カノーニカ・ダッダのおすすめランニングルート

In the center of town, on the right bank of the Martesana Canal, stands an imposing waterwheel (popularly known as a rudun) said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself. Despite appearances, the wheel is not a mill, but a noria. Its function, in fact, was never to grind grain or power machinery, but rather to lift water from the canal to channel it into an irrigation system.

In the center of town, on the right bank of the Martesana Canal, stands an imposing waterwheel (popularly known as a rudun) said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself. Despite appearances, the wheel is not a mill, but a noria. Its function, in fact, was never to grind grain or power machinery, but rather to lift water from the canal to channel it into an irrigation system.

We are in Groppello, a hamlet in the municipality of Cassano d'Adda, and we must go back in time to 1618, when Cardinal Federico Borromeo commissioned this large wheel to convey the water needed to irrigate the vegetable gardens and gardens of the Archbishop's Villa. It is said that this majestic work, at the Cardinal's request, was designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself. Which, if anything, adds to its charm.

Great ride

To reach this sculpture, you need to leave the bike path and enter the woods along the Adda River. The entrance is marked by a stone threshold. You'll find it after about a hundred meters. Continuing along the dirt road, you'll take a climb with a hairpin bend that leads back to the bike path.

In the middle of nature

Passed by there by chance, nice view

This is an imposing hydraulic wheel, popularly called “el rudun”. Appearances immediately make one think of a large mill, just like those in advertisements. In reality, technically it is a “noria”: its function has never been to grind cereals or move machinery, but rather to lift the water of the Naviglio to convey it into an irrigation system.