The little church of Sant'Anna in Clusone

Small and delightful 15th-century church with a St. Christopher painted on the facade to protect pilgrims who found hospitality in the adjoining convent and beautiful votive frescoes inside.

The macabre dance of Clusone

On the walls of Clusone oratory, death queen invites men to dance with her

Fogaccia Palace, Clusone

Beautiful palace at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with a severe appearance due to rustic masonry, belonging to a powerful family of Clusone; unfortunately it is rarely visited.

Crema, cloisters with surprise

A beautiful, intimate place in downtown Crema, with a surprise you don't expect

The castle of Malpaga, buen ritiro of Bartolomeo Colleoni

A castle surrounded by a moat, around it the houses of soldiers and servants: this is the last home of the leader who wanted to make himself a prince

The Garden Palace of Sabbioneta

The Villa di delizia of Vespasiano Gonzaga is a hymn to classical antiquity.

The Shrine of Santa Maria della Croce in Crema

Imposing sanctuary, fascinating for its refined geometric decoration, perfect symmetry, and the contrast between the red of the terracotta and the green of the domes.

The Ducal Palace of Sabbioneta

Sumptuous palace of representation, emblem of ducal power

Crema's square, one of the most beautiful in Italy

An elegant, harmonious and lively square with the Cathedral in the center, surrounded by beautiful buildings

The Cathedral of Crema

Absolute protagonist of the city's main square

Holy Trinity, the church with two facades

Space for an imposing Baroque church was limited, so architect Andrea Nono chose this original solution to give it visibility.

Palazzo Terni, among the most beautiful baroque buildings in Lombardy

Splendid early 18th-century palace, though never finished; has a rich array of terracotta decorations, statues, balconies, bronze railings, and a magnificent courtyard.

Church of San Bernardino, a rediscovered masterpiece

Gothic and austere the exterior, splendid and Renaissance the interior

Calepio, a beautiful village

An ancient village, high above the Oglio Valley, is home to stone houses, beautiful stately buildings and a large castle

The Old-Fashioned Theater of Sabbioneta

Worthy rival of Palladio's Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza

Church of St. Anthony Abbot, Bibbiena's masterpiece

Extraordinary Baroque church with double domes. The second, pierced, hints at the angels on blue sky of the first, lit by hidden windows. Ė like peeking into heaven.

The majestic Castle of Vigevano

In the shoe capital, one of the largest fortified complexes in Europe.

The Gallery of the Ancients of Sabbioneta

Built by Duke Vespasian to house his art collection, it is a very long gallery, now empty but offering an extraordinary perspective, concluded by a tromp l'oeil of faux architecture.

Sabbioneta, the ideal city

Jewel of the Renaissance, an outstanding urban planning and artistic testimony to the Italian 500s

The red walls of Sabbioneta

The city is surrounded by impressive brick walls dating back to the founding in the 1500s; they are interspersed with six mighty bastions, with two openings, Imperial Gate and Victory Gate.

The castle of Volta Mantovana

Panoramic castle dating from the 11th century, still surrounded by walls, with beautiful Gothic gateway. On the same square are Palazzo Gonzaga and its stables, often the site of exhibitions.

Pozzolengo Castle

High above the village, surrounded by walls that also embrace the ricetto, stands a 13th-century castle. Of its many towers, one gives access to the ricetto, another, cylindrical, serves as a bell tower.

Gonzaga-Guerrieri Palace, Gonzaga's villa of delight

It has a special grace because of its beautiful garden sloping into four terraces and its location, at the top of the village.

The charm of Piazza Ducale in Vigevano

One of the most beautiful Renaissance squares in Italy, enclosed on the east by the cathedral, on the south by the Sforza Ducal Palace, surrounded by arcades and dominated by Bramante's tower.

Palazzina Pusterla, Cascina Ca' Granda, Zibido San Giacomo

The Palazzina Pusterla is a rare and delightful example of a late 14th-century hunting lodge. It is leaning against an irrigation ditch in which the mill wheel fishes. Around it is a beautiful park, well and bakery.

The Olivetan Abbey of Rodengo Saiano

In Franciacorta, elegant monastery of Cluniac origin holds fine works of art

La Santissima of Gussago

Atop a hill of vineyards is an abandoned Dominican convent that gives itself airs of a castle. The walk to it and the views of Franciacorta are beautiful.

The scenic monastery of St. Peter in Lamosa

An ancient monastery, a treasure trove of frescoes, and unparalleled views of the Sebino peat bogs

The Gothic frescoes of Viboldone Abbey

In a remnant of irrigated countryside in the Milanese hinterland, a 14th-century abbey holds splendid frescoes

Robecco sul Naviglio and its villas of delight

Along the Naviglio Grande for vacationing, in the footsteps of Milanese nobility

Mirasole Abbey, an oasis of peace and silence

A fortified complex in the Milanese countryside chronicles the spirituality experienced by the monastic order of the Humiliati

The beautiful Terzi Palace, a hidden corner of upper Bergamo

A baroque palace in upper Bergamo, with fine frescoes, original furnishings and spectacular views of the city

The frescoes of Santa Maria Assunta in Borgo in Nembro

It is almost hidden from view in the gathered little square, but those who enter find a treasure trove of frescoes

Palazzo Moroni, the secret park in the heart of Bergamo Alta

A palace rich in art, beauty and nature hides behind a small doorway in Bergamo Alta

Inverigo, a corner of Tuscany in Lombardy

Inverigo is a town that has beautiful historic buildings, but above all it preserves a wonderful corner of the countryside in the Pomelasca Estate, reminiscent of the sweetness of the Tuscan Apennines. In the middle of Lombardy.

The ancient village of Erba

The village of Villincino is a delightful neighborhood of Erba that has remained from the Middle Ages. You enter through a fortified gate and stroll along the cobblestones, past stone buildings and rustic courtyards.

Caravaggio, the Gothic church of Saints Fermo and Rustico

Imposing Lombard Gothic church with a tall 16th-century bell tower and a soaring facade culminating in five pinnacles, decorated with hanging arches and a fine banded portal.

The small church of San Sebastiano, in Nembro

Beautiful Gothic, herringbone stone church from the early 1400s, with precious frescoes alternating with more naive and naive ones, and a fine altarpiece by Antonio Marinoni.

Borromeo Castle of Camairago, a country castle

Large 15th-century castle built on an escarpment to defend the Adda River. Retains intact walls, towers and ravelin with double entrance, driveway and pedestrian. Fascinating view of the river.

The shelter of San Colombano al Lambro

In St. Columba there is still a rare example of a 13th-century shelter, a place intended to protect the inhabitants and food supplies from outside threats.

In Solza on the trail of Colleoni

In the castle of Solza, Bartolomeo Colleoni, captain of fortune, was born in 1395. A curious place, to which the stratifications of history have given an appearance somewhere between castle and farmstead.

Gorlago, a hidden jewel in the province of Bergamo

It's nice to get lost in the alleys of the village, at the mouth of Val Cavallina, which preserves intact its medieval core of narrow streets, stone houses and refined villas between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Basilica of San Bassiano

A majestic building in the Lodi countryside, it is a hymn to Lombard Romanesque-Gothic

Trebecco Castle, a plunge into the Middle Ages

Small medieval village overlooking the Oglio Valley from its rocky outcrop

Santa Maria in Bressanoro, between Gothic and Renaissance

In the green Cremasque countryside, a terracotta church hides a wonderful cycle of frescoes.

The village of Grumello del Monte, Bergamo

Grumello is a delightful hamlet of narrow streets and local stone houses at the foot of the Valcalepio hills. Dominating it is a 14th-century castle a mighty ivy-covered tower.

Corneliano Bertario and the Borromeo Castle

An ancient Lombard village with courtyards, irrigation ditches and a castle

Barbò Castle of Pumenengo

Stern-looking castle, guarding the Oglio River, encroaching on rural dwellings and overlooking the Naviglio Grande Pallavicino Canal. It has a trapezoidal shape to fit the terrain.

The historical center of Orzinuovi

The small town of Orzinuovi with its large porticoed square, overlooked by beautiful historic buildings such as the Gothic Palazzo podestarile, and enclosed at the end by the castle, is well worth a stop.

Martinengo Castle of Villachiara, Brescia

Plain castle, surrounded by a moat turned into a meadow, in the center of the village. Built in the late 1300s, it has a square shape with beautiful cylindrical towers at the corners.

Basilica of Santa Giulia

A fascinating Romanesque church with no ceiling and no floor, and with the walls halfway up

Parish Church of St. Mary

A small village on the edge of Erbusco holds a beautiful medieval parish church

Rocca Brivio Sforza, San Giuliano Milanese

Fascinating 17th-century brick villa of sober Baroque style, rising on a slight isolated rise in the countryside. From the monumental gate there is a glimpse of the garden with an elegant loggia.

The park of Villa Mazzotti Biancinelli

In Chiari there is a beautiful Art Nouveau villa from the early 1900s; the building is rarely visited but can be admired from the outside because it is surrounded by a large scenic park.

Pieve di santa Maria in Carpino, Carpenedolo, Bs.

Small but charming Romanesque church, lost in the Brescian countryside among oleander and corn, in the shade of a large tree.

Villa Monastero and historic garden on the lake

Historic villa with spectacular garden on Lake Lecco

Visconti Castle of Trezzo sull'Adda

Fascinating ruins of the castle built in 1300 by Barnabò as a military fortress but also used as a summer residence for lords. The tower, dungeons and dungeons remain.

Hermitage of St. Albert of Butrio

A peaceful place to step into medieval spirituality

Fortress of Romano di Lombardia

Fortress of a defensive character, used as housing for troops. Bartolomeo Colleoni also resided there for some time. It dates back to the 12th century.

Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace

A shrine from the late 14th century, rich in votive offerings, located in a park overlooking the Mincio River

Abbey of San Paolo d'Argon

It was founded as a Benedictine monastery in the town of the same name, San Paolo d'Argon. Renovated in 1500, it retains two cloisters from that period. From the 1600s are the Chapter House, Refectory and church.

Astino Monastery

Set in a beautiful natural setting on the slopes of the city. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher has frescoes from various periods, among them a Baschenis. The 16th-century cloister is beautiful.

Parish church of San Giorgio in Lemine

It is a Romanesque parish church surrounded by greenery. It dates back to the 11th-12th centuries. The interior, with three naves, is covered with fine frescoes. Recently restored and kept open by volunteers.

Shrine of St. Patrick

Shrine erected between the 16th and 17th centuries atop a rocky outcrop at 660 meters, consisting of two frescoed churches and a vast panoramic loggia overlooking the Seriana Valley.

Villa La Favorita

Villa between Mannerism and Baroque, from the early 17th century. Commissioned by Duke Ferdinando Gonzaga and designed by architect Nicolò Sebregondi. It was to house the court but was never finished.

Church of San Bernardino in Lallio

There is a rare Lombard Mannerist church in the province of Bergamo that is entirely frescoed. Splendid frescoes tell of Mary, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Bernardine and the Passion.