The best traffic-free bike rides around Borghetto Lodigiano

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.

Nice passage to Cornegliano Laudense

The patronage of this shrine, dedicated to the Madonna, refers to the town of Loreto. This is one of the great and important Marian pilgrimage sites in Europe, along with Lourdes in the French Pyrenees and Fatima in Portugal. Unlike the other two places mentioned, however, Loreto is not known for apparitions of the Mother of God. Here, pilgrims can find something very tangible: Mary's childhood home in Nazareth (Israel). Her parents—not mentioned by name in the biblical writings of the New Testament—are mentioned in apocryphal traditions: Saint Anne and Saint Joachim are thus the grandparents of Jesus Christ (their common feast day in the calendar of saints is July 26). Crusaders likely dismantled the venerated building in Nazareth and brought it to Europe when the era of the Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land came to an end towards the end of the 13th century. But this very sober assumption is countered by a much more interesting legend: According to this, four angels carried out the translation and flew the house over the Mediterranean.

The villa was built according to its original design by Count Antonio Cavazzi della Somaglia, VIII Count and Baron of Somaglia, to showcase the power of his family, in an area where he owned several lands and estates. The count entrusted the design to architect Giovanni Ruggeri. Upon his death in 1688, Antonio bequeathed the villa to his great-nephew Antonio Dati, who subsequently assumed the title of Count of Somaglia. Dati oversaw the expansion of the palace, transforming it into a majestic residence intended as a holiday resort and meeting place for great figures of 18th-century Italian literature and culture, but he never lived to see the work completed, which was completed by his son Antonio Giovanni Battista in 1749.

The dam is now paved and very easy to drive on. Only a bridge is still missing a little further west, so there's a detour through the town.

An idyllic spot for a rest and a picnic! We soak up the peace and quiet. From here, it's supposedly possible to take a boat across, just as pilgrims did in the Middle Ages. It's probably busier here in the summer.

This palace is called the "Versailles" of Lombardy. Everything is locked. According to the sign, it can be visited by appointment. The grounds are vast.