Abbiategrasso: art, taste and nature

22 km from Milan. Famous neighbors such as the Ticino Regional Park and the circle of Navigli - Big and of Bereguardo. Titles like Slow city . DOP products such as Taleggio, Quartirolo and  Gorgonzola. Not a bad business card. Abbiategrasso, Habiate until the year 1000, and then Habiate Grasso, because of its growing prosperity. We walk through its streets, discovering the yesterday's and today's traditions and push on as for as Pavia, a few miles from the picturesque town, to discover the Cistercian treasures  of  Morimondo. 

WALKING  THROUGH ABBIATEGRASSO - With cloister and pronaos attributed to Donato Bramante, the two-tone St. Mary New is a must for a historical - cultural Abbiategrasso route; as well as the beautiful Visconti Castle, seat of the provided civic Library  Romeo Brambilla. And the heart of the city? Measured by its arcades with columns different one another, Marconi Square is popular for strolling on its elegant pavé, which winds through the centre streets. Among medieval views, baroque flashes and old tenements, theaters of charming courtyards and ancestral alleys made precious today by lovely gastronomy and clothing shops. A peculiarity? Mina sat there for enjoying long lunches and, like her, many persons of the town history, and not only.  Besuschio Confectionery, for over 100 years , tempts the palate with sweets of unique production, as the Pagnotta di Fraa ( white and yellow flour, honey and figs), the Tegola of St. Bernardino (blend of finely ground almonds, hazelnuts and fresh butter, in memory of the roof recovery of the city church) and the legendary Pan Meino. And moreover the skill and the signature gourmet of the internationally renowned maitre chocolatier Andrea Besuschio, who creates and innovates. Instead of coffee sip the Besuschino, the coffee with milk cream, cream and pure chocolate, served with a teaspoon of dark chocolate to 66%. Liquid delight in its pure state.

MEETINGS OF TASTE - What are the flavors of the tradition, those who enlivened the expected Sundays at grandma's house? In addition to the wide assortment of cheeses, vaccine and goatish (the highlight is the gorgonzola, in sweet or spicy variant), a must on the tables tripe and cassoela, for the lovers of strong flavors, and ossobuco alla milanese just to mention the most typical dishes of the Abbiategrasso cuisine. Of the Milanese tradition there is the saffron risotto with butter left certainly to whip to give that pearly and unmistakable taste. Local tastes, but not only. There is the Abbiategrasso festival, as well as national exhibition, dedicated to culinary excellences. Appointment in November with Abbiategusto, at the Exhibition in Ticino street. Near and far manufacturers, chefs (also starred), taste workshops, cooking courses and literary contests about the theme. And, pearl among pearls, a stroll through town-shops  to discover again local products. All this, and even more, in a three-days, which take into the town gastronomic tourists ready to be amazed.

RUNNING AND CYCLING - Sportsmen can spend pleasant afternoons running and cycling along the towpaths of the Bereguardo Naviglio  and the Big Naviglio, which define the city and offer glimpses of a plain that can still amaze. The TicinoRegionalPark offers wild beaches among cool leaves where to look for relax, tranquility and isolation, among ashy herons, sleepy fishers and darting trouts. Who loves bike can discover the magnificent Morimondo (5 km from Abbiategrasso ) with one of the most beautiful Cistercian abbeys in Italy, suspended on time and cradled by the soft lines of a slope.

ADMIRING THE ABBEY  OF MORIMONDO - Built in 1134, the first Cistercian Lombard building strikes for the simplicity of its Gothic style with Romanesque influences, as can be seen from the use of cross-vaults. Of great value the cloister, where the Capitoline House faces, according to some designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. The church is today also the location for concerts, plays and reconstructions of medieval and monastic life.