This part of southern Lombardy, near Orio Litta and Ospedaletto Lodigiano, lies on the great plain of the Po, a few kilometres short of the river itself. It is a flat, damp, rather secretive landscape of poplar rows, irrigated fields of maize and rice, and long straight lanes, with old farmhouses and church towers breaking the horizon. In winter fog settles over it for days at a time, and in summer the air is thick and hot, buzzing with cicadas and mosquitoes.
What makes the area interesting is that a medieval pilgrim route passes through it. The Via Francigena, the road from Canterbury to Rome, crosses the Po not far from here, and since the Middle Ages, pilgrims have come this way, many of them stopping at the chapels and hospices that dotted the route. At Orio Litta, a baroque villa with a formal garden stands on the edge of the village, and the Po can be crossed by a small ferry at certain points. In the west, a lone hill, San Colombano al Lambro, rises out of the plain to nearly a hundred and fifty metres, the only hill with vineyards in the whole Lombard plain, and its wines have been made since Roman times.
This is the end of a ride from the Dolomites, and its character is as flat as you could imagine. The roads are straight and quiet, with little traffic in the evenings, and the main hazards are tractors, fog and the occasional cyclist. The Via Emilia, the old Roman highway, runs a few kilometres to the south, and the motorway to Piacenza runs along the plain. Ride gently, enjoy the long light and be ready for mist after dark.
San Colombano al Lambro, with nearly seven thousand people, is the nearest sizeable town, about six kilometres away, with fuel and shops. The villages nearby are small, with a bar and a bakery, and a few farm restaurants serve boiled meats and risotto. A glass of San Colombano red is a modest, pleasant local wine, and a plate of salami from the nearby farms goes well with it. Go slowly and look for the herons in the ditches.