The best road cycling routes around Verano Brianza

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.

Monza Park is one of the largest historic parks in Europe and the largest walled enclosure, with over 700 hectares of extension. Established in 1805 by Napoleon, it hosts the famous Royal Villa, the Royal Gardens, and the National Autodrome, offering nature, sport, and culture. It is accessible for free every day. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

The Monza park is always a spectacle in spring

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.

A valuable 17th-century monument of Lombard Baroque, but also a bulwark that rises in a panoramic position overlooking the Adda Valley in Imbersago, in the province of Lecco. A perfect blend of religious devotion, commemoration of a mystical past, and immersion in lush nature, a symbol of vitality and timeless beauty. The history of the Sanctuary of Imbersago is rooted in a past of apparitions and miraculous events. It all began on May 9, 1617, when three shepherds who were grazing their flock in the woods saw a celestial figure among dazzling lights and harmonious melodies on the three large chestnut trees that stood around the Sorgente del Lupo (so named for the animals that roamed there). At that point, Pietro, one of the children, with great wonder, spotted and picked up a ripe hedgehog, an unlikely event in the middle of spring. And for all the people, this represented the prodigious sign that the Blessed Virgin wished to be honored in that very place. From here, from this miraculous vision, began the devotion to the Madonna del Bosco, also known as Madonna del Riccio, referring precisely to the miracle just narrated, or Madonna dei Miracoli di Imbersago.

It is a complex of buildings enclosed by a wall, the historic block of which extends in a U-shape along the east-west axis. Despite neglect and numerous changes in use, which have led to extensive renovations, the interior still retains highly valuable spaces, with stuccoed and frescoed rooms depicting architectural motifs and mythological episodes, vaulted ceilings, generally pavilion-shaped masonry, or false reed vaults, or wooden coffered ceilings.

Villa Mirabello, a wonderful example of 17th-century architecture and residence, was built in the mid-17th century by the Durini family, who had purchased the fiefdom of Monza in 1648. The Durinis built a beautiful villa, with large halls for parties and receptions, named "Mirabello." Its U-shaped structure, open to the river landscape and featuring a courtyard, is of great structural significance, as it marks the transition from the typology of the walled country palace, typical of the 15th and 16th centuries, to the new concept of the palace-villa opening onto a scenic garden or park.