Lombardy

Pietro nel mondo

Bergamo Brescia Como Cremona Lecco Lodi Mantua Milan Monza Pavia Sondrio Varese

I was born and currently live in this great region. A land that, apart from the sea, has so much to offer the traveler. Starting from Milan,
then small cities full of charm like Bergamo and Mantua and a myriad of municipalities rich in history. The Po Valley, with perfectly
cultivated fields, is crossed by important rivers such as the Po, the Ticino, the Adda and the Oglio. There are woods and protected areas;
among my favorites are the Orobie Valtellinesi Park, the Adamello Park and the Ticino Park. Rolling hills and beautiful
valleys in the pre-Alpine area. The Pre-Alps include some of the most beautiful and important lakes in Italy including from west to east
Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Garda. Finally the central Alps, mountains less sought after than those of other regions,
but full of charm like those of Valtellina. The cuisine is very varied. Among my favorite dishes I mention: Saffron Risotto, Pumpkin Tortelli, Magro Ravioli with butter and sage and Pizzoccheri. Among the second courses, Polenta Taragna with Porcini Mushrooms and Frittata with Luartis, a dialect name by which wild hops are known. For dessert, Torta Sbrisolona. Among the red wines, Bonarda dell’Oltrepo Pavese excels, while Franciacorta is unbeatable among the white wines.

Province of Bergamo

Area: 2722.86 Km² Municipalities: 243

Caravaggio: Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Fonte

Travel photos...

Bergamo

The neoclassical Propylaea of Porta Nuova

Bergamo

View of the lower city

The Gombito Tower in the upper part of the city

Albino

Sanctuary of the Madonna della Gamba

Albino

Bergamo

Historic center

Panorama of the Upper Town

Sarnico

Sotto il Monte

pier on Lake Iseo

Statue of Pope John XXIII

Lago di Endine

Panorama of the lake near Ranzanico

Chiuduno

Albano Sant'Alessandro

Historic center

Church of Santa Maria Assunta

Panorama of the village at the foot of Valcalepio

Albano Sant'Alessandro

Arcene

Parish Church of SS. Cornelio and Cipriano

Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Roses

Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Province of Brescia

Area: 4785.62 Km² Municipalities: 205

Brescia: View of the city from the top of the Castle

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Cividate Camuno

Bagolino

Brescia

Historic village of Val Camonica

Panorama of the town, dominated by the Church of San Giorgio

Loggia Square

Cologne

Coccaglio

The Parish Church of Saints Gervasio and Protasio

The Roman Tower, what remains of a 12th century castle

Parish Church of Santa Maria Nascente

Gambara

Boario Terme

Coccaglio

Historic center

The Baths with the Ancient Source Pavilion and the Marazzi Dome in the background

Stele to Luca Marenzio, madrigalist musician

Province of Como

Area: 1279.04 Km² Municipalities: 147

Como: Futuristic Monument to a Physicist "Life Electric"

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Bellagio

Campione d'Italia

Panoramic point called "La Punta"

Gateway to the city

Como

Volta Temple

Province of Cremona

Area: 1769.42 Km² Municipalities: 113

Cremona: Antonio Stradivari Square

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Cremona

Torrone Festival

Cremona

Piazza Stradivari: the bell tower of the Cathedral in the background

Gallery April 25th

Casalbuttano

Acquanegra Cremonese

Capralba

Church of SS. Cosma and Damiano

Parish Church of San Giorgio Martire

Church of Sant'Andrea and San Zeno Bishop

Casaletto Vaprio

Casanova del Mornasco

Pizzighettone

In the background the Church of S.S. Andrea and Pietro

Church of San Giorgio

Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Roggione from the 17th century

Province of Lecco

Area: 805.39 km² Municipalities: 84

Lecco: statue of Saint Nicholas placed in the lake as a symbolic protection of the city

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Lecco

Lierna

Mandello del Lario

Lakeside walk near the public gardens

Roman Basilica of San Nicolò; behind you can see the neo-Gothic bell tower called "il Matitone"

Pebble beach on Lake Como; in the background the peninsula with the village and the medieval "Castle"

Province of Lodi

Area: 782.32 Km² Municipalities: 60

Lodi: historical center

Travel photos...

Ospedaletto Lodigiano

Meleti

Lodi

Outskirts

Church of Saint Julietta

Town Hall

Provincia di Mantua

Area: 2,341.84 km² Municipalities: 64

Mantua: Castle

Travel photos...

Mantua

Mariana Mantovana

Villipenta

The quadrangular Bell Tower and the Portaia Tower

Church of St. Barnabas

Scaligero Castle

Asola

Bozzolo

Town Hall

Historic center

Piazza Europa: in the center the Teatro Sociale, on the right the Church of San Francesco

Asola

Mantua

Piazza XX Settembre with the Church of Sant'Andrea

Bonacolsi Castiglioni Palace

Historic center seen from San Giorgio Bridge

Metropolitan City of Milan

Area: 1,574.45 km² Municipalities: 133

Milan: the Duomo

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Milan

Brera District

Milan

CityLife Shopping District

The very central Via Dante, with the Sforza Castle in the background

Province of Monza and Brianza

Area: 405.49 km² Municipalities: 55

Monza: The ancient town hall called the Arengario

Travel photos...

Monza

Minor Basilica of St. John the Baptist commonly called the Duomo

The very central Via Carlo Alberto, with Palazzo Arengario in the background

Racetrack where the Formula One Grand Prix is held in September

Province of Pavia

Area: 2967.93 Km² Municipalities: 185

Vigevano: The Castle Courtyard and the Bramante Tower

Travel stories...

Vigevano

Terdoppio Lomellino

Pavia

This adventure begins in the municipality of Sozzago, in the lower Novara area, where a watercourse named Refreddo originates. Here, in the company of a friend, I walked along the banks of this stream which for a few kilometers is little wider than a ditch. For a short stretch it marks the border between Piedmont and Lombardy; once it enters
the municipality of Cassolnovo, it winds sinuously through cultivated fields and centuries-old farmhouses until it reaches the territory of Gravellona Lomellina where it changes its name to Terdoppio Lomellino. In its waters we spotted
carp, turtles, shrimp, nutria; in the surrounding woods, hares, some roe deer and numerous species of birds. We
went along it and the bank was almost always at the level of the stream; only
near Dorno were its banks very high and subject to landslides. Except for a few stretches covered by brambles, we followed it with stubborn dedication, overcoming waterfalls, locks, railway
bridges, the Milan-Genoa motorway and numerous tributaries that often blocked our path. After 62 kilometres of adventures that I filmed with my mobile phone and will publish below, we finally
reached our destination. After passing the town of Zinasco, behind an embankment, we see the Terdoppio bending east in a desperate attempt to escape its destiny; finally it gives up and gets lost in the Po.

I have seen this city transform over the years; in part it has improved, in part it has not. There is a huge free parking lot not far from the center in the area called Fiera; from there in a few minutes

you arrive in Piazza Ducale, the city lounge and the beating heart of

the Vigevano nightlife. This

magnificent square was commissioned by Ludovico Sforza known as the Moor,

lord of the Duchy of Milan. It is always pleasant to enjoy an ice cream

while walking under the arcades, looking now at the Cathedral of Sant'Ambrogio,

now at the Torre del Bramante. From a staircase in the square you can access the Castle; on October evenings during the feast of Blessed Matteo, the patron saint of the city, the courtyard of this perfectly preserved fortress comes alive with flag-wavers and costumed figures. My favorite area is via del Terraggio, a cobblestone street that starts from a characteristic mill and winds narrowly between the walls of houses now inhabited only by immigrants. The long stretch of the Ticino river, lined with houses surrounded by lush vegetation, is also very beautiful. The new ring road that leads to Milan, on the one hand, has decongested city traffic, but on the other has clearly separated the city from the river, cutting the green lung in two, and ruined delightful streets like via Morabassa that crossed it.

Arriving from the north, you enter the city by crossing the Ponte della Libertà to

land in a large square with the statue of the goddess Minerva in the

centre; in these parts there is little parking and almost all of it is

paid. I like walking so I usually leave my car in the Borgo Ticino neighbourhood. I have played several chess tournaments

in this neighbourhood, and each time I had lunch in an open-air tavern

where under a pergola I enjoyed mixed fried river fish with Alborelle and other fried fish called Butin in the local dialect...

From there, in a few steps you arrive in front of the symbol of Pavia: the

Covered Bridge built in the 14th century by the Visconti. After crossing the

River Ticino, you enter Corso Strada Nuova, the heart of the nightlife of Pavia. In the first part of this street you come across the Duomo; a few minutes' walk and you cross the porticoes of the University. Pavia is also an important university city and with a friend

who is a natural sciences student I visited the Botanical Garden; a true paradise for plant enthusiasts. My classic walk ends after about a kilometer in front of the Castello Visconteo. Commissioned in 1360 by Galeazzo II Visconti, enriched in the 15th century with important decorations by Francesco Sforza, today it is home to the Public Library and various museums full of famous works of art.