Attractions and Places To See around Massalengo - Top 20

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.

The Castello di San Colombano (or Castello Belgioioso) stands in the medieval village famous for its vineyards and for being an exclave in the province of Milan. Dating back to the 6th century and rebuilt by Barbarossa in 1164, it is divided between a private area (the keep) and a communal one (the fortified village).

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.

I don't know when they will be finished but a cycle bridge is being planned downstream from the road bridge and it will avoid the stretch of SS 234, to date (March 2025) the foundations have been laid on both banks then we'll see...

Chignolo Po Castle

On gravel we followed dirt roads along waterways and cycle paths as much as possible, but you can get there faster with a road bike.

We left Gorgonzola in the direction of the Chignolo Po Castle, one of the sumptuous country residences of Lombardy, and after about three hours we arrived at our destination... discovering that the Castle was closed... no big deal we took pictures from the outside. Its oldest part is the tower, built as a garrison on the Po and on the connecting routes between northern Europe and Italy. The Castle, built in the thirteenth century, was transformed into a princely palace in the eighteenth century, through an imaginative stylistic reworking of the building. It appears as a majestic terracotta construction, surmounted by a protruding gallery supported by stone brackets. Each window is framed in white. The most spectacular element is the central tower, square and with battlements, embellished with a small loggia. Inside you can admire the apartments in which Pope Clement XI, Napoleon Bonaparte and Francis I of Austria were hosted, as well as the sumptuous ballroom on whose ceiling the glory of the four seasons is painted. The Castle is also home to the Museum of the History of Lombard Agricultural Civilization, created with the intent of bringing together the many historical realities that have formed the foundation of the agricultural activities of the lower Po Valley and the Lombard Wine Museum. The visit route aims to admire the monumental complex of the Castle of Chignolo Po and to enhance the history of its centuries-old royal fiefdom and its position along the Via Francigena. The visits are only guided as the Castle is a private residence. Nice trip!