Holiday apartment in Paderno: culture, water engineering and routes along the Adda

If you choose Paderno as your holiday destination, you can combine cultural history with routes along the water. In the former Oratorio dell’Addolorata, a permanent exhibition displays copies of the two versions of Leonardo’s “The Virgin of the Rocks”. After extensive restoration work, the former oratory was opened to the public on 22 June 2008 as a point of reference dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. This gives your stay a clear cultural focus. The combination is not limited to a single type of visit: you can bring together art, technology, sacred sites, cycling, walking and landscapes in different proportions. This makes Paderno interesting for a trip planned at your own pace.

Water engineering and historic structures

The Centrale Idroelettrica Guido Semenza began operating in 1920. Its turbines were immersed in the water without conduits or collectors; the facility was designed to use excess water from the Naviglio. The Diga Vecchia in Paderno d’Adda was built between 1895 and 1898 by Società Edison and was constructed as the intake structure of the navigable canal. The waterworks therefore bring together energy generation and canal construction.

The Ponte San Michele is also known as Ponte di Paderno and was built between 1887 and 1889; it is 266 metres long. Its name is therefore just as much part of local orientation as the name Ponte di Paderno, without the two names referring to two different bridges.

Cycling and walking routes for active days

The “Adda di Leonardo” Ecomuseum follows a 21-kilometre cycling and walking route along the Adda River, extending from Imbersago to Cassano d’Adda. The cycling and walking route between Cornate d’Adda and Robbiate follows the Naviglio di Paderno. You can explore it on foot or by bicycle; it is closed to motor vehicles. The two different route lengths and courses give you a concrete basis for planning either an extended or a more compact day of activity.

Gorge, forest and sacred sites

The Tre Corni mark the beginning of the Adda Gorge, a canyon more than 100 metres deep and covered by dense oak and hornbeam forests. Stallazzo can be reached from the hamlet of Porto d’Adda via a 400-metre footpath to the river. For days focused on landscapes, you can plan the gorge and forest as well as the footpath to the river.

The Oratorio di Sant’Ambrogio was probably built by private individuals in the first half of the 18th century. The Chiesetta di Santa Maria Addolorata is a stop on the “Adda di Leonardo” Ecomuseum; the Santuario della Madonna della Rocchetta is a stop on the Cammino di Sant’Agostino. When choosing your holiday apartment in Paderno, you can therefore weigh up different ideas for your days: the Leonardo exhibition and historic waterworks for culture-focused hours, cycling and walking routes for activity, or the gorge and forest for observing nature. Your accommodation choice can thus be based on the experiences that you and your fellow travellers want to place at the centre of your stay.

More destinations to discover

Vendrogno, Morterone, Esino Lario, Barzio, Taceno, Maggio, Civate, Calolziocorte

To the higher-level travel overview: Lecco.