The municipality of San Colombano al Lambro or just San Colombano is part of the Lombardy region and is located just 40 km southeast of Milan

The history of San Colombano is inextricably linked with the arrival of the Irish saint in local lands and a monk and evangelist Columbanus spreading Christianity all over Europe

In the beginning of the 7th century, according to tradition, residents living in the territory of modern San Colombano adopted Christianity and learned the culture of viticulture.

In 614 on land, allocated Lombard king's Agilulf, an Irish monk, founded the Abbey of St. Columban. Later around the monastery grew the modern city of Bobbio, which is now located in the province of Piacenza.

How to get to San Colombano

By bus from San- Donato Milanese (San Donato Milanese), located 10 km southeast of Milan, or by car along the motorway M3.

Climate

The climate is continental. In winter it is usually damp and cold, and in summer it is hot and humid - the air temperature in July-August sometimes exceeds +30 ° C. In winter, snowfall is possible, as well as rain and heavy fog. The average temperature in winter is about -2 ° C. The best time to visit is from April to June and in September

Cuisine

There are several restaurants in San Colombano that specialize in classic Italian cuisine: the restaurant-pizzeria Ristorante parco di GARBY via via Milano 5, restaurant Ristorante La Caplania on Strada Serafina 11, the main course of which is the tortelli, and Ristorante Antica trattoria Mombrione on Via Valsasino 2.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions San Colombano

The history of the castle of St. Columban (Castello di San Colombano), located in San Colombano, can be traced back to the 6th century .The castle features 18 towers, of which the Gnocchi tower is considered the oldest . During the second trip to Italy under the leadership of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, who received the nickname "Barbarossa" because of his reddish beard, the castle was destroyed . Thanks to the strategic position that the castle occupied (on the road between Milan and Piacenza) and for its own needs, in 1164 Barbarossa decides to restore the ruins and equip a village called Magnum suburbium . And only in the 18th century the castle loses formerly a private residence . In San Colombano, the church of St. Francis (Chiesa San Francesco), built around the year 1580, and the church of Saint John (Chiesa San Giovanni) of 1510 belonging to the Order of the Franciscans, are notable then became a monastery . In 1782, by order of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, the church ceases to function as a monastery . Despite numerous changes over several centuries, the facade of the church has retained its original location, and in the process of reconstruction from the church was decorated with beautiful baroque stucco and marble inserts of the late Romanesque style .

The Abbey of St. Columban, located in the town of Bobbio, was closed during the Napoleonic reign of Italy, and most of the extant until our days of construction dates back to the Renaissance. In the Middle Ages, the monastery operated a scriptorium (a workshop for the correspondence of manuscripts), which inspired Umberto Eco to write the novel "The Name of the Rose", which gained world fame. Now in the abbey there is a museum that keeps the art treasures of the monastery

Near Castello di Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Castello di Sant'Angelo Lodigiano is located not far from San Colombano on the banks of the Lambro River in the center of the small village of Sant'Angelo, dating back to the 12th century . Originally, the castle belonged to the family of Visconti, and later became a private possession of the Sforza family . Now there are three museums in the castle . In one of them, in the Morando Bolognini museum, a collection of antique furniture, armor and an impressive library . The second museum is devoted to the and the agriculture in Lombardy from the Neolithic period to the present time . The third museum, the bread museum, is dedicated to cereals and tools used in the baking process . The castle is open to visitors from March to July and from September to November from 15: 00 to 17:30 .

Events

In San Colombano every year autumn is the Festival of grapes (La sagra dell'uva). In July, the Magdalena Festival (La sagra della Maddalena), presented by the traditional fair of livestock and agricultural machinery, is celebrated.