The best MTB trails around Pantigliate

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.

The cycle path between Malaspina (San Felice) and San Bovio is an easy and flat cycle-pedestrian route, ideal for leisure and commuting, which crosses the greenery between Segrate and Peschiera Borromeo. It passes along Lake Malaspina, near the quarry lakes and the Bosco della Besozza, offering a loop of about 9-10 km. [1, 2]

The Besozza Forest saw its origin in 2003, thanks to the project “Ten Great Plain Forests” by the Lombardy Region with the aim of improving the environment, increasing biodiversity, and promoting educational and recreational paths.

The Muzza Canal is the oldest in Europe and just this year, its 800th anniversary was celebrated by the Municipality of Paullo in collaboration with the Pro Loco and other Municipalities. Its origin dates back to the year 1220, when Frederick II of Swabia, crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, issued an imperial edict that granted the people of Lodi the right to use the waters flowing within their territory. The current route, about 60 km long, receives the waters of the Adda River at Cassano d’Adda, at an altitude of 120 m above sea level, crosses the Lodi territory for about 40 km until near Castiglione d’Adda, at an altitude of 45 m above sea level, and here it releases them back into the Adda River. It has a regulated water regime, with a flow rate, depending on the season, of about 200 thousand liters of water per second; an initial width of 50 meters which reduces to a few meters at the end of its course and an average depth of 2 meters.

The Camposoglio farmhouse is located on the edge of the Bosco della Besozza protected area. It is an abandoned farmhouse but still retains great charm.

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, right here, around the year 1000, the monks invented Grana Padano, the globally less famous version of Parmigiano.

The small church of San Biagio, unique in its location, in a rural hamlet almost lost in the countryside of the upper Lodi area. The entire complex can be considered, in short, a general rehearsal for Bramante. The structures, absolutely innovative for the time, highlight the engineering knowledge typical of the architect. The oratory dedicated to San Biagio (Bishop of Sebaste and martyr) has a lower parallelepiped part with three apses and an octagonal upper part, with a row of round windows and another of blind rectangular windows. It is completed by a low tower that serves as a bell tower; the entire complex is made of terracotta and retains a classical Renaissance appearance of elegance and proportions.

The Abbey of Chiaravalle Milanese, founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1135, is one of the most important Italian monastic complexes, located in Milan within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano. Still populated today by the traditional Cistercian monastic community, it is a place of considerable spiritual value and a significant hub from a historical, artistic, and cultural perspective. The complex is a highly prized tourist destination, whose value has increased significantly in recent years thanks to restoration and enhancement projects.