The best MTB trails around Melegnano

The Adda River is the fourth longest watercourse in Italy with its 313 kilometers and is entirely contained 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 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 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.

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 square in front of the castle is nice and you can have a good gelato or sweets there.

Placid waters, large basins, humidity galore

Nn

Quiet, well-trodden road stays cool even on hot mornings