Paderno d'Adda
Paderno d'Adda is a small village in the Lecco province of Lombardy, northern Italy, located on the southern edge of the Italian Prealps, south of the city of Lecco, and near the northeastern edge of Greater Milan.
Understand
Paderno d'Adda is famous for its old iron bridge (the San Michele Bridge) and it is a good gateway to the Adda river. It has a connection with Leonardo Da Vinci, who lived and worked for some time in the nearby town of Vaprio d'Adda. An open air museum (Ecomuseo Adda di Leonardo) celebrates the Italian genius and his works along the Adda river.
Get in
Paderno d'Adda is not far from Milan, making it a good choice for a day trip. Be careful to not confuse Paderno d'Adda with Paderno Dugnano, these are two different towns.
By train
The Paderno d'Adda/Robbiate train station is 1km/0.6mi from the bridge and the river. Regular trains run from Milano Porta Garibaldi station (direction Bergamo via Carnate).
By car
Take the A51 (tangenziale est) motorway northward up to Agrate, then continue toward Lecco. The road is an high speed freeway up to Carnate, then turns into a regular road. When you reach Cernusco Lombardone turn to the right and you will reach the San Michele Bridge in Paderno d'Adda.
Get around
The village is quite small and the river bank is only accessible by foot or by bike.
There are no signs in the village, so take a map with you.
See
1 The San Michele Bridge. The San Michele Bridge (locally known simply as the Paderno Bridge) is more than 100 years old, since it was built in 1889 to cross the Adda river. The iron bridge is 85mt high and 266mt long, and Its structure resembles closely the Eiffel Tower.
It has a double-deck structure, with the upper deck reserved to vehicular traffic and the lower deck used by the Milano-Bergamo train line. The bridge is still opened to vehicles, with a traffic light regulating the traffic (only one way by turns). Be aware that, due to the advanced age of the structure, heavier vehicles are forbidden to cross the bridge.
The train crosses the bridge between Paderno d'Adda and Calusco stations. While Paderno station is near the bridge, Calusco is quite far away.
Do
From San Michele Bridge, you can reach the Adda river bank. At the left of the bridge you will see a little chapel, here departs the road which leads to the river bank. Pay attention to the difference in height: the river lies 85mt below the bridge level and there is a steep road to climb when you return.
The river bank is reserved to pedestrian and cyclists. Expect a lot of people during sunny week-ends, since this is favourite place for locals to go walking, biking and jogging. Pay attention to little children, especially if you ride a bike.
The river bank is a great spot for photographers and can also be a quiet and peaceful place (when it's not packed with people).
Northward
Turn left and walk northward (leave the river at your right).
- 1 Imbersago and Leonardo's ferry boat. you can reach Imbersago and its ferry boat. It's a 40 minutes long walk, on a flat path. During the trip you can enjoy the quiet river bank and spot many birds and little animals.
In Imbersago you can see Leonardo's ferry boat. The ferry boat has no engine, it crosses the river using solely the river flow force. Leonardo wrote down some notes about this kind of boat, although it's not certain if he designed it or he just observed some of these boats already active during the time he spent here. Leonardo's notes and drawings about the ferry are contained in the Windsor Codex and copies are on display at the ferry's embarcadero.
In the past up to five of these boats crossed the river at various locations. Nowadays this is the only ferry left using the moving principle drawn by Leonardo. It operates daily and it can carry persons, bikes and even one or two cars, but there is not much to see on the other bank. The service may be suspended if the water level is too low.
Southward
Turn right and walk southward (leave the river at your left) you can pass under the San Michele Bridge and continue along the river bank.
- 2 . Naviglio di Paderno is an artificial channel built to overcome the rapids on this part of the river and make the navigation between Milan (via the Martesana channel) and Como lake possible. The first project was made by Leonardo on behalf of Francis I of France, but it was not built until 1777. Unfortunately the channel is not used anymore, due to the lack of interest in river navigation. It is now active as a dam for nearby hydroelectric plants.
- 3 Forra d'Adda rapids. Continuing southward you will reach the Forra d'Adda rapids (1km/0.6mi from the bridge), this is where the river flows most rapidly. A detail of three rock emerging from the river is believed to be painted on the background of Leonardo's La vergine delle rocce.
- 4 Santuario della Madonna della Rocchetta. The Santuario della Madonna della Rocchetta (2.8km/1.7mi from the bridge) offers a great view on the river.
- 5 Bertini and Carlo Esterle power plants. Continuing along the bank it's possible to reach the Bertini and Carlo Esterle (5km/3mi from the bridge) power plants, the second one is a real monument: it's build to look like an eclectic-style palace rather than an ordinary power plant.
The path on the river bank then continues for many kilometers, eventually joining the Martesana channel which goes straight to the center of Milan. Pay attention to not push yourself too far, remember that you have to go back and there are no easy transportation systems to rely upon. Be also aware that the path climbs down on this direction, always remember that you have to go back.
Safety
Watch your step: some parts of the path are unprotected and a plunge in the river is a rather unpleasant experience. Pay particular attention near power plants and dams, a plunge there can easily turn from an unpleasant experience to a fatal one due to the rapid flow of the river.
For the same reason swimming in the river is discouraged, and even prohibited near the dams.
Risks are higher for children (do not left them unattended) and bikers, proceed slowly if you don't know the path very well.