mastro Orso

The Regional Parks that you
are going to cross are four,
plus the Parco Locale del Lura:
they are real “green lungs” that
will accompany your rides in a
territory where the Milanese aristocrats
left some noble architectural
footprints.
The hills of Como
Chiasso, which hosts a train station
of international relevance,
can be reached both by the trains
that come from Italy and the
trains that come from Switzerland.
It is an ideal base. You will
ride towards Como and, once
you have crossed the Italian-
Swiss border, you will follow the
track 2 of Parco Spina Verde on
your right. It is a natural sanctuary
on a hill behind the city.
From San Fermo della Battaglia,
you will continue on a dirt
track, arriving in Gironico,
first, and then in Lurate Caccivio.
You will enter afterwards
the territory of Parco del Lura,
riding on the first stretch of cycle
track, a dirt route between
the countryside of Bulgarograsso
and Guanzate. Then you
will descend crossing the torrent
and the motorway, arriving near
the FNM station of Cadorago.
From here a very long cycle
track within Parco del Lura begins,
winding between the torrent
and the railroad. There are
also some stretches of streets
with no so much traffic. Our
pleasant trip ends in Rovellasca,
where there is another train station
of Ferrovie Nord, one of
the most relevant local way of
transport, ideal for the fans of
the cycle-tourism.
The cycle-road of the parks
The first five kilometres of this
route are along pleasant dirt
tracks that lead you to Misinto
and Parco delle Groane. The
park, which is very appreciated
by the locals, is a sanctuary of
moor and hosts a fantastic cycle
track. Get some information
and booklets at the Centro
Parco della Polveriera, in Solaro.
Once you have passed below
the busy 527 National
road, very easily, you will enter
the southern part of the park,
far from the chaos that rages only
few kilometres away.
Between Garbagnate and Bollate,
after having crossed Canale
Villoresi and its cycle track,
you will coast the railroad towards
Saronno, passing by the
majestic architectures of Villa
Argonati and Castellazzo. You
are now in the territory of Novate
Milanese, where a paved
cycle track leads you in the big
metropolis of Milan. Nevertheless,
the big natural areas and
the cycle tracks do not end here:
Parco Nord Milano allows you
to travel very easily within the
city. The remaining route towards
the Central Station is an
urban area with some very busy
stretches in which you must be
very careful.
The cycle-road of Lambro
The new cycle road passes
through three provinces (Monza-
Brianza, Lecco and Como); it is
more than 40 kilometres long,
linking Monza to Erba and coasting
the Lambro River. The first
stretch, which is mainly in an urban
area, accompanies you from
the train station of Monza to Villa
Reale, across the historic centre
embellished by the Dome and the
Arengario. From here to Biassono
the route runs within Parco
di Monza, the biggest walled natural
area in Europe: in Villa
Mirabello you will find some information
about the outstanding
natural and cultural sights in the
park. From the gate of Biassono
you will ride eastward, approaching
the Lambro River and the railway
towards Molteno, with
charming views over the valley
and Villa Gernetto. After a short
stretch on a paved road you will
pass through a level crossing entering
a cycle track on your left:
the enchanting scenario over Villa
Taverna will lead you towards
one of the most atmospheric
stretches of the route, a long
greenway that coasts the river up
to Albiate (Parco di Villa Campello
is worth a visit here). Woods
and fields will accompany you
while you are approaching Agliate,
whose Romanesque Basilica
has been enchanting its visitors
for centuries. From here to Nibionno,
the route is about to be
finished and sometimes leads you
to very busy road: follow the
roadbook very carefully! From
Nibionno to Costa Masnaga the
cycle track winds among gentle
hills crowned by medieval towers,
remnants of a military border,
which is forgotten now. Oasi
di Baggero awaits you with its
natural beauties. It was formerly
a quarry and now is a beautiful
sanctuary: its waterfall is
probably one of the most atmospheric
glimpses of the entire
Brianza. Castello di Monguzzo
heralds the Lake Alserio, an outstanding
natural landscape: along
its shores you find the centre for
the environmental training of
Parco della Valle del Lambro and
a pleasant cycle track among nature.
From here to Erba you will
have to bear the motor traffic, but
the effort will be rewarded by the
Erba’s sights: the urban tourist
fan will be thrilled when visiting
Sant’Eufemia, the Archaelogical
Museum and Parco Licinium
along with the War Memorial designed
by Giuseppe Terragni.
• Sotto:
scorcio
del fiume a
Ponte Albiate,
nelle immediate
vicinanze
della sede
di Parco Lambro
• Below:
view of the river
in Ponte
Albiate,
near the Parco
Lambro
116 Between the lake and big city • Milan-Como-Lecco 117