Bare roads and minimalist hostels weave together the stories of a lifetime. Towards a monastery or abbey, each on our own path, the walk becomes an act of Arte Povera.

Hundreds of kilometers and 19 Routes score Lombardy in an expression of spiritual geometry. Linking, with a slow pace, countless sanctuaries, relics, crossings, and historic memories

Paths await the devoted, the trekking fanatics, and the “bicigrini”, modern day pilgrims equipped with bicycles guided by a GPS or nature’s compass. A journey uniting fatigue and reflection at a slow rhythm, the routes here transcend uncomfortable conditions. As they say, it’s about the journey, not the destination.

https://www.in-lombardia.it/en/visiting-lombardy/religious-tourism-lombardy

Passing through Lomellina, for 120km among farmsteads and rice paddies, the Lombard portion of the Via Francigena follows Archbishop Sigerico’s journey from Canterbury to Rome in 990 A.D. Uncover the rest stops, the inns, the abbeys, and the locales where he found refuge. Whether on bike or foot, the Via Francigena is completely marked and occasionally cleaned by a group under the hashtag #ILoveFrancigena.

Don’t miss the Cammino di San Colombano, in western Lombardy, which continues all the way to Bobbio, while Via Spluga, the Italian stretch of the Via Francigena Renana, leads right to the heart of the Alps. Via Regina sul Lario looking over Lake Como and the Strada delle Abbazie, circling the Abbeys Chiaravalle, Viboldone and Morimondo through the agricultural landscapes just south of Milan.