Therefore we have chosen a very special itinerary that will take you from Corso di Porta Romana to Arco della Pace, crossing squares, parvisa and pedestrian areas!
You will only have to stop at 3 traffic lights… Pay attention, get off your bike and cross cautiously!
We advise you to start from Piazza Cardinal Ferrari, a big pedestrian area in a very quiet surrounding. You can meet up here with your friends: warm up your engines and check your tyres are blown up, but before starting this bike tour, take a look at the church in front of you, it’s very old – was built more than 1600 years ago – it’s Chiesa di San Calimero…
If you start your tour in the morning and you want your parents to have a good coffee or you may want to add something to your breakfast, straight after the church, there is a little bistrot, the Re Fosco Bar. Here you can have breakfast or lunch, food is excellent and service too… If you decided to meet up in the afternoon, why don’t you meet up a little earlier and stop here for lunch?
After having walked down Via San Calimero you will find yourself to be at a crossroads, be careful: get off your bike and obey everything adults say! Cross Corso di Porta Romana and turn left… Here, down from your bike (you should be on the sidewalk) you will pass by two delicious patisseries: Rossi&Rossi and Panarello… They are both worth a try! In front of the beautiful Piazza di San Nazaro – whose name comes from that red-brick church, Chiesa di San Nazaro in Brolo with its clock high up there!
On the left of the church facade – where we advise you to stop at Shalimar, an excellent Indian take-away – go in through that little entrance that seems not to have an exit… Minding the unstable paving at the entrance, you will suddenly find yourselves to be in Largo Richini, with its beautiful gardens and the beautiful facade of Università Statale di Milano, fantastic!
Keep pedalling on the sidewalk, no one will say anything to you… And if it is a nice day and you have grabbed something to eat, you can stop here, in this greenery corner with tables and benches and have your lunch in front of this beautiful view. If you want to have a look inside the courtyard, lock your bike and do not hesitate to go in, you will be fascinated by its beauty!
You’ll be able to see another beautiful courtyard in via Sant’Antonio, in Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate where you can enter and see both the church and the courtyard… Go to via Festa del Perdono, still walking and you will find yourselves to be in Piazza Santo Stefano, whose name derives from the big church with the bell tower… But that’s not the one we are interested in… Actually, is the one next, on the left, Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa (ossa means bones in Italian)…
Brrrrrr… So frightening! Where does this name come from? Lock your bike somewhere and go in to have a look, but wait, there is a stage for every age, and trust us, this church inside is very frightening! Remember that on a Saturdays and on a Sundays you will only be able to visit it until 12.30am… If you have arrived too late you can alternatively go and enjoy a good pizza or hamburger at Original Pizza OK, or at PizzaPazza, the decision it’s up to you!
Now, go through those little green areas before the second pedestrian crossing… Wait for the green light and – with your bike by your side – walk along that great building with flags on the right… Do you know who is in? NO less than the police, this is why it is better not to ride on the sidewalk!…
You can get back on your bike and cycle around the statue of Cesare Beccaria – a great academic who lived 300 years ago – then go to Piazza Fontana (here scooters and taxis go by, pay attention) but stop in front of this beautiful piece of art… This was the first fountain in Milan designed by a famous architect, Piermarini. We hope restoration is over, otherwise you will not be able to see anything!
Now you can bike behind the Duomo and turn right in the most famous street of Milan, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, to reach Chiesa di San Carlo where we would like you to enter and the shells… You have surely never seen something like this! The church is majestic and impressive, you cannot miss it with those huge columns!
Now you can start to pedal back to the Duomo…. Be careful, down this road and in Piazza del Duomo there are always a lot of people walking and looking around, especially during the weekend… Go slowly, there is no hurry. We advise you to take this tour either on a Saturday or Sunday morning because, during the afternoons, it is quite impossible to pedal throughout this area due to the number of people and tourists you will find! On your right you will pass by the huge triumphal arch of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, go straight on in Via dei Mercanti, cycle along Piazza dei Mercanti and you will arrive in Piazza Cordusio where, alas, you will have to cross on foot again…
Ride your bike again and go to via Dante, still being careful of the crowd, sometimes it can be very annoying! At the end of Via Dante you will reach Largo Cairoli… Shortly this will entirely become a pedestrian area and you will be able to ride freely around, but for now, you will have to go through one or two traffic lights to reach the entrance of Castello Sforzesco.
You are about to reach the most bicycle-friendly area… Go through the courtyards and pay attention not to jam on the brakes: with this mix of chippings and sand you could easily make your tyres squeal and find yourselves on the ground! Once outside the Castel you will not have anything to worry about, nothing that will stop you… So start pedalling at top speed, you are in a beautiful park, Parco Sempione!
Let your instinct guide you and go around as you prefer… There are so many paths in all directions, you are free, have fun! Then when you have gone around the park greenery enough, you can exit from the opposite side and reach that imposing arch down there, Arco della Pace! Your tour ends here but do not hesitate and go around the arch as much as you like!
