Morimondo is the quietest place on this map, with only a few hundred residents, but its abbey is among the finest in Lombardy. The abbey, a Cistercian foundation of the twelfth century, was established by monks from Morimond in Burgundy, and its brick church, with a plain, severe interior, is still in use.
For a ride that explored the Ticino lakes and passes, the end is a gentle one. The roads here run straight across rice fields and meadows, with sudden bends where a canal or a hedge intervenes, and the surface is generally good, though narrow and sometimes bumpy. In autumn, mist hangs over the fields and visibility can drop to a few metres, and in spring, the paddies are flooded and reflect the sky. Mosquitoes are a feature of summer evenings. The Ticino Park, a large protected area along the river, has woods, marshes and cycle paths, and is rich in birds.
Rice is the main crop, and the local risotto, made with Carnaroli or Arborio, is a staple. The monks who built the abbey helped to drain and cultivate this land, and the network of canals, the Navigli, was used to carry goods and water. The Certosa di Pavia, a vast Carthusian monastery founded by the Visconti in 1396, lies about twenty kilometres to the south, and it is one of the great monuments of Lombardy.
Fuel is available at Motta Visconti, with a station and supermarket, and the tiny villages around the abbey have a bar or trattoria. A bowl of risotto in a local trattoria, perhaps with frog or saffron, is a good way to end the day.
Walk through the cloister if the abbey is open. The quiet, the brick and the long shadows have a gentle effect after a day on the road.