The best cycling routes around Roncaro

A church in the Lombard Gothic style.

Unfortunately, this church of St. James on the Via Francigena was closed.

A dignified, impressive building in a wonderful park. A must-see.

The Via Francigena passes through the municipality of Linarolo, which belonged to the Order of the Knights Templar. The passage of pilgrims is confirmed by the existence, in the past, of a hospital for the Romans, mentioned by the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Visconti in his Itinerary for pilgrims on the way to Rome, dated 1400. The woods and the proximity of the river were the ideal setting for nature walks and the re-enactment of an evocative history. The city is located in an area that was very popular in the Middle Ages, where the Strada Regina passed, via San Leonardo and Ospedaletto. The road connected Piacenza with Pavia along the Po and was the continuation of the Via Emilia (Rimini-Piacenza).

Church of San Leonardo Confessore in neoclassical/baroque style, rich in frescoes and decorations. Very suggestive. The parish church is dedicated to St. Leonard of Limoges.

In the countryside between Belgioioso and the river Po, near the hamlet of San Giacomo della Cerreta stands the small church of San Giacomo, a destination for pilgrims because it is located on the ancient route of the Via Francigena, to which its name refers to another of the destinations of medieval pilgrims: Santiago de Compostella in Spain. In the past, near San Giacomo della Cerreta, there was the small settlement of Porcaria, whose name refers to the breeding of pigs, documented from the twelfth century and disappeared in the fourteenth century. The church is of Lombard art from the first half of the fifteenth century, it has a single room, entirely painted with votive paintings related to pilgrimages. In addition to the Madonna, Saint Roch and Saint James are repeatedly depicted, both in the guise of pilgrims, carrying a stick and a saddlebag. In the images of St. James, the characteristic shell that pilgrims collected at Cape Finisterre, on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, has been added as a sign and reminder of the journey made.

The Via Francigena runs through the municipality of Linarolo, which belonged to the Order of the Knights Templar. The passage of pilgrims is confirmed by the existence, in the past, of a hospital for the Romans, mentioned by the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Visconti in his Itinerary for pilgrims on their way to Rome, dated 1400. The forests and the proximity of the river provided the ideal setting for nature walks and reenacting an evocative history. The town is located in an area that was very popular in the Middle Ages, where the Strada Regina passed, via San Leonardo and Ospedaletto. The road connected Piacenza with Pavia along the Po and was the continuation of the Via Emilia (Rimini-Piacenza). Wikipedia

The Parco del Ticino is a beautiful nature reserve that extends across the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont in Italy. The Ticino River extends for a total length of 248 kilometers, from the Passo di Novena in Switzerland to its confluence with the Po. Within the park, the stretch from Sesto Calende (VA) to the Ponte della Becca (PV) covers a length of 110 kilometers. The park is crossed by more than 750 kilometers of cycling and walking paths, of which more than 100 kilometers are along the banks of the canals.