Attractions and Places To See around Cerro Al Lambro - Top 20

The sanctuary stands on an ancient spring believed to be miraculous. In 1506, Charles II d’Amboise, governor of Milan under French rule, ordered the construction of the sanctuary after receiving a prodigious healing: the building became one of the most important health structures in the city, along with the Lazzaretto and Ca’ Granda, whose floor plan it adopted. The architecture, with its classical and Renaissance influences, was long attributed even to the hand of Leonardo and then Bramante; today it is believed to be the work of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, an architect highly regarded at the time and also active in the Milan Cathedral, Santa Maria delle Grazie, and the Certosa di Pavia. Characterized by a sober yet elegant architecture, a reflection of the highest Lombard solutions of Renaissance harmony and grace, the complex preserves precious 16th and 17th-century frescoes in its arcaded courtyards.

Abbey Built by the Order of the Humiliati, it was one of the first places where raw wool was processed into felt, which was used to make the first overcoats. Today it is managed by a cloistered community of Benedictine nuns.

Campomorto Abbey inside and outside

A quiet exit…

The Viboldone Abbey is a jewel of medieval architecture that transmits peace and meditation, an oasis of peace surrounded by greenery. Getting there by bike allows you to appreciate the contrast between the tranquility of the place and the rural context that surrounds it, offering a regenerating and contemplative break in the heart of the Lombardy plain. A corner of history and beauty that is worth every pedal stroke.

Founded in 1176 and completed in 1348 by the Umiliati, a religious order formed by monks, nuns and lay people who, around the church, led a life of prayer and work. Later, after the suppression of the Umiliati, the abbey passed to the Olivetan Benedictines. 20th century In 1940, Cardinal Ildefonso Schuster, after years of abandonment, offered the abbey to a community of nuns led by Margherita Marchi, who had separated from the congregation of the Benedictine nuns of Priscilla. The monastery sui iuris of the Benedictine nuns of Viboldone was canonically erected on 1 May 1941: the nuns dedicate themselves to the production of jams and, since 1945, have carried out an important religious and theological publishing activity, in addition to their more strictly monastic commitments. In 1965 Paul VI ordered that the abbot of Montserrat, Aureli Maria Escare, be transferred there to protect him from Franco's persecution[1]. For many years, the chaplain of the Benedictine community was Luisito Bianchi (1927-2012).

This monumental complex was born as a defensive bulwark. Towards the end of 1300, it lost its military function to become a manor house within the land purchased by the Brivios, nobles of Germanic origin whose wealth came from agricultural activities. The name of Rocca derives from the fact that originally the building was one of the defensive bulwarks erected along the Milan - Lodi road in the early Middle Ages, at the time of the wars that pitted the Municipality of Milan against the Municipality of Lodi. The current building was built in 1600 by the Brivio marquises on the ruins of the pre-existing castle. It was at the center of important war episodes, such as the Battle of Marignano in 1515 and in 1859, when on 8 June Napoleon III and Vittorio Emanuele II entered Milan victorious, defeating the Austrians. From an architectural point of view it is a baroque palace built with a rather elaborate scheme: the north-west part houses a noble chapel, rich in typically seventeenth-century stucco and gilding. The entrance has a large portal with a beautifully crafted wrought iron gate, the work of a craftsman from Melegnano from the 1700s, rich in scrolls and arabesques. Since 1996 it has been public property and hosts painting exhibitions, classical music concerts and conferences of national importance in its halls with frescoed ceilings and large fireplaces.

Here, already in the 13th century, a tabernacle dedicated to the Virgin Mary stood next to a source that was said to be miraculous. Even if no miracle is known, over time the fame of this place grew so much that it led the Trivulzio family to build a chapel in 1470 and a real sanctuary a hundred years later. During the plague of 1630 many reported having been saved by the miraculous waters which are still collected today in tubs located at the back of the lower church.