The best MTB trails around Cologno Monzese

The Villoresi canal draws water from the Ticino river, in the locality of Panperduto, in the municipality of Somma Lombardo. After traveling 86 kilometers, in the provinces of Milan and Monza Brianza, it flows into the Adda river in the municipality of Cassano d’Adda. Construction work began in 1881 and was completed in 1891 to a design by Eugenio Villoresi. Originally intended exclusively for irrigation purposes, following the crisis of crops connected with silk production, the canal now allows water distribution in a plain area of approximately 85,000 hectares, through a network that totals about 3,000 kilometers. The paths, free of difficulties, accessible to everyone and certainly of interest, are part of the investments made to enhance the towpaths of the waterways, and should also be considered a fast connection route between the various Municipalities bordering the canal.

The most beautiful white road, and one of the few, in Brianza. Gravel ante litteram

Down on the shore of Lake Increa

The Increa Park covers an area of approximately 330,000 sq m (33 hectares) in the southeastern part of the municipality of Brugherio and borders the municipality of Cernusco to the southeast and a stretch of the eastern ring road to the northwest. Where the park is today, there was once an agricultural area, which from the 1960s was the site of sand and gravel extraction activities; then, in 1985, thanks to the variant to the PRG and the agreement between the municipality of Brugherio and some private quarry owners, environmental recovery interventions began, aimed at the creation of a public equipped park including green areas and a small lake. In 1987 the area was acquired by the municipal heritage and in the following twenty years the works were carried out which have led today to having the largest green lung in Brugherio and the surrounding area.

The Increa Park covers an area of approximately 330,000 sq m (33 hectares) in the southeastern part of the municipality of Brugherio and borders the municipality of Cernusco to the southeast and a stretch of the eastern ring road to the northwest. Where the park is today, there was once an agricultural area that, from the 1960s, was the site of sand and gravel extraction activities; then, in 1985, thanks to the amendment to the PRG and the agreement between the municipality of Brugherio and some private quarry owners, environmental recovery interventions began, aimed at creating a public equipped park including green areas and a small lake. In 1987, the area was acquired by the municipal heritage and in the following twenty years, the works were carried out that have led today to the largest green lung in Brugherio and its surroundings.

The Naviglio della Martesana, definitively completed in 1496 under the guidance of Ludovico il Moro, flows from Trezzo sull’Adda to Milan for a total length of 38 km. The route runs alongside the ancient Roman road (the current SS 11 padana superiore) which crossed the Adda with two branches: at Vaprio and Cassano. Irrigation of the land located above the spring belt was for a long time the predominant use of the canal, so much so that initially navigation was limited to two days a week; concurrently with the improvement of the agricultural structure thanks to irrigation, a notable flourishing of stately villas occurred in the Baroque era, intended to enjoy the convenience of travel on water and to control owned lands.

La Cascina Increa is a historic 17th-century rural complex (inaugurated in 1691), located in Brugherio (MB) in the Increa locality. Structured in four courtyards, once the residence of noble families such as the Tizzoni and the Ottolini, today it represents a typical example of Lombard agricultural architecture. In its vicinity lies the homonymous Parco Increa, born from the reconversion of a quarry.

The Villoresi Canal cycle path traverses the Lombardy countryside, following the entire length of the Villoresi Canal, the historic waterway built for irrigation in the late 19th century by engineer Eugenio Villoresi. The canal draws water from the Ticino River near Somma Lombardo and, after an 86 km journey, returns it to the Adda River near Groppello.