No wonder cycling holidays are getting more and more popular. Especially if you get to a city as big as Milan and you left your car at home. Now add the beautiful Italian sun shining and screaming for you to be outside and public transportation moving at their own rhythm, on their own tracks.
The e-bike is a power-assisted bicycle you can hire for as long as you wish and need during the course of your vacation in Italy.
Here are three tour options you may draw inspiration from:
1. A city of possibilities
Milan is a big, diverse and rich city in the north of Italy. It is well renowned for being home to fashion and design trend-setters, however there are plenty of other reasons why it should be at the top of the list in your travel plan.
If you are on a trip for just a few days in Milan, cycling is the way to go. Start at the Duomo, the big cathedral located in the very heart of the city, very famous for its peaks and pinnacles, then head to the beautiful Sforza Castle. The Castle is one of the most prominent landmarks of the city but also hosts famous art works and exhibitions.
The castle is located just at the edge of the beautiful Park Sempione, a beautiful vast patch of green where you can find the “Arena Civica”, the public aquarium and the tower “Torre Branca”. After chilling in the park, why not heading towards the district of Brera, a cosy, charming little bohemian borough where you can relax while sipping a glass of wine, have a bite to eat in one of the delicious restaurants or visit the famous art gallery, the Pinacoteca of Brera.
2. The ever-rising city
Milan may be known for design and shopping but its history and cultural past should not be forgotten.
Ancient Roman ruins are to be found scattered around the city, like the well preserved of Columns of San Lorenzo, dating back somewhere around the second and fourth centuries. Right next to the columns, you can find the majestic Basilica of San Lorenzo, a fourth-century church located within Milan's ring of canals.
You can then cycle down to one of the former city's gate, Porta Ticinese, and ride along one of the canals, known as the Navigli, especially around the Naviglio Pavese. In the area of the Navigli you can find any type of knick-knack hidden in some small shop, boutique, artists' studio, informal café or bar.
Your route then should take you to the other former gate of the city, located on the far side of the Sempione Park and called “Sempione Gate”. Here you can admire the solemn triumphal arch known as the “Arch of Peace”, dating back to the XIX century, although built on the ruins of an ancient Roman wall.
Your final stop of the trip should then be City Life, the most recent and modern area of Milan, where you can find high, glass and metallic skyscrapers, enjoying a staggering panorama of the city centre and of the Alps at a distance.
3. For the hard-core cyclist
If you are used to sitting on the saddle and cycling for hours, if you are not worried at the idea of cycling on different terrains, if you have left your family at home and you have no fear of exploration, here is one last trip for you.
Leaving Milan, you should venture out around the region Lombardy, which has a lot to offer too in terms of history, culture and tourism.
Make sure you have a healthy, power breakfast somewhere around a street called via Madonnina in the charming district of Brera. Then head down south for less than ten kilometres outside Milan until you reach the wondrous Abbey of Santa Maria di Rovegnano, a Cistercian monastic complex founded in the early XII century and one of the first examples of Gothic architecture in Italy.
Another favourite destination of tourism in Italy is the Certosa di Pavia, located around twenty-five kilometres south from the abbey. Combining both Gothic and Renaissance styles, the monastery was built in the XIV-XV centuries. It is an exuberant and breath-taking building and another Italian must-see.
The experience of cycling to these two charming spots will most certainly be worth a pair of tired legs!
You can then make your way down to the town of Pavia itself, once the capital of the Kingdom of Lombards, where you can stay for the night and relax after the tiring day. Also, the town hosts famous and beautiful buildings like the Cathedral of Pavia and the castle known as Castello Visconteo.
There is so much to discover around the city of Milan, do not miss it!
