The best road cycling routes around Lake Cava Increa

The Locks of Bellinzago Lombardo are an important historical hydraulic engineering work located along the course of the Naviglio della Martesana. They represent one of the best-known stopping and points of interest for cyclists and hikers who frequent the canal bank. These historical hydraulic systems (locks or sluices) originally served to regulate the flow of water and allow commercial navigation between the Adda and Milan.

The Cascata della Vallategna is a spectacular waterfall of about 30 meters located on the geographical border between the municipalities of Asso and Canzo, in the province of Como. This natural attraction represents a famous symbolic border, as it separates the end of the hilly Brianza from the beginning of the mountainous area of Vallassina.

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.

Easy cycle path suitable for everyone!

Parco Azzurro dei Germani is a large green area located in Cernusco sul Naviglio. The park extends along the banks of the Naviglio Martesana, serving as a natural border with the neighboring municipalities of Cassina de' Pecchi and Vimodrone. It covers a vast area, stretching for about 2-3 kilometers along the canal. It is an equipped park, ideal for outdoor activities such as jogging, walking, and cycling along the Naviglio's alzaia. It includes a "percorso vita" (life path) and picnic areas with tables. Inside the park, there is a diorama that reproduces the network of rivers and canals of Lombardy, a unique example in the region. There are playgrounds for children and a kiosk/bar for snacks.

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.