Lombardy combines vast natural areas with an industrial heritage, Renaissance urban planning, regional cuisine and different forms of cycling. Its distinctive features are not reflected in a single landscape, but rather in a series of clearly distinguishable themes: from the high-mountain areas of the Adamello Group and the Stelvio Pass to historic sites, wine-growing landscapes and cities with an important architectural heritage.
Nature
On the Lombard side of the Adamello Group, Parco dell’Adamello covers 51,000 hectares. The park includes a network of trails extending for almost 1,000 kilometres. The Adamello Group is also home to Italy’s largest glacier, whose area is currently estimated at around 18 square kilometres. The Alta Via dell’Adamello, trail number 1, runs through almost the entire Parco dell’Adamello for approximately 50 kilometres.
Another alpine area is the Lombard sector of Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio. It offers visitors activities, excursions, workshops and events. These activities take place throughout the year at representative locations on the Valtellina and Brescia sides of the park. The visitor experiences focus on alpine biodiversity and the relationship between people and nature.
Val Camonica, also known as Valcamonica or Valle Camonica, stretches for approximately 90 kilometres between the Province of Brescia and the Province of Bergamo, runs along Lake Iseo and ends at the Tonale, Aprica and Gavia passes.
Culture and History
Crespi d’Adda is an outstanding example of the workers’ settlements built in Europe and North America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The settlement was founded to house the workers of a textile factory. Factories, homes and services have been preserved as elements of its industrial urban landscape.
In the field of Renaissance urban planning, Mantua and Sabbioneta represent two aspects of this era. Sabbioneta features a grid of streets; its fortification walls, public spaces and monuments make the town one of the finest examples of ideal cities built in Europe. The “Mantua and Sabbioneta” World Heritage Site includes numerous historic buildings, including an 11th-century rotunda and a Baroque theatre.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Sacri Monti, also known as the “Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy”, comprises nine separate complexes in the mountains of northern Italy. The Monastero di San Pietro in Lamosa is also one of the region’s cultural points of interest and contains significant frescoes.
Cuisine
Franciacorta is associated with traditional dishes, renowned wines and special food and wine routes. Franciacorta vintage wines are only released onto the market after a maturation period of at least 37 months. A traditional meat dish from the region is Manzo all’olio di Rovato, which is served on a bed of polenta.
The routes through the vineyards are also part of the Franciacorta landscape: there are cycling routes as well as trekking and Nordic walking trails. The combination of traditional dishes, wines and special food and wine routes thus complements Lombardy’s historical and alpine themes.
Cycling
Lombardy offers flat cycle paths for families, tours by e-bike or gravel bike, and more technically challenging routes for road cycling and mountain biking enthusiasts. The range of routes described therefore extends from flat paths to more technically demanding trails and includes different types of bicycles.
Regional Classification
The direct destinations within Lombardy: Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua, Milan, Monza and Brianza, Pavia, Sondrio, Varese.
