The best gravel rides around Bottanuco

Trails and single tracks on the way there, immersed in nature.

A stunning viewpoint during the ride

Confine prov. Milano and Bergamo

The geometric layout and architectural hierarchy of the town reflect the organization of the factory itself: Il Cotonificio: imposing complex in Lombard Romanesque style with its iconic saw-tooth roofed sheds. Worker houses: semi-detached houses surrounded by a garden and a vegetable patch to ensure the sustenance and hygiene of the working family. Managers' villas: eclectic and stately homes, located in isolated areas and surrounded by greenery. Villa-Castello: the sumptuous feudal summer residence of the Crespi family in neo-Gothic style. Cemetery and Mausoleum: a monumental cemetery dominated by the enormous pyramid of the Crespi family, which seems to symbolically embrace the workers' tombs arranged in orderly rows. Collective services: the school (where everything was provided free of charge by the company), the church (exact copy of the Sanctuary of Busto Arsizio), the public washhouse, the hospital, and the workers' club.

The Esterle power plant was particularly well-designed from an architectural point of view, as it was intended to be representative of the Edison company that built it. It looks more like a Lombard pleasure villa than a true industrial facility. The effort to integrate the building into the surrounding territory, made in the early 20th century during the construction of the plant, was remarkable. Today it represents a significant example of monumental industrial archaeology and is known for its particular beauty. Inside, the walls and ceiling of the engine room were decorated with great care, as were the floors, lamps, light fixtures, and numerous wrought-iron furnishings.

Any trail that winds through its vicinity is wonderful, a shame about the interruption between Zelo and Galgagnano of the path due to the hunting area, incidentally a beautiful place part of the ADDA sud Park but inexplicably in the hands of one or more private individuals who have made it their "hunting park" by fencing it all in. I happened to get inside by mistake, finding one of the numerous open gates and could no longer get out, finding the others closed, receiving a couple of shots in the air behind my back to make me understand that I was not welcome! A real shame because it interrupts the descent from Zelo towards Lodi along the Adda. Beyond the "hunting park" I believe that the passage along the river (state-owned area!!) SHOULD always be guaranteed without any ifs or buts!

The industrial village of Crespi d'Adda, located in the municipality of Capriate San Gervasio (Bergamo), is the best-preserved workers' village in Southern Europe. Founded in 1878 by the textile entrepreneur Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, it represents an exceptional example of an ideal "company town" and, since 1995, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Unlike many industrial archaeology sites, Crespi d'Adda is a living and still inhabited site, mainly by the descendants of the original workers.

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.