in length, with a width varying from 9 to 18 meters. However, once upon a time, the Naviglio della Martesana continued in the open air all the way to the center, where a lock system centered on the Conca dell’Incoronata connected it to the short Naviglio di S. Marco and the urban network of the Navigli. The lock was inaugurated in 1496, utilizing lock gates designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The canal had been opened in 1471, under Francesco Sforza. By connecting it to the other Navigli, Leonardo laid the foundations for realizing a dream of the Sforzas: to travel by water from the Ticino, and therefore from Lake Maggiore, all the way to the Adda.

In Groppello d'Adda, along the Martesana Canal, there is a large waterwheel called "el rudun." It is not a mill, but a noria that was used to raise water for irrigation. It was built in 1618 at the behest of Cardinal Federico Borromeo. It was used to irrigate the vegetable gardens and gardens of the Archbishop's Villa. Tradition attributes the design to Leonardo da Vinci. The water also fed kitchens, washhouses, and livestock watering troughs. The original wheel was dismantled in the late 19th century. The current one is a 1989 reconstruction, restored several times. It has a diameter of 11 meters and eight large blades. Today, it is a historical and educational symbol that tells the story of the area's past.

Surroundings of Cassano d'Adda

In the center of town, on the right bank of the Martesana Canal, stands an imposing waterwheel (popularly known as a rudun) said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself. Despite appearances, the wheel is not a mill, but a noria. Its function, in fact, was never to grind grain or power machinery, but rather to lift water from the canal to channel it into an irrigation system.

We are in Groppello, a hamlet in the municipality of Cassano d'Adda, and we must go back in time to 1618, when Cardinal Federico Borromeo commissioned this large wheel to convey the water needed to irrigate the vegetable gardens and gardens of the Archbishop's Villa. It is said that this majestic work, at the Cardinal's request, was designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself. Which, if anything, adds to its charm.