mastro Orso

Lomellina is famous for many
reasons: its castles, its hydraulic
works and its food. It is
an ideal land for cycle-tourism
thanks to its plain and the quiet
country roads. There are many
train stations linked by a thick railway
network.
Lomellina between
Pavia and Vigevano
Art and culture reign in Pavia and
Vigevano, the main spots of your
first stage. Pavia was the capital
of the Longobards and a flourishing
city between the Middle Ages
and Renaissance; some excellent
remnants of the past can be admired
in Castello Visconteo, in the
thick network of the city streets,
in Ponte Coperto and in the astonishing
churches of San Michele
and San Pietro in Ciel D’Oro.
The Castello di Vigevano is also
very famous, where the beautiful
Piazza Ducale stands out as an
unrivalled example of city perfection.
Your route winds between
these two centres, at first on byroads,
which parallel the Ticino
River leading to the picturesque
bridge of boats of Bereguardo.
From here you will follow the E1
Route, one of the best examples of
the track system in Europe, and
you will arrive in the heart of
Parco del Ticino. Here, you will
experience an extraordinary tour
in the nature. A few kilometres
after the imposing mass of Sforzesca,
a remarkable example of a
Renaissance farm, you will arrive
in Vigevano.
Lomellina, where the land is
surrounded by water
Lomellina is really a land where
water is abundant: the Ticino
River, the Naviglio Sforzesco
and Canale Sella. It is an agricultural
countryside that lures
you and your bicycle. Once you
have left Vigevano behind, you
will immediately enter a cycle
track along the Naviglio Sforzesco,
followed by quiet dirt
tracks that lead you to Villareale,
first, and then to Cassolnovo.
Here you may keep on ignoring
the main routes following an asphalted
quiet road up to Villanova,
a rural village embraced
by a thick network of irrigation
ditches. The rest of the route
continues in a similar way,
among tracks surrounded by the
countryside and paved street
with very few traffic. Once you
have crossed Gravellona, Cilavegna
and Parona, you will arrive
in Mortara. The last is a
flourishing centre for trade and
a rail junction, a city with some
remarkable artistic sights, especially
the Gothic Parrochiale di
San Lorenzo.
Lomellina, the natural
sanctuaries
The “garzaie” are the leitmotiv
of your third stage; they are
damp areas where the heron
nest: these are protected zones
and, most of the time, are off
limit, but if you are lucky
enough you might see some birds
flying over your head. As per the
routes above mentioned, you alternate
asphalted stretches with
dirt stretches. You will pass by
Olevano, Zeme, Cozzo (with its
renowned castle) and Candia.
Then you will coast the Po River
arriving in Sartirana, whose cas-
tle hosts several interesting exhibitions.
It is the second castle in
Lomellina after the castle in
Vigevano. You will end the route
in Lomello, a charming village
with some astonishing sights:
from the Castle to the Basilica
di Santa Maria Maggiore and to
the Babtistery, an extraordinary
example of early Christian art.
Lomellina, between the Po
River and the plain
The ring of Lomellina ends with
the fourth stage, where other
idyllic glimpses await you and
so does the course of the Ticino
River. From Lomello you will
take a dirt track that is not so
easy to find: pay attention to the
roadbook! The route leads you
to Castello di Scaldasole, another
architectural masterpiece in
a land that saw the settling of
several armies. Avoiding the
busy main route towards Pavia,
you might peacefully ride along
some byroads: Mazzana Rabattone,
Sommo or Travacò do not
offer much to the art lovers, but
will lure you with their charming
rural courtyards, which are
very close to the banks of the Po
and Ticino rivers. After Travacò,
a pleasant cycle road heralds
the return to the city
through the beautiful Ponte
Coperto, which was brought
back to its splendour after the
Second World War.
• Sotto:
la cupola
ottogonale
del Duomo
che torreggia
sui tetti
del centro
storico
di Pavia,
è la terza
di Italia
per grandezza
• Below:
the octagonal
dome
of the Duomo
in Pavia
is the third
Italian one
in terms of size
38 Among irrigation ditches and castles • Lomellina
39