The best road cycling routes around Pandino

the windmills are always very characteristic

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 Muzza Canal is the oldest in Europe and 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 through their territory. The current route, about 60 km long, receives the waters of the Adda at Cassano d’Adda, at an altitude of 120 m above sea level, crosses the Lodi territory for about 40 km up to near Castiglione d’Adda, at an altitude of 45 m above sea level, and here it releases them back into the Adda. It has a regulated water regime, with a flow rate, depending on the seasons, of about 200,000 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.

A suggestive glimpse of the wheel of a watermill, visible from the small bridge over the Acqua Rossa canal.

suggestive and well preserved

It's just a shame that bicycles are not allowed

Built in the 11th century, this basilica is one of the most significant examples of Lombard Romanesque architecture. The brick façade and bell tower dominate the central square of Rivolta d'Adda, while inside, medieval frescoes and decorations testify to the site's long history.

The Church was built at the end of the 11th century, but over the years it was much remodeled, until in 1903 Monsignor Agostino Desirelli gave the task to the engineers Cesare Nava and Gaetano Moretti to restore it so that it could be brought back to its original Romanesque architecture. The bell tower originally had a gabled roof and a height of 16 meters, in 1716 it was raised to 30 meters with a concert of 6 bells. It reached its current height in 1845 with the parish priest Don Carlo Sessa who also brought the number of bells to 8.