The best traffic-free bike rides around San Donato Milanese

Crossing point between Paullo and Tribiano, a small, little-visited village, 100% safe road

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 Adda River is the fourth longest watercourse in Italy with its 313 kilometers and is entirely within the Lombardy region. It represents one of the main left tributaries of the Po River and has a very large hydrographic basin that covers about a third of the regional territory

The Abbey of Chiaravalle Milanese is a Cistercian monastic complex founded in 1135 by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Located within the South Milan Agricultural Park (Parco Agricolo Sud Milano), it represents one of the most important examples of the transition between Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Lombardy. The abbey is famous not only for its historical and artistic value but also for the monks' historical role in the agricultural reclamation of the surrounding territory.

The Abbey of Chiaravalle Milanese is a Cistercian monastic complex founded in 1135 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Located within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano, it represents one of the most important examples of the transition between Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Lombardy. The abbey is famous not only for its historical and artistic value, but also for the historical role of the monks in the agricultural reclamation of the surrounding territory.

Il Cavallo sul Muro: In the small inhabited center of Zoate, visitors often report a particular house adorned with a horse fixed on the external wall. It is a recurring stop for those who travel on cycle touring routes along the Canale dell'Addetta. Beyond the horse decoration, the village retains the charm of an ancient rural village with a water mill.

The Muzza canal (61 km long in total) is a branch of the Adda River and recently celebrated its 800th anniversary, making it one of the oldest in Europe. Its name, with slight variations over the centuries, still recalls the name of the Roman Mutia family who moved here in 90 BC, initiating the first land reclamation works. From the wide canal branch off smaller watercourses which, winding through the countryside for a total length of about 1000 kilometers, are mainly intended for agricultural irrigation. The landscape of countryside and farmhouses surrounding it is evocative, with alternating rows of trees and open fields. It is also very interesting from a naturalistic point of view as it attracts many water birds that can be observed along the route.

The Abbey is famous because it contributed to the reclamation of the surrounding lands in past centuries, transforming the marshes of the Po Valley into productive organisms. And in fact, it was right here, around the year 1000, that the monks invented Grana Padano, the globally less famous version of Parmigiano.