This stage of EuroVelo 5 crosses the large and smooth Po River valley between the metropolitan area of Milan and the foothills of the Apennines in Parma province; passing charming art cities that offer the visitors a rich Medieval and Renaissance heritage to discover. From Darsena, a harbor where two major canals, the Grande and the Pavese meet, the route continues to Pavia, the capital city of the Lombard kingdom. The Lombards opened up the Monte Bardone route (called the Cisa crossing today), as a safe corridor to connect their northern territories to Tuscia and beyond.
