The best traffic-free bike rides around Palazzo Pignano

Trails and single tracks on the way there, immersed in nature.

Virtually nothing reliable is known about the life of SAN GIORGIO, to whom the church of Corneliano was entrusted as patron saint, but the veneration of his person reaches far back into early Christianity. A martyr, who is equated with George, is said to have lived in the third century. However, the legend of Saint George as a dragon slayer is well-known and widespread; he is often depicted – in paintings or as a statue – as the vanquisher of the beast, often as a knight high on horseback. The feast day of the very popular George – he is, among other things, the patron saint of the English kingdom – in the calendar of saints is April 23rd.

The Cathedral with the Clock Tower occupies the east side of Piazza della Vittoria, and the facades of houses and palaces frame its facade. The square, as a civic and religious center, as we see it today, was formed in different periods. The construction site of the Duomo was organized according to the methods of the time, i.e. by tracing the perimeter directly on the ground and then starting with the construction of the apse area. The so-called "stepped" facade suggests the division of the internal space, in which the central nave is higher and wider than the two side aisles. In the center of the facade, in the upper part, is the aedicule containing a bronze copy of the statue of San Bassiano, the original in copper and gold patina is kept inside the main nave of the cathedral. The central part of the facade is occupied by the rose window which, besides being a typically decorative element, allows for good internal lighting.

Around the rose window and the slopes of the roof, the decoration with interwoven arches and polychrome majolica cups of Byzantine derivation is to be observed. Below the rose window, two Renaissance stone windows have been created. The "candelabra" columns and the side coats of arms refer to the motifs of humanistic culture. The most characteristic element of this facade is the protiron. In the lunette above the portal are depicted the Redeemer, the crowned Madonna, and Saint Bassiano imploring. On the pilasters of the horizontal architrave are depicted Adam and Eve and, below, two other figures that recall the vices of man. The portal is framed by spiral columns, and the decorations surrounding the portal arch consist of naturalistic decorative motifs derived from the Lombard school, with shoots, spirals, and aquatic plant leaves. Finally, the small roof that frames and shelters the portal is supported by stylophoric lions.

Arriving from Lodi along the cycle path on the embankment in the direction of Zelo (or Rivolta) a suggestive point

Any trail that winds through its vicinity is wonderful, a shame about the interruption between Zelo and Galgagnano of the path due to the hunting area, incidentally a beautiful place part of the ADDA sud Park but inexplicably in the hands of one or more private individuals who have made it their "hunting park" by fencing it all in. I happened to get inside by mistake, finding one of the numerous open gates and could no longer get out, finding the others closed, receiving a couple of shots in the air behind my back to make me understand that I was not welcome! A real shame because it interrupts the descent from Zelo towards Lodi along the Adda. Beyond the "hunting park" I believe that the passage along the river (state-owned area!!) SHOULD always be guaranteed without any ifs or buts!

Santuario di Santa Maria del Fonte is a magnificent monumental complex, situated at the end of a long tree-lined avenue that begins with the arch of Porta Nuova, close to the historic center of the city. Its origin dates back to the famous episode of the Apparition: on May 26, 1432, the peasant woman Giannetta de Vacchi was in the Mazzolengo meadow, near the village of Caravaggio, when she witnessed the appearance of a woman whom, by her majesty and beauty, she immediately recognized as the Virgin Mary. As a testament to the event, a new spring gushed forth in the field, whose waters were capable of healing ailments. In the immediately following centuries, a place of worship was built to remain in eternal memory of the event: this building later became the current Basilica of the Sanctuary of Caravaggio.

The church of San Giorgio, oriented east-west, faces the main street of the hamlet of Corneliano Bertario. The building has a gabled facade marked by four giant order pilasters, with a single central portal and four niches with statues on the sides. The bell tower rises on the left flank. Inside, the layout is a single nave with side chapels and a vaulted barrel ceiling. On the counter-facade is the structure of the large organ with a balcony supported by columns.