The best gravel rides around Castel San Giovanni

The Castello di San Colombano (or Castello Belgioioso) stands in the medieval village famous for its vineyards and for being an exclave in the province of Milan. Dating back to the 6th century and rebuilt by Barbarossa in 1164, it is divided between a private area (the keep) and a communal one (the fortified village).

The Ramp on Via Collada in San Colombano al Lambro (MI) is a climb of about 700-1160 meters that starts right by the castle walls. It is known for its challenging average gradient of ~17% and peaks exceeding 20%] Length: Approximately 1.16 km (with a steep initial section of ~ 500 meters). Elevation gain: ~ 199 meters. Average gradient: 17.12%. Maximum gradient: Very steep, suitable for intense training (MTB/road bike climb category).

preparing for a big concert.

The Ciaparat Chapel is a landmark mainly known on road cycling routes around Sant'Angelo Lodigiano and the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano, often included in loop itineraries between Bascapè, Locate Triulzi, and Vistarino. It is a popular area for moderate road bike training, with asphalted roads.

The path is easy to ride with a simple bike. The paths are exemplary!

The patronage of this shrine, dedicated to the Madonna, refers to the town of Loreto. This is one of the great and important Marian pilgrimage sites in Europe, along with Lourdes in the French Pyrenees and Fatima in Portugal. Unlike the other two places mentioned, however, Loreto is not known for apparitions of the Mother of God. Here, pilgrims can find something very tangible: Mary's childhood home in Nazareth (Israel). Her parents—not mentioned by name in the biblical writings of the New Testament—are mentioned in apocryphal traditions: Saint Anne and Saint Joachim are thus the grandparents of Jesus Christ (their common feast day in the calendar of saints is July 26). Crusaders likely dismantled the venerated building in Nazareth and brought it to Europe when the era of the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land came to an end towards the end of the 13th century. But this very sober assumption is countered by a much more interesting legend: According to this, four angels carried out the translation and flew the house over the Mediterranean.

Golferenzo is a village well worth the climb: small, well-kept, and surrounded by the hills of the Tidone Valley and the Alta Val Versa. Getting there by bike means pedaling through vineyards, along scenic roads, and with views that will make all your efforts worthwhile. If you enjoy cycling through nature and discovering authentic villages, make a note of this: it's a tour worth doing at least once.

The villa was built according to its original design by Count Antonio Cavazzi della Somaglia, VIII Count and Baron of Somaglia, to showcase the power of his family, in an area where he owned several lands and estates. The count entrusted the design to architect Giovanni Ruggeri. Upon his death in 1688, Antonio bequeathed the villa to his great-nephew Antonio Dati, who subsequently assumed the title of Count of Somaglia. Dati oversaw the expansion of the palace, transforming it into a majestic residence intended as a holiday resort and meeting place for great figures of 18th-century Italian literature and culture, but he never lived to see the work completed, which was completed by his son Antonio Giovanni Battista in 1749.