The best road cycling routes around Pioltello

The Monticello fountain (located in Monticello Brianza, in the province of Lecco) is one of the most famous and frequented rest and water supply points for cyclists and walkers from all over Brianza and Lombardy.

The complex of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul and the former Benedictine Monastery of Brugora is a Romanesque jewel from the 12th century located in Montesiro, a hamlet of Besana in Brianza (MB). Founded in 1102, it features a stone facade with valuable sculptures and houses a 16th-century Last Supper inside.

The Muzza Canal is the oldest in Europe and 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 through their territory. The current route, about 60 km long, receives the waters of the Adda at Cassano d’Adda, at an altitude of 120 m above sea level, crosses the Lodi territory for about 40 km up to near Castiglione d’Adda, at an altitude of 45 m above sea level, and here it releases them back into the Adda. It has a regulated water regime, with a flow rate, depending on the seasons, of about 200,000 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 Muzza canal (61 km long in total) is a branch of the Adda River and has recently celebrated its 800th anniversary, making it one of the oldest in Europe. Its name, with slight variations over the centuries, still recalls the Roman family Mutia who moved here in 90 BC, starting the first land reclamation works. Smaller watercourses branch off from the wide canal, winding through the countryside for a total length of about 1000 kilometers, mainly intended for agricultural irrigation. The surrounding landscape of countryside and farmhouses is evocative, with a succession of tree-lined rows and open fields. It is also very interesting from a naturalistic point of view as it attracts many aquatic birds that can be observed along the route.

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.

The Naviglio della Martesana, initially known as Naviglio Piccolo, is one of the Milanese canals that connects Milan with the course of the Adda river through the municipalities of Martesana. Commissioned in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, it was used for irrigating the countryside but also represented the ambitious project of connecting Milan with Lake Como and thus with the Alps and Ticino. The Naviglio della Martesana is a place rich in history and beauty, a heritage for everyone that, however, today is still little known and protected. Along the Naviglio runs a rather busy cycle path, which allows you to admire the landscape and cultural beauties, such as the rich flora, fauna, or the numerous historic villas, including the Renaissance Villa Melzi d’Eril in Vaprio d’Adda.

The imposing water wheel (about eleven meters in diameter) was built in the early 17th century by Cardinal Federico Borromeo to lift water from the canal and convey it to the nearby Archbishop's Palace. A washhouse can be seen near the wheel.

Arriving here is always a great satisfaction ;)