#inLombardy, culture doesn't go on vacation

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Take advantage of your vacation days to discover Milan and other Cult Cities in Lombardy.

The region that boasts the highest concentration of UNESCO sites in Italy is rich in monuments, churches, castles and historic mansions. Lombardy's art cities are ideal destinations for those who want to travel and get to know a real "widespread museum"!

And to beat the summer heat, a great alternative can also be a vacation at the lake: you can alternate walking and bathing with visits of great artistic and cultural interest, among villas, gardens, enchanted places and art treasures.

Have fun discovering Lombardy with inLombardia PASS, the app designed to introduce the region through play. Check in during your stay and climb the leaderboard!

In the gallery are just a few of the countless extraordinary proposals Lombardy has to offer.

A trip to the Sacro Monte of Varese — Easily reached from Varese, by public transportation, funicular railway, or by car, the 14 chapels dotting the slope are dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary, with valuable artistic works. Each chapel is different and has sculptures and paintings inside. Past the last one, the final climb leads to the shrine and village of Santa Maria del Monte. Two museums are also located here: the Baroffio Museum preserves Romanesque sculptures, illuminated manuscripts and paintings. The Pogliaghi Museum, on the other hand, is inside the house that the eclectic Milanese artist elected as his residence. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003 and nestled in a superb natural setting, the Sacro Monte of Varese is a boast for the city and the entire region.

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Villa and Royal Gardens of Monza — Built at the behest of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1777, the Villa Reale is a horseshoe-shaped building designed by Piermarini, a genius of neoclassicism. The imposing building has nearly 700 rooms, all interconnected and lavishly furnished: stuccoes, silks, frescoes, floors in fine marble or inlaid wood, fireplaces, friezes, woodwork, marble baths and lunettes with wooden sculptures. In the forecourt of the Villa is a charming rose garden. On the other side are the gardens, with an area of about 40 hectares, which are home to a great variety of centuries-old trees. And then the immense Park, the largest in Europe surrounded by walls.

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Sabbioneta, ideal city of the Gonzagas — A magical place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Mantua since 2008 and certified with the Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club. Conceived by Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, taking the model of ancient Roman cities, it has an urban layout with a checkerboard plan and a 6-pointed star shape. Monuments and places not to be missed during the walk (you can comfortably walk around): Porta Vittoria, the 16th-century Chiesa dell'Incoronata, Piazza Ducale, Palazzetto del Cavalleggero, Palazzo della Ragione and Palazzo Ducale, the center of public life in the small state of Sabbioneta. And the Teatro all'Antica, the first theater building of the modern era built specifically for that purpose.

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Workers' Village of Crespi d'Adda — Here is another place, with great historical and social value, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. An "ideal work village" in which architecture, urban planning and sociality have the common goal of regulating and encouraging factory activity. Built at the end of the 19th century by textile entrepreneur Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, at the height of the Italian Industrial Revolution, the village features dwellings with gardens, vegetable gardens, hospital, church, sports field, theater, and school. Practical realization of a living place in which the master is a "father" who takes care of the needs of his "children" even outside working hours. Possibility of guided tours.

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Brera Art Gallery and Botanical Garden, in the heart of Milan — Inside the Brera Palace, in one of Milan's most characteristic and popular neighborhoods, the Pinacoteca holds masterpieces by Andrea Mantegna, Caravaggio, Raphael, Francesco Hayez, Bramante, Tintoretto, Piero della Francesca, and many other artists from different eras and of international renown. If you haven't been yet, a visit is a must. And if you have already been there, going back is a good idea anyway, given the presence of temporary exhibitions as well. But Palazzo Brera also hides another jewel: the Botanical Garden, a true green oasis of quiet, remarkable both architecturally and for the presence of medicinal plants and other rather rare plant species.

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Tirano and the Bernina Red Train — In Tirano, a crossroads between Italy and Switzerland, stands a splendid basilica at the very place where chronicles tell of an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1504. The shrine, with three naves in the shape of a Latin cross, is the finest example of the Renaissance in Valtellina. But Tirano is also the starting point of the Bernina Red Train, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. A 122-kilometer rail route that climbs over 2,200 meters near the Ospizio Bernina station, where the descent to St. Moritz begins. Breathtaking mountain scenery, including bridges, tunnels, alpine lakes and lots of greenery. Some carriages have panoramic glass roofs, while others are convertible in summer. What are you waiting for? Into the carriage!

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Visiting the Charterhouse of Pavia — Let us now turn to one of the undisputed masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. Built by Gian Galeazzo Visconti as a family chapel, the monastery saw the beginning of its construction in 1396. The Certosa's facade is decorated with a series of medallions depicting characters-historical or legendary-from antiquity. Upon entering, the original Gothic structure stands out, with the three naves covered by cross vaults decorated with starry skies and figures of saints and Carthusians. Also splendid are the frescoes dedicated to the Sforza and Visconti families.

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From the top of Brescia Castle — It is one of the most fascinating fortified complexes in northern Italy and towers over the Cidneo hill, with wonderful views of Brescia, the Lioness of Italy. Theater of the famous Dieci Giornate (Ten Days), the castle today offers the possibility of evocative walks, among walls, narrow streets, rooms and hidden corners that tell a centuries-old history with its different dominations. Among other things, present within it are two museums. The Museum of the Risorgimento, with documents and important evidence of that flourishing period for Italian art and culture. The Weapons Museum, inside the Mastio Visconteo, with one of Europe's richest collections of ancient weapons and armor.

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Weekend in Cremona with a visit to the Violin Museum — The center of Cremona is a treasure chest of little hidden treasures. The glimpse can be had from Piazza del Comune, from the top of the 112-meter Torrazzo, right next to the Duomo: domes, palaces, squares, narrow streets and green meadows caressed by the Po River. Cremona is then the city of music. And in particular violins. The streets of the center offer visitors dozens of violin-making workshops. Celebrating this deep connection between the Cremonese and violins, here is a museum with Stradivari artifacts and other priceless objects. As well as the Auditorium, sinuous wooden shell with heavenly sound quality, the pride of acoustics wizard Yasuhisa Toyota.

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Villas, gardens and art treasures with lake views — To beat the summer heat one solution may be the lakes, alternating walking and bathing with visits of great artistic and cultural interest. Lake Como is famous for its villas and quaint villages. Among the former are Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta and Villa Melzi d'Eril with its gardens. At Lake Garda not to be missed is a visit to the Vittoriale degli Italiani, a gift of D'Annunzio and an excellent stage for a festival in the summertime. Finally, we recommend a visit to Montisola, one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy," right in the center of Lake Iseo. Or Lake Maggiore, Lombard shore, with the Rocca Borromeo of Angera and the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso with their splendid views.

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