Question: where can you buy Km-0 products in Lombardy? Answer: in monasteries and Abbeys! It might not seem like the most obvious place, but come with us on a journey through Lombardy's religious tourism designations and you'll soon discover the secrets of this wonderful region.

Many are surprised by the vast expanses of cultivated water meadows and fields to the south of Milan; and more still are surprised to learn that the Benedictine monks were among the first to turn their hands to agriculture. In the local monasteries, those traditions live on – and a quick visit to the Abbazia di Chiaravalle will confirm that: founded as an agricultural community, where monks would combine prayer with work in the fields, the abbey sells a fantastic range of organic products in its shop.

Similarly, the Abbazia di Viboldone in San Giuliano Milanese still has a farmhouse dedicated to agricultural activities, while the Visitazione di Santa Maria Monastery in Anzano Lombardo, in the province of Bergamo, also sells foodstuffs grown by the monks.

There are more Km-O products – straight from the monks' allotments – for sale at the Comunità Vangelo e Zen in Galgagnano-Cervignano D'Adda, the Santissimo Salvatore Monastery in Grandate and the Nostra Signora dell'Annunciazione Monastery in Laveno. Over in the Cremona province, meanwhile, the Visitazione di Santa Maria Monastery in Soresina is also well worth a visit.