milan and its province - italienska statens turistbyrå · milan is a brand- to use a term borrowed...

MILAN AND ITS PROVINCE

From Trezzo to San ColombanoRiver Adda, Martesana Canal

Director of the Tourism and Agricolture DepartmentPia Benci

Tourism DepartmentMonica Giudici, Colette Pernaeditors Portal www.visitamilano.it: Chiara Tiberi

with Roberto Barelli, Alessandra Costarpa,Silvia Iantorno, Maurizio Pezzotti, Luisa Zanardi, Anna Zetti

and, from the Agriculture Department, withEnzo Beltrami, DirectorAndrea Bocciarelli, Giuliana Giambruni

Thanks toAssociazione dei Comuni per l’AddaAdministrators and officersof the involved City Councils

Special thanks toNavigli Lombardi – SCARL

2008 © PROVINCIA DI MILANO

All Rights Reserved

Text byRoberto Peretta with Mario Panzeri

Art directorBarbara VitaleAndrea Vitale

Editing and LayoutDigital Art sasVia Rimini, 24 - 20144 MilanoTelefono 028463168e-mail: [email protected]

Photo creditsRomano VitaleLuigi Cernuschi (pag. 39, 40, 42)Archivio Digital Art

Maps LS International

IllustrationsAdelchi Galloni

English VersionStudio Associato ScriptoriA

PhototypesettingDigital Art sas

Printed byLa Serigrafica Arti Grafiche SrlVia Toscanelli 26Buccinasco (Milano)

DIREZIONE CENTRALE TURISMO E AGRICOLTURA

Viale Piceno 6020129 [email protected]

t is well known that Milan is a brand famous for international tourism.Milan is a brand - to use a term borrowed from the language of communications – knownall around the world for design, Italian fashion, the immense Gothic cathedral with its sixthousand statues, the unequalled opera at La Scala, the gigantic cartoon by Raffaello in theAmbrosiana Library, Michelangelo’s moving Rondanini Pieta in the Sforza Castle and theLast Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.All this is already familiar. It is even frequently underrated.OOnn tthhee ootthheerr hhaanndd, it is a pity that Milan is not famous – or at least not yet famous –for its countryside which is made up of exceptionally fertile farmland, reclaimed and putto use ten centuries ago with the painstaking (and crucial for its future role on a nationalscale) work of thousands of monks belonging to various religious orders.This Milanese countryside is fertile and productive thanks to water: water that flowsdown from the Alps, is channelled into the Navigli, supplies historical hydroelectric plantsthat rise like cathedrals, that stops and re-starts its flow in the locks along the canals, thatmakes for pleasant landscapes and spectacular views, runs through the Bassa, or LowerPo valley, and reflects the boats and mirrors the bicycles along the towpaths.It is a pity, and in a certain way strange, because the history of this countryside intertwined,and often continues to intertwine with the roots of Milan as a brand.TThhee iinndduussttrriiaall ddeessiiggnn pprroodduucceedd in our provinces stems from a very old manu-facturing tradition which has, for over a century, been supplied with its essential drivingforce by the hydroelectric plants mentioned above. The fashion industry, which regular-ly attracts swarms of journalists and vast amounts of foreign currency, has its roots in thetextile mills along the Adda, the most important river flowing through the Milanese coun-tryside. The marble used in the building of the Duomo was brought to the city via theNavigli. And it was on the banks of the Adda that even a world-famous icon in the histo-ry of Western art like the Last Suppermay have been envisaged while he was staying in thecountry as a guest of the Melzi family in their villa on the Adda.TThhee ssttoorryy ooff ddaa VViinnccii hhiimmsseellff– born out of wedlock, a brilliant outsider with no bene-factors, an immigrant to Milan looking for work – is an excellent indicator of the timelessability this Lombard metropolis has always shown and taught: the ability to welcome,help settle and offer space and opportunity to anyone, provided they are willing to work.This happened to generations of migrants, first from other regions of Italy, then fromabroad. It happened to dozens of designers and creators of fashion in the city’s recent past.It is only right to remember that five centuries ago, with the free spirit that was typical ofthe Lombardy countryside, this opportunity to be welcomed and appreciated was takenup also by a nobody like a certain Leonardo. A Leonardo who, not having a surname, wassimply called by the name of the place he came from: Vinci.Welcome to Milan, dear Leonardo, and don’t worry. Rest assured that we will always rec-ognize the full extent of your talent.

Foreword

I

IntroductionPAGE 8 Trezzo, the Adda river and Da Vinci’s canals

12 Trezzo sull’Adda24 Concesa26 Vaprio d’Adda34 Gropello d’Adda36 Cassano d’Adda44 Fara Gera d’Adda45 Canonica d’Adda46 Crespi d’Adda50 Solza51 Villa d’Adda52 Brivio54 Arlate54 Imbersago55 Paderno d’Adda59 Porto d’Adda61 Cornate d’Adda

PAGE 62 “Martesana”, much more than a canal66 Milano68 Vimodrone69 Segrate70 Cernusco sul Naviglio71 Pioltello72 Carugate73 Bussero74 Cassina de’ Pecchi75 Vignate76 Melzo 78 Gorgonzola80 Pessano con Bornago81 Caponago83 Cambiago84 Gessate85 Bellinzago Lombardo86 Pozzuolo Martesana87 Inzago90 Truccazzano92 Masate94 Basiano95 Trezzano Rosa96 Pozzo d’Adda

Contents

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

98 Roncello99 Busnago

100 Grezzago

PAGE 102 The countryside of the south, up to the Colle106 Corsico107 Buccinasco108 Trezzano sul Naviglio109 Cesano Boscone110 Assago111 Rozzano112 Basiglio113 Binasco114 Casarile115 Lacchiarella116 Pieve Emanuele117 Opera118 Locate di Triulzi119 Carpiano120 Melegnano122 Cerro al Lambro123 San Zenone al Lambro124 San Colombano al Lambro129 Vizzolo Predabissi130 Colturano131 Dresano132 San Donato Milanese133 San Giuliano Milanese135 Mediglia136 Tribiano137 Paullo138 Peschiera Borromeo139 Pantigliate140 Settala141 Rodano143 Liscate

144 Indice analitico

Guida Sapori di Provincia - Settore AgricolturaElenco provinciale degli agriturismi

The farms and holiday farms mentioned in thisguidebook were recommended by:

Contents

Milan and its Province

6

or almost twenty years, from 1482 to 1500, ourland was home to one of the greatest geniuses in thehistory of mankind: Leonardo da Vinci who, while at thecourt of Ludovic the Moor, produced many of his mostfamous works, from the Virgin of the Rocks to the Last

Supper, from literary compositionsto his contributions to the Duomoand the Sforza Castle.AA ggrreeaatt ddeeaall of da Vinci’sexceptional talent was expressedprecisely in the part of the territorydescribed in this guide. In fact, theTuscan artist spent a lot of his timeat Villa Melzi, very close to theAdda river and the MartesanaCanal (which had been divertedfrom the Adda a few years earlierto import materials from theBergamo area), studying its locks,

designing bridges and ferries (whichwere to turn this river into animportant route for carrying iron

from Lecco), inspiring some of his works (like for examplethe background for his Virgins of the Rocks), writing andleaving copies of his famous notes on culture andtechnology known today as the Atlantic Codex.AA LLeeoonnaarrddoo ddaa VViinnccii in close contact with nature and itswaterways; a friendly nature that lent itself to thecommercial requirements of the time, that had alreadyturned Milan into the European capital of industry, tradeand technological progress.

Introduction

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

F

Executive Councillorfor Tourism

Antonio Oliverio


7

FFiivvee hhuunnddrreedd yyeeaarrss llaatteerr, Milan is still aninternational financial capital, but it is forgetting its ownterritory. It seems that the same territory, with whichLeonardo da Vinci had entered into symbiosis, choosingto spend the longest period of his life, no longer has thesame significance in the third millennium.IInnddeeeedd,, oovveerr ttiimmee the ecological and tourism value ofthis vast green area to the east of Milan has beenneglected. The purpose of this guide and this series of“Luoghi da Vivere” is that of rediscovering themagnificent territory around us.WWee bbeeggaann with the Abbiategrasso-Magenta area whichbecame the first Tourist System of the Province ofMilan. Our next goal is to extend the System and takein the rest of the territory making up the Province,starting with the Adda-Martesana area.AA rreeaall sseellff--ccoonnttaaiinneedd rreeggiioonn to the east of themetropolis, with its own historical-geographical identity,a great hydro-agricultural tradition (attested by thepresence of the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano), marked bya specific protected area of environmental value.OOnn tthhee eeddggee of this territory, in the Province ofBergamo, stands the historic Villaggio Crespi, acompany town founded in the 19th century andincluded in the Unesco in the World Heritage List in1995.FFeeww aarree aawwaarree tthhaatt tthhee PPrroovviinnccee ooff MMiillaann is allthis and more.

Executive Councillor for TourismAntonio Oliverio


8

Over the last few centuries, the image oftoo many Lombardy rivers has been

reduced to that of just a waterwayto be driven over on ring roads

and motorways. However, theAAddddaa is still seen as a source

of vitality and marked indi-viduality.

Today – without wanting to offendany of the great rivers in the region –

the name BBrreemmbboo conjures up a pic-ture of the advanced technologyused in the car brakes manufactur-ing sector and the name SSeerriioo callsto mind the airport at Orio, the third

(after Linate and Malpensa) in thecommunications network for the Milan

area, and obviously the first for Bergamo.

Trezzo, the Addariver and

Da Vinci’s canals

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside


9

Trezzo, the Adda river and Da Vinci’s

canals

The LLaammbbrroo, which in the mid-1900s sawthe launch of a great motor vehicle like theLambretta, is now, here and there, just aghost of its former self when it flows throughMilan. On the other side of the metropolis,near the new Exhibition Centre at Rho-Pero,two of the three branches into which theOOlloonnaa flows are artificial.The Lombardy Plain is intersected by theleft-hand tributaries of the river Po. TheOOgglliioo and the MMiinncciioo flow farther east,the latter already almost part of the Vene-to region and an “offspring” of Lake Gar-da. To the west, the TTiicciinnoo flows downfrom Switzerland marking the boundarybetween Lombardy and Piedmont.On a regional scale, only the Ticino has avolume of water, natural environment, vi-tality and evocative powers comparable tothose of the Adda. Moreover, the Adda isthe longest of the tributaries of the Po andthe fourth longest river in Italy. To use a

Along Lombardy’s canalsThe old Navigli, orcanals, of the areaaround Milan are nowonce again open towater-borne traffic, ninecenturies after the veryfirst such canals werebuilt. This important stepforward has been madepossible thanks to thework of NavigliLombardi s.c.a.r.l., aconsortium set up by theLombardy regionalauthorities, provincialgovernments of Milanand Pavia and relativeChambers of Commerce,Industry and Handicraft,the Est Ticino-Villoresiconsortium and 47 out ofthe 51 municipalitiesthrough which the canalspass, including thecapital cities of Milan andPavia. Along the Addanavigation has always

�


10

itinerario 1

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

�

term expressing “local pride”, if one canwhen referring to rivers, the Adda is anentirely Lombard waterway.However, it was not also so. When – fiveor six centuries ago, but even up to 1796– the Duchy of Milan was adjacent to theRepublic of Venice, the Adda was a bboorr--ddeerr river. The feudal state of the Viscontiand Sforza families, later the Spanish do-minion and lastly the Habsburg Empire inItaly, considered the course of the Addaas its political border with the MostSerene Republic of Venice. Indeed, it isdue to this centuries-old role as a bound-ary that we owe the existence and en-durance of the impressive castles in TTrreezz--zzoo and CCaassssaannoo.Besides Trezzo and Cassano, the trio ofriverside towns along the Adda in Mi-lanese territory includes VVaapprriioo, more orless half-way between the other two. It

been more problematic,especially for the three

largest towns on the river– Trezzo, Vaprio and

Cassano – which areamong the members of

the consortium. Thescheme devised by

Navigli Lombardi is aimedat improving conditions

so that navigation may inthe future be possible,

particularly betweenPaderno and Robbiate: it

also involvesenvironmental

enhancements, bikepaths, restoration of old

farmhouses and mills,development of culturaland tourism initiatives.

Navigli LombardiS.c.a.r.l.

Via Copernico, 42 -20125 Milano

Phone 026679131Fax 0267101337

[email protected]


11


canals

was here that at the time of the Sforzafamily’s dominion, between the 1400sand 1500s, LLeeoonnaarrddoo ddaa VViinnccii spend agood deal of his time in the service of theDuke of Milan as a guestof his pupil, FrancescoMelzi, in the largefamily villa with a ter-raced garden slopingdown to the river.If anyone is wonderingwhich canalized riverlocks and ferr ies DaVinci studied duringt h a t p e r i o d , w h i c hcrags he copied for the back-grounds of his Virgins of the Rocks orwhat happened to his notes – a basis ofwestern artistic and technical culture –known today as the Atlantic Codex, theanswer is visible to all. Here, on the Adda.

HHistorically the local capital when the Viscon-ti family ruled, and located on the border

with the Veneto region, the small town of Trez-zo is a sight not to be missed for the tens ofthousands of people who cross the Adda everyday while driving along the highway betweenMilan and Bergamo. From the six-lane bridgethat passes over the river, you can see the im-posing square-based great tower of TrezzoCCaassttllee – floodlit at night – and,opposite, on the Bergamo side,both the built-up area of CapriateSan Gervasio and, father south,the tall buildings of the extraordi-nary company town of CCrreessppiidd’’AAddddaa. Naturally, it is not advis-

Trezzo sull’Adda

How to reachTrezzo and Adda

Trezzo is situated about33 kilometres to the east

of Milan and can bereached by public

transport: line 2 of theMetro (MM) as far as

the stations at Gessateor Cologno Nord, and

from there by public busservice run by ATM the

Milan Public TransportCompany. For

information, call toll-freenumber 800016857 or

�

Information: ProLoco Trezzo sull’Adda, via Biffi 4 - [email protected] Phone 02-9092569 Fax 02-9092569

City Council website: www.comune.trezzosulladda.mi.it km 34,7 from Milan. Map: C 7


12


canals

able to drive and admire theviews at the same time, but atleast the passengers shouldconsider for a few secondsthat what they can see fromthe bridge, among the crags ofthe Adda, is steeped in historyand nature. For those who enjoy brows-ing and refuse to be hurried, Trezzo has quite alot to offer visitors. It is not big (the populationis around 12,000) but it is full of things to seeand pleasant walks. Though a half-day explo-ration may be enough for a first visit, you willprobably feel you want to return maybe hiringa bicycle and peddling along the peaceful banksof the Adda closed to motor vehicles, as far asthe spectacular views around the PadernoCanal and beyond.Near the road bridge crossing the Adda – andleading to Capriate San Gervasio, coming outof the province of Milan and entering that of

visit the websitewww.atm-mi.itOther ATM lines linkTrezzo to the RailwayStations in Sesto SanGiovanni and Monza.Autostradale buscompany link leavingfrom the Porta GaribaldiRailway Station in Milan.For further informationphone 02637901 or visitthe websitewww.autostradale.itBy car, take the A4

�


13

�


14

itinerario 1


canals

Bergamo – at 17, Via Sala you will find the HHoo--tteell TTrreezzzzoo, which has a less formal entrancealong the pretty Via Valverde. The first docu-ments concerning this building date back to1721, when it was registered as a “patrician res-idence with garden”. After it had changed

hands several times and adjacent build-ings were annexed to it from the second

half of the 18th century, it had already beenconverted into a hotel-restaurant when it waspurchased in 1889 by Enrico Redaelli, an engi-neer from Mezzago. The current refurbish-ment, with a spirited re-launching of the busi-ness, dates back to a few years ago. Worthy of

Hotel Trezzo, the building dates back to 1721.

The Visconti Castle and the river Adda, Trezzo sull’Adda.

Milan-Venice highwayand exit at Trezzo

sull’Adda.As for the main roads,

Trezzo is situated

�

just to the northof the Padana Superiore

road, which youcan take in Milan, in the

Viale Palmanovaor San Raffaele Hospital

areas going in thedirection of Vimodrone (it

is the same routeas for the Martesana

Canal and Gorgonzolaareas). Follow

directions for Bergamoas far as Vaprio,

veering northwards forthe last three or four

kilometres.


15

TrezzoSull’Adda

note are the view of the roofs in the historicalcentre, the courtyard leading to the receptionarea and the wine bar.Via Valverde slopes gently down to the gates ofthe park around the VViissccoonnttii CCaassttllee, the mostprestigious building in Trezzo and historicallythe greatest installation for militarydefence on the eastern border ofthe Duchy of Milan. Indeed, itsposition overlooking the river hasmade it strategically importantever since the Longobard era, whilethe first fortification of the rockwould appear to date back to the VIIcentury, and is traditionally considered to havebeen ordered by Queen Teodolinda as a de-fence against raids carried out by the Orobitribe.In 1158, the Holy Roman Emperor FrederickBarbarossa ordered the building of the firstthree towers of the castle and a series of wood-en bridges across the Adda: this work was de-

MoreLongobards on the AddaFor the last thirty years or so, the leg-end that it was Teodolinda herself whocalled for the building of the first castlein Trezzo has been based on reality, fol-lowing a rather exceptional archaeo-logical find. Between 1976 and 1978, five Longob-ard tombs of the VII century came tolight near the Cascina San Martino –the only discovery of its kind in aclosed, unprofaned area. It was imme-

diately clear that they were the gravesof important men from their clothingand the objects buried with them: de-fensive and offensive weapons, deli-cately crafted gold ornaments, shredsof richly embroidered fabrics and mag-nificent seal-rings.Twenty-five other, similar tombs,though not intact, were discovered ashort distance away in the early 1990s.A reconstruction of a Longobard burialcan be seen at the Visconti Castle.

The originalsitulaThe best-known proof ofTrezzo’s ancient roots liesin a situla of Celtic origin,that is to say a coppervase with a cover and thinhandle, discovered here inthe mid-1800s and datablebetween the IV-III centuryBC. Today, it is ondisplay in the CivicArchaeologicalCollections in Milan.

More prominent remainslike pottery shards,fragments of bricks,sarcophagus lids andcoins from the imperialage provide an imageof Trezzo during theRoman era. Even thelayout of the historicalquarter, square,in the Roman style andwith the Santa Marta gatestill standing, seemsto date back a couple ofthousand years.


16

itinerario 1


canals

Castle’s tower, Trezzo sull’Adda.

Remains of a bridge over the Addadestroyed in 1416, Trezzo sull’Adda.

Guided toursaround Trezzo

For information onpractically everythingconcerning Trezzo –

including guided toursfor groups by

appointment – contact the efficient, dynamic

Pro Loco (local touristboard), with offices in

a roomy ex-shrinewith a porch and hallat 4, Via Carlo Biffi.

Phone and fax number:029092569, e-mail

address:[email protected],

website:www.prolocotrezzo.com

The local Councilhas a dedicated

website for touriststo the town:

www.trezzoturismo.it,which also provides

informationon the middle course

of the Adda.

stroyed by the Milanese in 1167 when Bar-barossa was defeated. Under Bernabò Visconti,around mid-14th century, the fortress reac-quired its strategic importance: along with thenew towers and a series of underground pas-sages which, according to the experts, lead tothe castles in Brivio and Cassano, a multi-levelfortified bridge was built. Its sole span over theriver was 72 metres wide and at its highest point


17

Trezzosull’Adda

stood 25 metres above the surface of the water.Bernabò himself was to meet his end in the verysame underground dungeons he had had builtand where his nephew Gian Galeazzo had im-prisoned him. Following a rela-tively quiet period, conflicts be-tween the Viscontis and the lo-cal noble families started again.The bridge was to be destroyedforever in 1416 by a group ofMilanese under the Count ofCarmagnola in clashes withsome of the Colleoni familywho had seized the castle. Un-der the Sforza family, the river defence systemwas completed in preparation for possible at-

tacks on the part of Venice. The invention offirearms and the revolution of the art of makingwar, followed by the dominance of the Spanishand the Habsburgs, caused the building to loseits strategic role and it was converted into a mil-itary depot before being completely aban-doned. During the first half of the 1800s, the fac-ing was removed and sold off (some stoneswere re-used in the construction of the Arena in

Visitors to the castle; right, 15th-century stone well, Trezzo sull’Adda.

EventsFor several years Trezzohas been hosting someimportant cultural eventsin summer, including

"Adda Danza", a nationaland international dancefestival, and "Musica oltreil fiume".


18

itinerario 1


canals

Milan). Today, after remodelling, you can nowsee the ruins, the underground passages, the 42metre great tower and the well in 15th centurystone. Also open are the Sala Bernabò and a vil-la where educational information is available.For some years now, the castle has been thevenue for important cultural events especially

during the summer.A park with its entrance in Via Danteprotects the VViillllaa CCoommuunnaallee, an im-posing late-Renaissance style buildingpurchased by the Trezzo town councilin 1966. Besides the offices of the Cul-tural Sector, it houses the “AlessandroManzoni” public library and displays re-cently restored works of art like one onthe Oedipus myth by Giuseppe Bossi

Villa Visconti, now home of the municipal library.

Electricitywas on the way

The number of early-20th

century power plants youmeet along the Adda

near Trezzo is really high.Trezzo itself is the site of

the Taccani plant, while

Esterle hydroelectricpower plant.

Taccani hydroelectric power plant.

Bertini hydroelectric power plant.

�

Cornate d’Adda is hometo the Esterle and Bertini

plants, lower down thevalley stands the Rusca


19

Trezzosull’Adda

and “Magdalene and Andromedus” by Agosti-no Comerio. The villa, which belonged to theVisconti Rho family and later to the MarquisesCrivelli, was converted into a hospital duringthe cholera epidemic in 1855. The best façade isthe one at the back, with the room with a ve-randa on the ground floor and the wrought ironbalconies that adorn the windows on the sec-ond floor. From the park, which slopes downtowards the Adda, there is a fine view of the riv-er and the Taccani power plant.The bend in the Adda below the rock of theVisconti Castle has, since 1906, been the site ofthe TTaaccccaannii PPoowweerr PPllaanntt , commissionedfrom the architect Gaetano Moretti – with hy-draulic plans drawn up by Adolfo Covi – by thetextile factory owner Cristoforo BenignoCrespi. It is, without doubt, the most interestingpower plant in the whole of Lombardy bothfrom the architectural point of view (it is a spec-tacular, modernist design that manages to fit inwith the surrounding environment) and thetechnological one (the turbine chamber con-nects to the dam outfall, thus eliminating the

Taccani hydroelectric power plant in 1906and Visconteo Castle on the Adda, Trezzo sull’Adda.

in Cassano and on theBergamo side the Crespid’Adda plant looms large.Above all of them sitsthe Semenza plant inCalusco. Just under acentury since they werebuilt, these cyclopicconstructions amazeobservers with theirelegance and the caretaken in shaping them asmuch as with theimposing air of theirgenerators and turbinesthat were essential inproviding energy for thefirst Milanese industrialrevolution. They were notbuilt by public bodies, ashappens today, but byprivate businessmenoften capable ofunderstanding even theaesthetic side oftechnology.For the last few decades,the energy produced bythese plants has provedinsufficient, as clearly

�

�

itinerario 1

need for a penstock). Further, specific canaliza-tion has provided an approx. 400 metres longwaterway ending with an 8 metre high lockthat allows for navigation. The buildings, facedwith Adda conglomerate, feature battlementsthat evoke the offensive tactics of the castleabove and Art Nouveau style wrought ironlamps. The original dam made of woodenboarding has been replaced with safer metalsluice-gates: the course of the river is blocked

shown in Cassano by thelooming presence of themuch more powerful and

newer Enelthermoelectric plant nearthe Adda, alongside therailway. However, nearly

all the older plants arestill working – a reminderof an age that was heroic

in its own way – that of

�

�


20


canals

Trezzo, start of the bike path.

Cycling around the AddaThe hiring of bicycles – perfectfor excursions along the towpaths

of the Adda, closed to motor ve-hicles – is organized in Trezzo bythe Cooperativa Il Castello.

More


21

while the water flows sideways towards the tur-bines through twelve manifolds. This plant, stillused for the production of power, is open to vis-itors on the first Sunday of every month exceptJanuary and August. The main church in Trezzo is the prevostalchurch of SSaannttii GGeerrvvaassiioo ee PPrroottaassiioo, over-looking Piazza Nazionale at the start of the roadto Vimercate. It has been mentioned in docu-ments since 1414. Enlarged between the 16th

�heavy electro-mechanics– whose other survivingshrines are the largeurban railway stationsand, in Milan, the model1500 electric trams withwooden seats that alsoseem absolutelyindestructible over 80years after they werefirst introduced.

Trezzosull’Adda

Bike path in the vicinity of Robbiate.

For information on times and cost,phone 029090664 or 3471609408,

or write an e-mail to [email protected]

Cycling along the banks of the Adda, towards Brivio.


22

itinerario 1


canals

and 17th centuries, today, its appear-ance is due to the Neo-Romantic reno-vation work carried out in 1922 underthe guidance of Gaetano Moretti whobuilt the Taccani Power Plant. Its pinna-cles and windows are modern in shape.During the renovation, a new 75-metrebell tower was built to replace the oldone which had become somewhat un-stable. The polygonal apse is all that isleft of the 15 /16th century construction.The interior, with its basilican lay out fea-turing three naves leading to individualchapels, still boasts Giottesque frescoesand others by Bernardino Campi, awooden Saint Benedict probably datingback to the 13th century and a marbleMadonna with Child of the Bonino daCampione school.In Piazza Libertà, which is the geomet-ric centre of the historical quarter of

Trezzo, stands the oratory of SSaann RRooccccoo,probably built following the plague epidem-

Top, parish church of SantiGervasio e Protasio; above, apainting in the chapel of theCrucifix, Trezzo sull’Adda.


23

Trezzosull’Adda

ic in 1576. In the 18th century, the building,comprising one room with a rectangularpresbytery, was enlarged with the additionof a pillared porch and a large wooden altarthat covered the fresco of Saints Rocco, Se-bastian and Ambrose on the far wall whichwas brought to light only during a restora-tion carried out in the 1980s.

Oratory of Saint Rocco

Lower, on this page, theOratory of Saint Rocco,above and to the left, thegilded wood altar and thealtar-piece portraying theVirgin and Child betweenSaints Rocco andSebastian, set in anelegant frame.


24

itinerario 1


canals

Concesa (Trezzo sull’Adda)

About one kilometre to the south of the historicalcentre of Trezzo, the hamlet of Concesa isperched on a knoll overlooking the Adda close tothe dam built for the Martesana Canal (and, to-day, almost under the motorway bridge). Via afootbridge close to the shrine to the Divine Ma-ternity a short walk will take you to Crespi d’Ad-da. In the XII century, Concesa boasted a castle,

Sanctuary of Divina Maternità, Concesa.

some manor houses, the church of Our Lady ofthe Assumption and an oratory dedicated to aSaint Nazario. Both religious buildings fell intoruin and were replaced, in1520, by a newly-

built church. In front ofa wall of the latter, be-neath a painting of OurLady, according topopular belief a springcapable of extraordi-na ry cures we l l edforth.The renown of Conce-sa’s miraculous waterled to the construction,in 1611, of a smal lchapel on the banks ofthe Adda.

The small, deconsecratedchurch of Beata VergineMaria e Lazzaro, Concesa.

Villa GinaProbably erected on the

ruins of a fortifiedmansion, this residence

was enlarged to itscurrent size in the mid-

1800s at the request ofthe Mayor of Milan Paolo

Bassi, taken over bySilvio Crespi in 1915 and

later by the OperaNazionale Balilla of

Bergamo which turned it

into a technical school forwar orphans. Followingthe Second World War,

Villa Gina became arehab centre called Casadel Sole and, lastly, was

purchased by TrezzoTown Council. Today, it is

the headquarters of the

�


25

Concesa

However, the large number of pilgrimssoon persuaded Cardinal Cesare Monti,archbishop of Milan, to order the building,alongside the mouth of the MartesanaCanal, of the much larger SSaannttuuaarriioo ddeellllaaDDiivviinnaa MMaatteerrnniittàà, which some sourcesclaim was designed by two great 17th centu-ry Milanese architects like Francesco MariaRicchino and Carlo Buzzi. In 1641, thepainting of Our Lady was brought into thenewly-completed shrine next to which, fiveyears later, a convent of the DiscalcedCarmelites was built. Even though it wasclosed down in Napoleonic times, and laterconverted into a mill, the group of buildingswas finally purchased by an order of friars.In the sacristy corridor, there is the so-calledMadonna of the Boatman, a 15th century frescoremoved from the house of the guardian of theMartesana Canal when it was demolished tomake room for new inlets of water.The “heir” to the 16th century church in Conce-sa has been, since 1910, the parish church ofBBeeaattaa VVeerrggiinnee MMaarriiaa AAssssuunnttaa in neo-goth-ic style. On a spur overlooking the Adda and theShrine to the Divine Maternity, VViillllaa GGiinnaa inConcesa is surrounded by a public park thatgradually slopes down to the mouth of theMartesana Canal.

Villa Gina, Concesa.

Parco Adda Nord. Ithas pointed archwindows and its interiorfeatures a walnutstaircase, a slatefireplace and cofferedceilings.

�

Villa Gina, a detail of theRenaissance wing, Concesa.


26

itinerario 1


canals

LLying about four kilometres to the south ofTrezzo, Vaprio too is obviously on the Adda

and it is linked to the othermain roads by anunmade towpathclosed to motor ve-

hicles, of great eco-logical significance,which runs betweenthe Mar te s ana

Canal and the river. Ifpossible, Vaprio is even

prettier, although the sudden drop in altitude ofits streets may trigger an impression of being in

a closed-in area compared with theopen spaces. This is particularly true ifyou look at it from Canonica d’Adda,the twinned town on the other side ofthe river, in the provinceof Bergamo.The bbrriiddggee l inkingVaprio to Canonica is ina narrow pass of the Ad-da Valley where it is be-lieved a passage alreadyexisted at the time of the Celts and lat-er, the Romans. Proof of this is alsothe ancient name of the place, Vadu-lum, which means low water or ford.Just like Trezzo, already in the Longo-bard era, Vaprio had a front line of for-

tifications along the river and was later the ob-ject of clashes between the Visconti and Torri-ani families. The narrow pass and bridge areovershadowed by the imposing VViillllaa MMeellzzii

City Council website: www.comune.vapriodadda.mi.itkm 31,9 from Milan. Map: C 7

The concrete bridge over the riverAdda, built in the 1950s. In the foreground, the Martesana canal.

Vaprio d'Adda


27

dd’’EErriill, with its terraced gardens sloping downtowards the Adda. The appearance of thebuilding today is greatly due to radical renova-tion work carried out in 1845, but the villa hadalready been built by 1482 and enlarged in the1600s. It was originally erected by GiovanniMelzi, of the noble Milanese family, who made Villa Melzi d’Eril,

Vaprio d’Adda.


28

itinerario 1


canals

use of the ruins of a castle that previously stoodon the site. As indicated by a stone plaque onthe boundary wall – towards Piazza Leonardoda Vinci, where the land entrance is situated –the villa was home to DDaa VViinnccii between 1506and 1507 and again between 1510 and 1513.Among the numerous documents and worksproving the genius’ presence, the best known isthe so-called Madonnone on the top floor of thebuilding: a large fresco depicting a Madonna andChild. It was completed in 1510 by FrancescoMelzi, the son of Giovanni and host to Da Vinciwho almost certainly also worked on the fresco.

Villa Melzi d’Eril,Vaprio d’Adda.

Francesco Melzi and the Atlantic CodexThe man who gave hospitality to Leonar-do da Vinci in Vaprio, welcoming him in-to his family villa, was a member of ahigh-ranking family. Born in Milan around1491, he died in Vaprio probably be-tween 1568 and 1570 and belonged to adynasty which, over the next few cen-turies, was to include among its mem-bers Grandees of Spain, Dukes of Lodi,Counts of Magenta, statesmen and ex-ponents of the cultural world. Francescohimself was a highly educated person,very close to da Vinci – indeed a pupil ofhis from 1506 – anda gifted painter in hisown right. He ac-compan ied themaestro on his jour-ney to Rome in1513, and followedhim to France in hisfinal years startingfrom 1517. FrancescoMelzi was also daVinci’s heir in both amaterial and literarysense: it was hewho drew up the so-called Treatise on

Painting generally attributed to da Vincihimself, collecting various notes of themaestro’s in a codex currently to be

found in the VaticanLibrary. These andmany other hand-written notes of daVinci’s were left inthe villa in Vaprio, in-cluding the oneswhich, when laterbound in a formatknown at the time asAtlantic, were to bepurchased in themid-1600s by theAmbrosiana Libraryin Milan, and stillmake up the great-est collection of writ-ings by da Vinci tobe found anywherein the world.

Francesco Melzi d’Eril (Andrea Appiani) Milano,

collezione Melzi d’Eril.

More


29

Vapriod’Adda

However, the large amount of restora-tion carried out on it makes an accu-rate evaluation difficult. The buildingis privately owned.The Town Hall and public library inVaprio are housed in the 18th centuryVViillllaa SSiimmoonneettttaa AArrcchhiinnttoo in PiazzaCavour. Built in rococo style and recently re-stored, it features interesting remains of frescoes.From Piazza Cavour overlooking the riverstands VViillllaa VViissccoonnttii ddii MMooddrroonnee, appearingtoday in its eclectic 19th century style, though it

Villa Simonetta Archinto, now the Town Hall. Below: close-up of remains of frescoes, Vaprio d’Adda.

Villa Visconti di Modrone, Vaprio d’Adda.

Carnival in VaprioThe most importantfestive event in Vapriotakes place in winter: itconsists of a series ofcarnival activities that lastabout a month. It is anunambiguously folksyexperience, activelyinvolving the inhabitantsof Vaprio and the nearbyvillages in a whirl ofmerry-making and fun. Onthe most important day, amulti-coloured line ofrevellers winds its waythrough the streetsdancing and making music.


30

itinerario 1


canals

was certainly built priorto the mid-1700s. Its ter-raced garden faces ther i ve r wh ich , i n th i sstretch, flows very closeto the Martesana Canal;from the square, a flightof stone steps leads to thecanal and its wash-house.In the grounds of VillaVisconti, a marker showsthe outline – rediscov-ered and brought to light– of what were once a12th century oratory andthe adjacent pr ivatechapel of Giovanni Melzi,ded i ca t ed to Sa in tBernardino. In the towncentre, the parish church

of SSaann NNiiccoollòò appears in its Neo-Classicalstyle of 1817, possibly designed by Luigi Cagno-la. The aisleless interior is decorated with late-19th century frescoes by the local painter Na-tale Riva, a pupil of Francesco Hayez, and there

Parish church of San Nicolò, Vaprio d’Adda.

Detail of the frescoin the church of San Nicolò,Vaprio d’Adda.


31

Vapriod’Adda

is a 3600-pipe organ. The bell tower built in1833 is visible from everywhere in the town.The church was completely restored between1984 and 1992.Much older than the parish church in Vaprio isthe romanesque SSaann CCoolloommbbaannoo dating backto the XI-XII century, which can be reachedpractically at the entrance to the town’s hospi-tal. Even if you were to find it closed, it is worth

13th-century Romanesque church of San Colombano, Vaprio d’Adda.At the side, right: ornamental details on the capitals.

Frescoed apse of the 13th-century Romanesque church of San Colombano, Vaprio d’Adda.


32

itinerario 1


canals

taking a look at the late-medieval reliefs on thefaçade and sides, not unlike the ones on thecapitals inside.Proof of the tradition of textile manufacturingalong the Adda comes, more clearly than fromany other factory, from the great VVeelllluuttiiffiicciiooVViissccoonnttii ddii MMooddrroonnee in the southern quartersof Vaprio. Founded in 1839 for the spinning andthrowing of cotton by the firm Sioli Dell’Acqua& Co., in 1858, the factory was taken over bythe Archinto family and then bought, sevenyears later, by the Visconti di Modrone. It wasthey who created the brand VVeellvviiss (Velluti Vis-conti) which today continues to symbolizehigh quality in men’s corduroy trousers even

though the fabrics are now produced else-where. The Viscontis introduced technical im-provements that were revolutionary for thetime, starting with their steam power plant. Stillimpressive – though the factory is no longer inuse – is the design of the four-storey buildingwith its crenellated tower, corner turrets andmedieval-style noble air. The tower concealed avertical driving shaft that distributed power to

The Sottrici Binda Paper Mill

The modern factory asseen today has actually

nothing to do with thehistorical paper mill, the

first section of whichdated back to 1774.

The place on which itstands is, however, thesame spot on which itwas originally founded

in an area to the north-east of the town,

between the MartesanaCanal and the Adda, one

which offered the bestguarantees due to the

abundance of waterwhich was essential for

the manufacturing process.«The mechanized paper

mill in Vaprio iscontinuously increasing

production, with twomachines making paper

uninterruptedly…»: back in 1857, Cesare

Cantù used these terms to describe the

factory, founded byCount Paolo Melzi.

Visconti di Modrone velvet factory,19th century, Vaprio d’Adda.


33

Vapriod’Adda

all the floors of the building. North of the centreof Vaprio, the Martesana Canal and the Addaisolate the vast area of the BBiinnddaa PPaappeerr MMiillll, atrue monument to lo-ca l indus t r i a l a r -chaeology . Over ahundred years old, itwas owned by theMelzi family, thenfrom 1868 by theMaglia-Pigna com-pany and from 1920,by the Milanese Binda family, who im-proved and modernized it. The last owners,who decided in 2007 to close down the mill,were Swedish.

Binda paper-mill, today,Vaprio d’Adda.

Castelbarco and its antique fairsIn Monasterolo, situated on the mainroad between Vaprio and Trezzo, ahuge park overlooking the MartesanaCanal surrounds the Villa Castelbar-co Albani, known for the last fewdecades mainly as the venue of exhibi-tions and celebrations, especiallythose concerning antiques. The build-ing was most likely erected in 1100 asa monastery, and the villa as it standstoday includes several additions builtaround it. It was the summer residenceof the Simonetta family, and, in the

1800s of the Castelbarco Albani.Mostly under the latter, it underwent aseries of extensions in Neo-Classicalstyle like the reception halls, the smalltheatre on the terrace esplanade andgalleries overlooking the Naviglio.Along the canal, you can still find themetal wheel that drove the irrigationpump.Villa CastelbarcoVia Concesa 4Vaprio d’Addaphone 0290965254www.villacastelbarco.com

More


34

itinerario 1


canals

Gropello d’Adda (Frazione di Cassano d’Adda)

Between Vaprio and Cassano, on analmost indiscernible knoll (from

which it probably got its name: groppameans hump) lies the tiny settlement of Gro-pello, a hamlet of Cassano. It is not knownexactly when this rural burgh was founded,although it is certain that from1160, the

The Ruoton, 11 m in diameter, at Gropello d’Adda.

The first houses of Gropello, along the Martesana.


35

Gropellod’Adda

proctor of the archbishops of Milanowned a villa here. Originally, the settle-ment was on the right bank of the Adda.When the Martesana Canal was dug,the community moved until the use ofthe bridge over the canal began to en-courage, between the 1600s and the1700s, a link between the two banks.Between the Adda and the MartesanaCanals lies the AArrcchhbbiisshhoopp’’ss VViillllaa, the con-struction of which was started by CardinalFederigo Borromeo after his predecessor,Charles Borromeo, had demolished a build-ing that had stood on that site for at least sixcenturies. With its three storeys and a vastgarden surrounding it, its lay-out is horse-shoe-shaped. The so-called RRuuoottoonn or large,eight-paddled wheel 11 metres in diameterthat stands out along the canal is a 1989replica of the original one which was in-stalled here in1618 for the irrigation of the

gardens and to provide the kitchens in thevilla with water. The bridge, in Adda con-glomerate, was built in 1573.The Archbishop’s Villa includes the oratorynamed after SStt.. AAnntthhoonnyy founded by CardinalMonti. In 1638, Giovan Mauro della Rovere,known as Fiammenghino, frescoed the interiorwith stories of St. Anthony of Padua.

Entrance to the Villa Arcivescovile, Gropello d’Adda.

Sansona bridgeOn April 27, 1799 thecountryside aroundCassano became abattlefield when Frenchand Austro-Russiantroops clashed there.The fleeing French usedSansona bridge (not farfrom the Martesana canalbetween Gropelloand Cassano) as amakeshift trench.


36

itinerario 1


canals

TThe views of Cassano – themost southern after Trezzo and Vaprio, and

the largest of the three Milanese towns alongthe Adda – take in gardens and the countrysidearound the river and the canals. We are now al-

Cassano d’AddaInformation: ProLoco Cassano d’Adda, piazza Lega Lombarda 8

[email protected] - www.prolococassanodadda.com Phone 0363/61998

City Council website: www.comune.cassanodadda.mi.itkm 29,1 from Milan. Map: D 7

Villa Borromeo, Cassano d’Adda.


37

most on the plain, among houses built less closetogether. The differences of level are no longerso marked.This locality, first mentioned in written docu-ments in 887, evidently grew up around the cas-tle guarding the Adda, but over the centuriesthe character of the urban area has graduallyimproved, thanks to the villas built by Milanesenobiles. For over a century and a half, the localrailway station has stood practically half-waybetween those of Milan and Bergamo. When reaching Cassano via the road comingfrom the west – from the city – visitors may besurprised by the sudden appearance to one sideof the imposing VViillllaa BBoorrrroommeeoo, which canbarely be seen from the road. Started in the mid1700s, when the dd’’AAddddaa family wanted a resi-dence in an important riverside holiday resortwell linked to Milan, the villa was originally de-signed by Francesco Croce who was succeed-ed, from 1781, by Giuseppe Piermarini. Of the

A verymodern fate“Meetings,conferences, weddingreceptions, commercialsand photographicsessions, fashionshows, companygalas and specialevents” are theoccasions for whichVilla Borromeocan be rented today.Actually, it is only fairthat the investmentof those who bought it,restored it andbrought it back intouse yield a reasonableprofit.

Villa BorromeoVia Vittorio Veneto 58,Cassano d’Addaphone 036360904www.villaborromeo.it


38

The BorromeosOf major importancein matters concern-ing Cassano andGrope l l o , bu t o fgreater magnitude informing the characterof Milan and the sur-rounding area, the Bor-romeo family was one ofthe most prominent dynas-ties ever to have featured in thehistory of Lombardy and possibly sec-ond only to that of the Visconti. Their family home is in the centre of Mi-lan, a short distance from Piazza Cor-dusio, opposite the church of SantaMaria Podone adorned – with an ex-pression that has rightly become partof Milanese lore – the very simple mot-to Humilitas, humility.The two most important people thatthis lineage produced were the cardi-nals, who were cousins, Charles andFederigo, leading figures in 16 /17thcentury Lombardy and sponsors of theunyielding resistance the townsfolkput up against the recurrent scourge ofthe plague. Charles (1538-1584), later proclaimeda saint and Doctor of the CatholicChurch, interpreted the Counter-Re-formation in a somewhat unorthodoxmanner, openly siding with the people,

their needs and feel-ings. At the sametime, he was strenu-ously battling againstProtestantism, fund-i ng among o t he rthings the building of

the Collegio Elvetico(currently the State

Archives) for the trainingof priests who were fight-

ing for Roman Catholicism inthe Grisons, Switzerland and having

a dozen people burned at the stakefol lowing tr ials for witchcraft inSwitzerland.Federigo (1564-1631), equally deter-mined though more interested in hisstudies, linked his name in particular tothe establishment in1609 of the Am-brosiana Library and, later, the ArtGallery of the same name. The figureof Cardinal Federigo lives on in the un-forgettable historical-literary portraitthat Alessandro Manzoni drew of himin his work “The Betrothed”.The penchant for pragmatism andopen-mindedness that Charles andFederigo left on the Milanese mentality– in a way following the footsteps of St.Ambrose, the 4th century bishop andprotector of Milan, – is still palpable inthe 20th century metropolis and at thestart of the third millennium.

Home of the Borromeo family, in the centre of Milan.


canals

More


39

Cassanod’Adda

former (who designed the highest spire of theDuomo) the building basically still has the rearfaçade, while the latter (who built the Scala andthe Royal Palace) was responsible for the addi-tion of the wings around the front courtyard,the enlargement of the main house, the full andempty volumes on the façade, the wrought irongate and, in general, the innovative, Neo-Classi-cal style. The interior of the villa is adorned withfrescoes and decorations and contains a roomwith stucco work and rustic paintings, medal-lions, gilding, and at the rear, there is a park withcenturies-old trees. The villa was inherited by

Panoramic view of Cassano d’Adda and the Muzza canal.

the Borromeo family at the end of the1800s, occupied by the Germans duringWWII and ended up being converted in-to apartments. It was brought back to life,in the 1980s, when it was privately pur-chased.On Via Vittorio Veneto, you can find thePPaarriisshh cchhuurrcchh of Cassano, built in 1897.The only part remaining of the olderchurch erected on this site in the 13thcentury at the request of Regina dellaScala, the wife of Bernabò Visconti, is thebell tower. On the other hand, the churchunderwent reconstruction at the end of

Parish church in Via Vittorio Veneto,Cassano d’Adda.


40

itinerario 1


canals

the 18th century. Inside, there is a un polyptychby Bernardino Fasolo dated 1516.The axis of historical Cassano corresponds totoday’s VViiaa VVeerrddii, which can be reached fromPiazza Garibaldi, in the town centre, or viacross-streets and courtyards opposite Villa Bor-romeo. Between Via Verdi and the MuzzaCanal, stands VViillllaa RRoossaalleess PPaallllaavviicciinniiBBrraammbbiillllaa, built in the 1600s as a bulwark andconverted into a patrician residence byGiuseppe Pezzoli between 1770 and 1790. Thelarge garden, which features a circular fountainwith marble puttos, is made up of five embank-

Fountain at Villa Rosales Pallavicini Brambilla, Cassano d’Adda.

The MuzzaBranching off from theright bank of the Adda,

the Muzza Canal starts inCassano slightly upstream

from Castello Borromeoand returns to the river in

the municipality ofCastiglione d’Adda, in theprovince of Lodi. Flowingfor forty kilometres, it is

considered the largestirrigation canal in Europe

and is still an important

Panoramic view of the Muzza irrigation canal.

�


41

Cassanod’Adda

ments with balustrades intersected by a flight ofsteps leading down to the canal. Inside thebuilding, the ballroom is decorated with fres-coes by the Galliari brothers, the first set design-ers for the Scala at the time of Maria Theresa.A widening of Via Verdi – which offers viewsof the garden of Villa Brambilla and the adja-cent, modern public park which also slopesdown to the Muzza Canal – reveals the mainfaçade of PPaallaazzzzoo BBeerrvvaa, a handsome 18thcentury building recentlyrestored. It once be-longed to the Bonfanifamily, and later to theBerva, while today ithouses local governmentoffices, the Pro Loco (lo-cal tourist board) of Cas-sano and the NationalAlpine Soldiers’ Associa-

tion. From the courtyard, you can reach theparish church.At the far end of Via Verdi, wherethere is a slight dip, the ancient church of SSaannDDiioonniiggii stands on the spot which was the startof the earliest road to Milan. Originally built inthe 13th century, it now has the appearance itwas given during restructuring work in the late16th century. The interior is well worth visiting

resource for Lombardyfarming.Originating from a deadbranch of the river whichwas already, in Romantimes, used to irrigatethe fields, it was improvedand lengthened from1220 onwards whenEmperor Frederick IIgranted the people

of Lodi permission to usethe water.It appears that it was thefounder of the ducaldynasty of Milan,Ottone Visconti,who chartedits course closeto the castle, probablyas a means of defence.

�

PalazzoBerva,Cassanod’Adda.

Oratory of San Dionigi, Cassano d’Adda.


42

itinerario 1


canals

thanks to the two pictorial cycles by the Fi-ammenghini brothers that were recently re-stored: on the walls, there are Stories of SaintDionigi; in the apse, a Coronation and a Trini-ty with prophets and music-making angels.Practically opposite San Dionigi, formerly in-cluded in the view of the garden of Villa Benzi,stands the oratory of SSaaiinnttss AAccqquuiilliinnoo ee CCaarr--lloo , built in 1699 at the request of CristoforoBenzi. Near the altar, there is a Madonna and

Child by Legnanino.The L-shaped lay-out ofthe squares in the centreof Cassano – Garibaldi,Cavour and Perrucchetti– leads to the CCaassttllee BBoorr--rroommeeoo dd’’AAddddaa which,with its history of over athousand years, standson the bank of the Muz-za Canal. Famous since887, when a fortress

here welcomed the arrival of the Emperor, itwas later a source of conflict between the Tor-riani and Visconti families. It fell into Venetianhands in 1446 and was reconquered byFrancesco Sforza who, between 1451 and1474, assigned the task of restructuring its de-fensive features to the architect Bartolomeo

Borromeo d’Adda Castle, on the banks of the Muzza, Cassano d’Adda.

Piazza Castello(Piazza Perrucchetti),Cassano d’Adda.

The founder of the “Alpini”

A monument in front ofthe castle and the name of

the square are remindersthat Cassano was thebirthplace of the Italian

Army Captain GiuseppePerrucchetti who, in 1872,

founded the mountaininfantry corps: the “Alpini”.


43

Cassanod’Adda

Gadio. Dating from that time are the imposingbuttress walls overlooking the Adda, the crenal-lations and arrow slits on the battle-ments, the flooding of the MuzzaCanal as a defensive measure andthe new façade which is still inplace. In 1705, it was converted into amilitary prison and at the end of thatcentury it risked being demolished tomake room for a palace for Prince Ferdi-nand, the son of Maria Theresa: but all that waslost was the main gate of the walled complexthat protected the village. In the 1800s, the cas-tle was used as a prefecture, a prison, a barracksand, in the right wing, as a mill; during the lastcentury, it has also become awarehouse and a d i s -cotheque. Restoration workcarried out in recent timesbrought to light frescoes ofthe Giotto school, probablycommissioned by OttoneVisconti, showing the castlewas also used as a residence.Sitting between the MuzzaCanal and the course of theAdda, the 10 hectares of theIIssoollaa BBoorrrroommeeoo are home tonumerous animal and veg-etable species recently relo-cated, and a multi-purposecentre run by the Cassanoauthorities. It can easily bereached on foot from the cas-tle by taking the bridge over the canal.The whole north-eastern sector of Cassano isdefined by the presence of the LLiinniiffiicciiooCCaannaappiiffiicciioo NNaazziioonnaallee. The National Linenand Hemp Mill is a huge, historical factorythat grew out of a spinning mill built around1842 by the Società Battaglia & C. After it wastaken over in 1873 by the owners of a similar

Cascina dell’Isola Borromeo

Built around the1950s, the Cascina wasrecently restoredas part of a Europeanproject. Today, the buildinghouses a centre for

environmental educationbelonging to the ParcoAdda Nord, aninformation desk, thelocal canoe club and acycle tourismassociation. There is alsoan organization forpeople in need and asmall restaurant.For further informationvisit the websitewww.infoadda.it

Cascina dell’Isola Borromeo,Cassano d’Adda.


44

itinerario 1


canals

factory in Fara Gera d’Adda, on the Bergamoside of the river, new departments for theweaving and bleaching of linen and hempwere added. On the road that runs alongsidethe building, you can see the clear-cut outlineof the Convitto Operaio, built in 1907 to housesome of the workers, while others lived in theterraced houses overlooking the set of build-ings from a nearby hill. The factory closeddown in 1994.Alongside the Linen mill, the course of theMuzza Canal is overshadowed by the hugeRRuussccaa PPoowweerr PPllaanntt built in 1927 to run it. Theplant, designed in1918 by the engineer PietroRusca, is now part of the Eneco group and is infull working order.

Fara Gera d’Adda (Province of Bergamo)

The main town on the Bergamo side betweenCassano and Vaprio is Fara Gera d’Adda, ofancient Longobard origin.This is the site of one of the largest textile millsin the history of industry in Lombardy, anoth-er LLiinniiffiicciioo CCaannaappiiffiicciioo NNaazziioonnaallee built in1870 by the lawyer and businessman AndreaPonti. You can reach it coming from PiazzaRoma, turning into the nearby Via Ponti. Fac-

The Basilica andthe Adda in Fara

The antiquity of Faracan be seen in the

ruins of the BasilicaAutarena which is

situated in Piazza Romaand partially

incorporated into the

oratory of Saint Felicity.Of the ancient

church, built in theVI century at the

request of theLongobard king Autari

and originallydedicated to SaintAlexander, all that

remains are the apsewith a brick wall setwith angular pilaster

strips and small, archedwindows.

It is very pleasant to

The Linificio Canapificio Nazionale, 1870, Cassano d’Adda.

�


45

Canonicad’Adda

ing it there is now a building which is a resi-dential complex but that once served as lodg-ings for the employees. Indeed most of thetown – including the Town Hall – was builtthanks to a development project launched byPonti. However, for decades, the Linen Millhas been on a downward path and the build-ings making up the VViillllaaggggiioo OOppeerraaiioo, splitup and sold off to the residents in 1971, weredemolished in 1989. The mill itself is goingout of business.

Canonica d’Adda (Province of Bergamo)

On the other bank of ther iver f ac ing Vapr io –therefore on the Berg-amo side – Canonica’slargest historical buildingis the parish church ofSSaann GGiioovvaannnnii EEvvaannggee--lliissttaa which replaced thatof Pontirolo mentioned inrecords since 1155. Itserved thirty-six commu-nities, from Trezzo to Tre-viglio until 1577, when theabuses the parish appar-ently committed con-vinced Charles Borromeoto move its seat to Milan.After being abandoned,the church began to fall in-to ruin and in 1755, it wasentirely rebuilt. Recent re-construction work on the adjacent oratory ofSaint Louis brought to light parts of the originalchurch.

stroll along the Addawhich flows towardsthe west just a fewyards from the parishchurch.The river and the canalof the Linen Mill arecrossed by a quaint,late 19th centurywrought iron bridgeleading to Gropello.Between the leftand right banks, thereare wooded areasstill rich in flora and

fauna that are typical ofthe fluvial andprotected areas of theParco Regionaledell’Adda Nord whichincludes themunicipality of Fara.

�

Parish church of San GiovanniEvangelista, Canonica d’Adda.


46

itinerario 1


canals

Crespi d'Adda(Province of Bergamo)

Today, Crespi is a quiet little village on the leftbank of the Adda – in the province of Bergamo,almost facing Trezzo – isolated in the vast trian-gle of lowlands formed by the convergence ofthe Brembo. It can be reached only via theshort road from CCaapprriiaattee SSaann GGeerrvvaassiioo (themain town in the municipality, served by an ex-it of the A4 motorway), and this has made itpossible to preserve the lay-out and characterof the locality very well. The founding of the CCrreessppii CCoommppaannyy TToowwnn isrelatively recent. It was built thanks to the desireof the industrialist Cristoforo Benigno Crespi(1833-1920) to offer decent living conditions tothe workers in his mills on the Adda – inaugurat-ed on 25th July 1878 – and their families. Howev-er, it was thanks to the idea of Silvio BenignoCrespi (1868-1944), the founder’s eldest son, toconvert the original three buildings, hotel andcanteen into a proper village for workers (orcompany town, along the lines of the Englishmodel) and the task of carrying out the conver-sion was assigned to the architect ErnestoPirovano and the engineer Pietro Brunati.

WorldHeritage Site

Crespi workers’ villagewas founded in the 19th

century and isunique in Italy for

its size and historicsignificance.

Since 1995 it hasbeen listed as a UNESCO

World Heritage Site.

UNESCO is aninternational organization

set up in 1945as part of the United

Nations.It encourages international

peace and universalrespect by promotingcollaboration among

nations. Conductsstudies, facilitates knowl-

edge sharing,and develops standards.

Aerial view of Crespi Workers Village, 1927, Crespi d’Adda.


47

Crespid’Adda

They produced around fifty workers’ houses,each with a garden, in a rectangular grid (1855-1919), a Neo-Renaissance church (1891-93, in-spired by the Bramantesque Santa Maria delSoccorso in Busto Arsizio where the Crespioriginally came from), and, next to the church,a school with a theatre, public baths with show-ers, tubs and a covered swimming pool – be-cause at first, the workers’ homes had no bath-rooms – and, in the 1920s, the villas for officeworkers and managers in Art Nouveau styleand a working men’s club with bocce courts, a li-brary and meeting rooms.

These buildings form a regular urban centre,outside of which are the houses of the doctorand chaplain, responsible for physical and spir-itual well-being, the company owners’ villa (theso-called Castle in Neo-Medieval style betweenthe village and the river, 1893-94), the actualfactory with its own hydroelectric power plant(designed, like the Taccani plant in Trezzo, byGaetano Moretti) and, towards the south, thecemetery (1906-7), designed by Moretti, inwhich a pyramid-shaped construction standsout: it is the Crespi family mausoleum.

Silvio Crespi

Today’s entrance to the company town, still known as “cancelli rossi” [red gates], Crespi d’Adda.

Cristoforo Crespi


48

itinerario 1


canals

Silvio Benigno’s project did not have the so-cialistic aspirations that seemed to have in-spired some of the previously-built towns inBritain, like the 18/19th century New Lanarkdevised by Robert Owen. The Italian ap-proach was concerned with providing ahealthy, safe environment for an entire lifeseen as a productive life. The clock in full viewmeasured the time of both work and rest, theinnovative (the first in Italy) street lighting en-sured safety and transparency, the road be-tween the mill and the village – where therewas never a public square, a typically Italian

meeting place – led to the exit orthe cemetery.

Workers’ houses with their flower and vegetable patches, neatly arranged in rows parallel to the factory, Crespi d’Adda.

ExploringCrespi

Today, there are twolocal organizations that

work to keep Crespiwelcoming towards

visitors as well aspromoting it as a tourist

destination, upholdingits cultural activities

and endorsing it as atopic for study and

research. They alsoorganize guided tours.

�


49

Crespid’Adda

Due to the very serious eco-nomic crisis that involvedthe ent i re wes ternworld at the end ofthe 1920s, the Crespifamily was unable tor e p a y t h e b a n kloans it has just tak-en out in order toimprove the mi l land the village. It was,therefore, forced to sellup. During the Fascistperiod, the village wasre-named Tessalia by theregime. The mill, whichclosed down some years ago, has fallen intodisuse.

The workers’ housesThe most important type of home inthe company town – the key elementin the analysis of living conditions of-fered by the Crespi experiment – isthe workers’ houses.These simply-designed but pleasantbuildings were considered an ultra-modern form of accommodation atthat time (and even today, over acentury later, they continue to im-press visitors).Clearly inspired by Anglo-Saxonhousing, they have nobalconies and are sur-rounded by a low fence –found in all the houses –which encloses a gardenand a vegetable patchand precisely marks outthe area assigned to eachfamily.Square-shaped with twostoreys – plus attic andcellar – they each con-tain eight large rooms,four per floor, and havetwo different types of

entrance: one door if the house isfor one family only and double if itis for two.Outside, there was a toilet togetherwith a wood shed and henhouse (in-door bathrooms, in the form oflean-to’s adjoining the homes, werebuilt in 1940). The houses, now owned by theiroccupiers, were rented only to theemployees of the factory and theamount owed was deducted fromtheir pay packets.

Semi-detached houses, Crespi d'Adda.

Associazione CulturaleVillaggio Crespipiazzale Vittorio

Veneto 1, Crespid’AddaPhone 0290987191email: [email protected]

Associazione CulturaleNemaPhone 3382235497www.crespidadda.it

�

More


50

itinerario 1


canals

Solza (Province of Bergamo)

Situated around ten kilometres to the north ofCrespi – in the Bergamo area, along the provin-cial road 170 – Solza is mentioned in writtendocuments from 1068, but it is probably mucholder. In 1928, it lost its independent status andremained, until 1970, together with nearbyMedolago, part of the municipality of Rivierad’Adda.

Above, Colleoni Castle; below, castle tower, Solza.

In the historical centreof Solza, CCoolllleeoonnii CCaass--ttllee stands on a slightslope overlooking theriver. Documents proveits existence from atleast 1404, during the fi-nal stages of the battlesbetween the Guelfs andthe Ghibellines. A four-sided stronghold, defended by a moat whichwas later filled in, it stands out from the rest ofthe burgh thanks also to its tower and theboundary wall which still boasts a disguisedcrenellation. Over time, the castle has lost its de-fensive role to become a place of work and a

The Colleoni familyThe Castle in Solza used

to belong to theColleonis, a powerful,

noble family fromBergamo. It is believed tobe the birthplace, around

1395, of BartolomeoColleoni, a great

condottiere, whoseconsiderable military skills

were sought by both theViscontis of Milan and

Bartolomeo Colleoni

�

the Republic of Venice.He is remembered here

with a plaque, inBergamo with his

splendid Renaissancefuneral chapel attachedto the church of Santa

Maria Nuova, and in


51

Villad’Adda

peasant dwelling. A sloping ramp leads to theentrance where the slits for the drawbridgechains are still visible. The courtyard isenclosed by a large hayloft.After a long period of neg-lect, the historical resi-dence of the Colleoni fam-ily in Solza has been radi-cally renovated. Today, ithouses municipal meetingrooms, information centres, a library, an infor-mation desk for the Parco Adda Nord and a bar.(Castello Colleoni: Phone 0354948138www.castellocolleoni.it)

Villa d’Adda (Province of Bergamo)

The only historical ferry still crossing the Addais the one in Imbersago, which is said to havebeen designed by da Vinci. In this stretch of theriver, neither of the banks belong to Milaneseterritory, since Imbersago is in the province ofLecco while the built-up area opposite, prettyVilla d’Adda protected by the slopes of Montedei Frati, is in the province of Bergamo. Here,the mooring for the FFeerrrryy has recently beenrenovated. The paths along the river lead tosmall, grassy inlets suitable for picnics.

“Da Vinci’s Ferry” crosses the river Adda.

Venice with an equestrianstatue by AndreaVerrocchio in CampoSan Giovanni e Paolo.Bartolomeo diedin 1475 in Malpaga,a fortified residencenearer to Bergamo.

�

Ornithologistsin VillaIn Villa d’Adda, in thesouthern part ofthe San Martino Valley,Alberone, a 150 metrefootbridge runs overthe marshy area

of the river through acanebrake full of waterlilies.At the end of it, thereis a hut for observersof nesting species– grey herons, marshhawks, grebes andcormorants – which

populate the river.The Leccomountains in thedistance give thisOrnithologicalobservatory anevocative, wild air.From thefootbridge, whichhandicappedpeople can use too,you can followpaths alongthe river as far asthe da Vinci ferry.


52

itinerario 1


canals

Panoramic view of Brivio.

Brivio (Province of Lecco)

The most important town on the Lecco stretchof the Adda and its surrounding area is quiet littleBrivio, set in a landscape between the foothillsand the plain. The early 20th century bridge,which links it to the province of Bergamo, seemsto be the only modern touch along a timelessrriivveerrssiiddee in the country. The name of the local-ity is of Celtic origin (briva = crossing or ford).The tree-lined quay – with its fishermen, boatsand aquatic birds – is not the only interesting fea-

ture. Going upstream, you come to theCCaassttllee in Piazza Carlo Frigerio, well-known since 968 and owned in turn bythe Earls of Lecco, Bishops of Bergamo,the Visconti family from Milan and in the15th century, by the Most Serene Repub-lic of Venice. At the time of the IndustrialRevolution, Cesare Cantù had one wingof it converted into a spinning mill. Theapartments facing the Adda were, be-

16th-century church of Santi Sisinio, Martirio e Alessandro, Brivio.

BrigFor excursions and

guided tours along themiddle course of the

Adda (but also aroundLecco) you can contact

an efficient localorganization which has

been providing servicesfor around ten years.Brig. Brianza GuideVia Castelbarco 34,

ImbersagoPhone 0399920041

www.brig.it


53

Brivio

tween 1835 and 1856, municipal prisons. Goingdownstream, just beyond the bridge you can seethe imposing outline of the Felolo-Mejani (orCarozzi) Spinning Mill, built in 1776 and en-larged in 1830. Today, is once again residentialproperty. A little farther on, what now looks likea farmhouse was once the Molinazzo SSppiinnnniinnggMMiillll, originally an 18th century flour mill. A fewhundred metres from here, along the river,

stands the tall TTooffffooSSppiinnnniinngg MMiillll whichwas also originally an18th century flour milland has now been con-verted into apartments.In the village, a little far-ther from the Adda,you can find the 16thcentury parish churchof SSaaiinnttss SSiissiinniioo,, MMaarr--ttiirriioo ee AAlleessssaannddrroo ,decorated with two 17th century paintings at-tributed to Antonio Cifrondi, the 18th centurystyle oratory of SSaann LLeeoonnaarrddoo, with a fresco bythe da Vinci school and the MMuunniicciippaall AArrttGGaalllleerryy displaying works by local artists.

Cesare Cantù

The historian and manof letters, Cesare Cantù(1804-1895) was born inBrivio. He was one ofthe leading figures in theItalian Risorgimento,

Filanda Molinazzo, Brivio.

Castle, Brivio.

Cesare Cantù.

�


54

itinerario 1


canals

Arlate (Province of Lecco)

On the west bank of the Adda between Brivioand Imbersago, it is worthwhile visiting tiny Ar-late – a hamlet of Calco, in the province of Lec-co – to see the Romanic church of SSaaiinnttssCCoolloommbbaannoo ee GGoottttaarrddoo, standing on a smallhill in Beolco. This fine example of the building

skills of local workers dates back to 1100 andonce belonged to the Order of Cluniac Bene-dictines. Behind the church, the view rangesfrom the hills of Villa d’Adda to the mountainsabove Lecco.

Imbersago (Province of Lecco)

A sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, later includedin the Atlantic Codex, is behind the fame en-joyed by Imbersago, a pleasant little town onthe Adda between Brivio and Paderno, in theprovince of Lecco. The public FFeerrrryy which stilllinks the small river ports of Imbersago and Vil-la d’Adda is, though rebuilt several times – thelast one, made from oak, larch, glass fibre andplastic in 1994 – absolutely identical to the onein the drawing by da Vinci.However, this is not, as many claim, a da Vinci

famous as an essayistand writer and the

founder of the ArchivioStorico Lombardo

(Historical Archives ofLombardy). His most

popular work is stillMargherita Pusterla, butwhat he is most famous

for are his intellectualtexts from La Lombardia

nel secolo XVII(Lombardy in the XVIIcentury) to Gli eretici

d'Italia (The Heretics ofItaly), from Il Sacro

Macello di Valtellina (TheHoly Bloodbath in

Valtellina) to the Edifizii diMilano (The Buildings in

Milan), and his more epicworks like a History of

Italian literature and fifty-two volumes on the

History of the World.

A commemorative wall-plate ona house in Brivio, marking the birthplace of Cesare Cantù.

�

Romanesque church of Santi Colombano e Gottardo, Arlate.


55

Padernod’Adda

invention. There is no proof that daVinci simply reproduced, with his ex-ceptional artistic skills, something hehad seen. But that was enough. Theunique ingeniousness of the ferry isworthy of da Vinci’s brilliant mind.The road between Arlate and Imbersa-go runs close to the SSaannttuuaarriioo ddeellllaa MMaaddoonn--nnaa ddeell BBoossccoo (Madonna of the Woods), easilyrecognized by its steep holy stairway with 392steps. Built between 1641 and 1646 by CarloBuzzi, it commemorates a series of apparitionsof Our Lady which began in 1617. This placewas dear to Pope John XXIII who was born notfar way in Sotto il Monte.

Paderno d’Adda(Province of Lecco)

The local trains running betweenBergamo and Lecco (or Milan)slow down considerably whenthey cross the Adda via the bridge Iron bridge at Paderno.

How “DaVinci’s Ferry”worksThe workings of theImbersago ferry areboth clever andecological.Stretching betweenthe two banks, thereis a steel cable towhich the boat isattached by a strapwith a loop at theend. When theboatman pushes off,the ferry, caught upby the current tryingto drag itdownstream, isturned sideways with

the help of the rudder:sliding along the cable,the loop pulls the boattowards the other banktaking advantage of theforce of the water, like asailboat drifting againstthe wind.

Ferry linking Imbersago with Villa d’Adda.


56

itinerario 1


canals

in Paderno, providing commuters with one ofthe best river views the Italian railways can of-fer. You are looking straight down onto theFFoorrrraa ddii PPaaddeerrnnoo (Paterno Gorge), with itsbroadleaf woods, bushes and irregular boul-ders rising from the river bed, shaped by theshrinking of the glacier and later eroded bythe water. The rocks form little depressionswhich, turn into wild rapids during flooding. Built between1887 and 1889 to the design ofthe Swiss engineer Jules Röthlisberger, thenhead of the Officine di Savigliano technicaldepartment, the rraaiillwwaayy bbrriiddggee in Paderno isvery similar to the Viaduc de Garbarit built inFrance four years earlier by Gustav Eiffel.Standing 85 metre high, 226 metres long andwith a 150-metre span, it is a symbol of indus-

Paderno’s bridge, built on two levels to carry road and rail traffic, a symbol of Lombardy’s industrial archaeology.

trial archaeology in Lombardy. The construc-tion is a technical masterpiece with all itsjoints held together by nails rather than sol-dering.A short distance below the railway bridge, thePPaaddeerrnnoo CCaannaall flows off the Adda to the rightwith its 2605 metres of canalization, interrupt-ed by eight steps covering a total drop of 27

Fact Sheet:

Contract signed: Jan 22nd 1887

Inaugurated in 1889Length 226 m height 85 m

Materials and quantitiesused:

• 5,000 cu. m. Moltrasio stone• 1,200 cu. m. Baveno granite• 1,800 cu. m.

Bavaria spruce for thescaffolding

• 1,320 metric tons of ironfor the span

• 254 metric tons of ironfor the pillars

• 950 metric tons of ironfor the bridge floor

• 100,000 bolts

The canalof Maria Theresa

Though consideredessential to allow

navigation – in otherwords, transport –

between the Alps andthe plain from the 16th

�


57

Padernod’Adda

metres. Today, the Canal is no longer com-pletely navigable. Indeed, some stretches of ithave been abandoned, but if you follow italong the towpaths, either on foot or by bicy-cle, you’ll be rewarded with unforgettableviews. You will come across its locks and beable to go up the flight of steps leading to thelate 14th century SShhrriinnee ooff tthhee MMaaddoonnnnaa ddeell--llaa RRoocccchheettttaa. Once a sanctuary for Augustin-ian friars, at the beginning of the 16th century,

A lock on the Paderno canal, along the bike path.

Da Vinci Ecomuseum on the AddaFourteen stations and forty-sevenstretches along the middle course ofthe Adda – defined as a natural monu-ment by the Regione Lombardia and in-cluded in the Parco Adda Nord – makeup the naturalistic-cultural route aroundthe Da Vinci Ecomuseum on the Adda .Locks and power plants alternate withwild landscapes. On a level with theConca Grande (Great basin) standsthe Stallazzo, once a resting place forhorses that towed against the current,now the offices of the ecomuseum anda restaurant. Reachable on foot or bybicycle from Imbersago, Villa d’Adda,Paderno or Trezzo.Ecomuseo Adda di LeonardoPhone 029091229www.addadileonardo.it

Bikers arrive at an eating-place and the Ecomuseo Adda di Leonardo.

Inside the Ecomuseo Adda di Leonardo.

century onwards, thePaderno Canal wasactually completed onlybetween1773 and 1779by Pietro Nosetti fromComo who wasassigned the task byCount Firmian,plenipotentiary forLombardy-Veneto of theHoly Roman EmpressMaria Theresa.

�

More


58

itinerario 1


canals

it was converted into a fort by Filippo MariaSforza. From the top, there is a view of the riv-er flowing smoothly once again, after thestretch with the gorge.On the Bergamo side of the Paderno Canal,above the railway bridge stands the GGuuiiddooSSeemmeennzzaa hhyyddrroo--eelleeccttrriicc ppoowweerr ppllaanntt, inoperation since 1917. Faced in Adda con-glomerate and well- positioned from an en-vironmental point of view, it still belongs toEdison.

River Adda, rapids created by rocky boulders.

Guido Semenza hydroelectric power plant, Paderno.

Da Vinciand the rocks

The area of irregular rocksknown as the “ Tre Corni”

(Three Horns) must havefascinated Leonardo daVinci. In fact, it is easily

recognizable in thebackground of his Virgin

of the Rocks paintedbetween 1483 and 1486,

now hanging in the Louvrein Paris.


59

Portod’Adda

Porto d’Adda ( Cornate d’Adda)

Between Paderno and Trezzo, anyone walk-ing or cycling along the Canal crosses theinvisible border between the provinces ofLecco and Milan when they reachPorto d’Adda – now a hamlet of Cor-nate – the site of a famous ford from

The Parco Adda NordEstablished in 1983 along the middlecourse of the Adda river and its valley,the Parco Adda Nord protects approx.50 kilometres between Lecco andTruccazzano, also safeguarding thelakes Garlate and Olginate and thewetlands around Brivio. With its 7,400hectares, it includes thirty-two munici-palities of the provinces of Lecco,

Bergamo and Milan. Wooded areasand man-made environments alternatein a setting that is important also fromthe archaeological and monumentalpoint of view. Abundant aquatic, flyingand land species make the park apeaceful place that is ideal for week-end cycling excursions or long walks.

An extension both to the north and thesouth is currently being studied.

Parco Adda NordVilla GinaVia Padre Benigno Calvi 3Concesa, Trezzo sull’AddaPhone 029091229www.parcoaddanord.it

A panoramic view of the Parco Adda Nord, along the river Adda.

More


60

itinerario 1


canals

time immemorial and a pleasant spot with itscultivated land dotted with farmsteads.Today, only the ruins of CCaasscciinnaa RRiicceevviittoo--

rriiaa remain.From 1428, itmarked the bor-der between theDuchy of Milanand the Repub-lic of Venice,then during theHabsburg era, itbecame a toll-house for the

goods being taken into the village after beingunloaded at the Cascina del Barchetto a shortdistance below.From 1914, the Bertini plant had a rival - theCCaarrlloo EEsstteerrllee hhyyddrroo--eelleeccttrriicc ppoowweerrppllaanntt built in Resega, along the towpath in

the direction of Trezzo. Its design is eclectic,with Sforza-style touches.The feeder canal was dug five kilometres up-river. In the Esterle plant, still owned by Edi-son, the original generators and turbines arestill in use.

Angelo Bertini hydroelectric power plant.

Angelo Bertinihydro-electric

power plantA steep, cobble-

stoned pathlinks the ruins of

CascinaRicevitoria to

the AngeloBertini hydro-

electric powerplant, which theEdison company

had builtbetween 1895

and 1898. When it wentinto operation,

it was one of the mostpowerful in Europe(13500 Volts) and

certainly theone with the longest

power offtake line(32 kilometres, as

far as Milan).The building is in

Neo-Classical style.

The feeder canalcomes from the

Paderno Canal atConchetta. Modernized

and, even moreproductive today, it is still

run by Edison.

Carlo Esterle hydroelectric power plant.


61

Cornated’Adda

AAlong the river immediatelyto the north of Trezzo –

reachable on foot, but by bicy-cle is better – Cornate is oldenough to identify with the pla-ce mentioned by the Longobardhistorian, Paolo Diacono, whenhe wrote of the “area of which the name is Co-ronate”.Situated in the district of Bagna and overloo-king the Adda river, VViillllaa PPaarraaddiissoo was builtin the 16th century by the Jesuits and occupiedby them until 1773, when Emperor Joseph IIabolished the order. Now, the villa looks like acarefully tended farmstead, with an honourcourtyard, a panoramic tower and a terracedgarden sloping down to the river. Today, it is arestaurant. Nearby, there is a golf club.

Cornate d’AddaInformation: ProLoco di Cornate d'Adda, via Volta 29

[email protected] - www.cornatedadda.euPhone: 349 6226178 Fax: 396 926165

City Council website: www.comune.cornatedadda.mi.itkm 33,3 from Milan. Map: B 6

Villa Paradiso, Cornate d’Adda.

18 holesat the Jesuits’The golf course inCornate, designed byFranco Piras, is an 18-hole, 6,606 metre onewith five lakes. There isalso a driving range.Golf Club Villa ParadisoVia Villa Paradiso 1,Cornate d’AddaPhone 0396887124www.golfvillaparadiso.com


62

The Milanese of today undeniably asso-ciate the word “Martesana” with the

NNaavviigglliioo MMaarrtteessaannaa: a canal linking thecity with the river Adda, and vitally impor-tant not only for irrigating farmland but al-so for communication. Looking backthrough the centuries, however, Marte-sana was and is not simply the name of acanal but refers to a whole geographicalregion, situated to the eeaasstt of Milan.In medieval times – reportedly as early as the10th or 11th century – the Martesana areawas commonly regarded as a ccoonnttaaddoo,called “Comitatus Martexana”; its namemay well have derived from the fortified set-tlement of Castelmarte, close to Como andits lake. A 13th-century document differen-

“Martesana”,much morethan a canal

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside


63

tiates between “Martesana desupra”, directly north of the areawe refer to here, and “Martesanaprosciugada”, the zone be-tween Milan and the townof Trezzo sull’Adda. Nowa-days, other distinctive featuresof the Martesanaarea, besides itscanal, are seen inthe landscape con-

servation initiativesorganized by Lom-bardy’s regional au-thorities and in thePPoolloo ddeellllaa MMaarrttee--ssaannaa, a broad-spec-trum cultural organiza-t ion set u p b y t h eprovincial authorities as part of theMetropoli project: it involves the munici-

“Martesana”,much more

than a canal


64

itinerario 1

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

�

palities of Bussero, Carugate, Cassano,Cassina de’ Pecchi, Cernusco, Gorgonzo-la, Liscate, Melzo, Pioltello, Rodano, Vig-nate and Vimodrone. Several of these small

towns also participateeach Septemberin MMaarrtteessaannaa iinnPPiiaazzzzaa, festivi-ties centred onperformancesby street artists.This part of the

province of Mi-lan, bordering on

the Naviglio Marte-sana, is still a world apart, as en-

dorsed in certain respects by the readershipof the local paper. The weekly Gazzetta del-la Martesana is available in print from news-stands but also with a website.


65


than a canal

The Martesana Canal and how to get there

The waterway – known to the lo-cals as Naviglio della Martesana– stretches for a distance ofabout 38 km, its width varyingbetween 9 and 18 m. It was cre-ated as an offshoot of the Addariver between 1457 and 1465,when Francesco Sforza wasDuke of Milan.The route followed by this canalhas been a popular one for thepast five or six centuries, with thebustling markets of Gorgonzolaand Melzo among its attractions.By boat from Milan – across thefarmed countryside – came food-stuffs and merchandise, buildingmaterials for use in and aroundBergamo, and in later years ironmined in Alto Lario.Now much of the land along theNaviglio Martesana is heavilybuilt up. A prominent landmark –some way north of the canal –

are the six lanes of a stretch ofthe A4 Turin-Venice motorway.The other main arteries in thearea are• Padana Superiore (provincialroad 11, part of the former state-maintained road of the samename)• Rivoltana(provincial road 14, be-tween Milan and Rivolta d’Adda)• Cassanese (provincial road103, between Milan and Cas-sano d’Adda) and, by rail, theState Railways line between Mi-lan and Treviglio.The early 1960s saw the intro-duction of a service that ran prac-tically parallel to the canal,known as the Linee Celeri del-l’Adda: this overland transitsystem was later integrated intothe second (“green”) line of Mi-lan’s metro network, the “Metro-politana Milanese” (MM). Onthis line there are now frequent,comfortable trains linking Milanand Gessate.

Information

OOur story starts in the Lombard capitalitself, in the tombone (no relation to

tomb, in Milanese it simply means a “placewhere water stops”) beside the age-oldchurch of San Marco in the Brera district,not far from the famous Parini highschool.

Milan

Milan and its Province66


than a canal

Cycling alongthe towpaths

It is still not possible tocover the whole length of

the Martesana betweenMilan and Trezzo

peacefully by bike.Some stretches have

not yet been madeseparate from othertraffic and thus safe:

cyclists have to return toroads also used bymotorized vehicles,

presenting risks. Themunicipal authorities of

the Martesana area havenonetheless reached

agreement on making thecycle track continuous.

The Martesana canal in Milan’s Gorla district.�

City Council website: www.comune.milano.itInformazione e Accoglienza Turistica: IAT della Provincia di Milano

Piazza Duomo 19/a - phone: 0277404343. Fax 0277404333e-mail [email protected]

Stazione Centrale desk: phone 02 77404318 - 4319 Map: E 3


67

Milano

We refer here to the TTuummbbuunn ddee SSaann MMaarrcc,a one-time harbour. Here – when Milan’sCerchia dei Navigli was a network of work-ing canals that followed the ring of me-dieval walls, and not a mere name as to-day – the Naviglio Martesana flowed intothe urban canals, bringing its water fromthe Adda.

Away from the Tombon, close to Via Mel-chiorre Gioia, is the starting point of a ccyy--ccllee ppaatthh which flanks the Martesana canalfor many kilometres, across Milan and outof the city. It is probably the best bike pathin Milan, and definitely the most pleasantto ride on, along the canal and with fre-quent evocative sights to enjoy.

Gobba and the “Eastern front”Line 2 of the Metropolitana Milanese(“MM”) leaves the city at CascinaGobba, now an important hub with avast car park for commuters. On Satur-days, when commuters don’t travel intothe city, the space void of cars providesthe setting for a gathering of Bulgarians,Rumanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Bela-

russians who travel to and fro’ betweentheir homeland and adopted country: in-formed by word of mouth, they comehere in their hundreds in vans and withmarket stalls. For the Milanese too itoffers an intriguing and colourful placeto buy ethnic foods, cheap goods notnormally imported and craft items fromEastern Europe.

The Martesana canal in 1928before it was covered over.Left, a glimpse of some waterremaining in the so-called Tumbun; to the right, the façadeof the church of San Marco.

�Meanwhile the BiciPlanproject will bedisplaying existingsections online,also showingconnections withrailway and “MM”stations, parks andshopping centres.

More


68

itinerario 1


than a canal

TThe closest town toMilan along the

Martesana canal –on the Padana Su-periore road youcome to it by con-tinuing from VialePalmanova – has

an abb r ev i a t edmodern name. It was once called Vico Mod-rone, words that will remind anyone from Mi-lan of a celebrated branch of the noble Vis-conti household. Vimodrone’s most important historic andartistic site is the chapel of the BBeeaattaaVVeerrggiinnee, built in the 15th century and attrib-uted to Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono, againstthe façade of the 16th-century oratory ofSSaannttaa MMaarriiaa NNuuoovvaa. The interior of the or-atory boasts frescoes of the school ofBernardino Luini. There are tourist signs alongthe Padana Superiore indicating the way. The

name of the lo-cality, Pilastrello,evokes the sixthmilestone on theRoman road outof Milan. In near-by Gagg io l os t and s VV ii ll ll aaCCaazzzzaanniiggaa , aninteresting build-ing with a stonebalustrade and alanding stage onthe canal.

VimodroneInformation: ProLoco di Vimodrone, via S. Remigio 7City Council website: www.comune.vimodrone.mi.it

km 10,7 from Milan. Map: D 4

The 15th-century chapel of the Beata Vergine, now adjoining the 16th-century oratory of Santa Maria Nuova, Vimodrone.

Luchino ViscontiOne of Italy’s

best-known filmdirectors, Luchino

Visconti, wasa member of this family,

aristocratswho lived here from

1648 onwards.


69

Segrate

SSegrate had a long history as a farming cen-tre and there are still occasional fields and

green corners to enjoy, for instance around theponds at Redecesio. But lifestyles havechanged significantly in the town, now one ofthe foremost residential areas and businesscentres of the Milan suburbs. Architecture his-

SegrateCity Council website: www.comune.segrate.mi.it

km 10,8 from Milan. Map: D-E 4

tory books mention the head-quarters of the MMoonnddaaddoorrii pub-lishing house, built in Segrate be-tween 1968 and 1975 by the out-standing Brazilian architect Os-car Niemeyer. The Italian head-office of IIBBMM, built between 1974and 1977, was the work of Mar-co Zanuso. The MMuunniicciippiioo (town hall) in Pi-azza XXV Aprile was designed in1965 by architect Aldo Rossi. Al-so of significance are the residential quarters ofMilano San Felice (to designs by Luigi CacciaDominioni, Vico Magistretti and Giorgio Pe-droni) and Milano 2, financed and built by theFininvest group which, with its Mediaset TVnetwork, still operates in Segrate.

Town Hall designed by Aldo Rossi, Segrate.

IdroscaloMilan’s “port” for flyingplanes was excavated inthe 1920s and its waterscame from springs andfrom the Martesanacanal. Nowadays itsoriginal function has beentaken over by therunways of “EnricoForlanini” Airport atLinate, very close by. The Idroscalo’s hugelake and surrounding parkare used for recreativepursuits: it is a verypopular place, above insummer – practicallybecoming Milan’s beach –thanks also to the manyevents organized here.It is open every day,even in winter.

IdroparkVia CirconvallazioneIdroscaloSegratePhone 0270200902provincia.milano.it/idropark

The Idroscalo, a popular venue for sports events.

itinerario 1


than a canal

Cernusco sul NaviglioCity Council website: www.comune.cernuscosulnaviglio.mi.it



70

WWith its historic patrician villas– and the green banks of the

Martesana canal a designated ppaarrkkfor several kilometres, boastingmeadows, walkways and bike path– Cernusco presents the image of atranquil town that has special linkswith water. Many Milanese have

moved here in search of quieter surround-ings, following in the footsteps of morearistocratic, well-to-do predecessors.The town has truly ancient origins: origi-nally called Cixinusculum, until the 1800sit was known as Cernusco Asinario, after alocal citizen of the Roman era, Caio Asinio.Comprised within Cernusco’s centrally lo-cated public park is the garden of the im-posing VViillllaa AAllaarrii VViissccoonnttii, built in the ear-ly 1700s to designs by Giovanni Ruggeri.The town’s first town hall, VViillllaa BBiiaannccaanniiGGrreeppppii, dates to the same period. VViillllaa UUbbooll--ddoo, built at the start of the 19th century andsubsequently part of the local hospital, stillhas a well-known collection of arms.

Villa Alari Visconti dating from the 1700s, Cernusco sul Naviglio.

Meat andvegetables

fromCernusco

Azienda AgricolaCorbari Antonio

Via CascinaImperiale 2

Phone [email protected]

Direct sale ofvegetables, fruit,

ornamental plants

Azienda AgricolaFraternità

Cascina NibaiPhone 029249433

www.nibai.itDirect sale of meat,

pork, vegetables, poultry,rice, salami/sausages

etc.


71

Pioltello

TThe fact that Pioltello is about to have a newrailway station, a “gateway” to the city as im-

portant as Rogoredo and Rho-Pero, may seemof almost trivial importance to anyone wholives elsewhere. Instead, it says a lot about thistown which since the mid-1800s – when therailway first arrived here – has been closely in-volved with ‘metropolitan Milan’ while neverlosing agricultural roots centred on cereals, fod-der and mulberry trees. The first factories toopen here produced textiles and furniture, lat-er came mechanical plants. Nowadays Pioltel-lo effectively embodies the typically Milaneseaptitude for welcoming individuals who arrivefrom afar in search of work and stability.The records of the parish church of SSaanntt’’AAnn--ddrreeaa date back to 1564, but the building is be-lieved to have originated in the 13th century.It underwent alteration in the 16th century andwas not completed till even later: the façadewas designed by leading 18th-century archi-tect Carlo Giuseppe Merlo.

PioltelloInformation: ProLoco di Pioltello, via Aldo Moro 19 [email protected]

www.prolocopioltello.it Phone: 02/92148133 Fax: 02/92148133City Council website: www.comune.pioltello.mi.it


Parish church of Sant’Andrea, Pioltello.

Happyin San FelicePioltello shares withSegrate and PeschieraBorromeo one of thevery first upmarketsuburban residentialquarters in the greenbelt, Milano San Felice,

designed and builtbetween 1967 and 1975.The ground-breaking ideawas to offer the city’smiddle-to-upper class aquiet place in which tolive, protected from thedrawbacks of life in themetropolis but withoutlosing contact with it.


72

itinerario 1


than a canal

DDespite having to cohabit withone of Europe’s most impor-

tant shopping centres as well aswith the constant flow of trafficon the nearby Tangenziale ringroad, Carugate still has charac-teristics typical of a small townprotected by farmland and by na-ture reserves it shares with otherlocal municipalities: the Parco delMolgora and Parco delle Cave.

Historically, the village grew up around thecountry residence of the noble Gallerani fam-ily, who moved from Siena to Milan as longago as the 1400s, and around many farm-houses (Cascina Graziosa and Cascina Valeraare two that survive today).

The castle-like architecture of VViillllaa GGaalllleerr--aannaa, built after 1450, still makes it an eye-catching site. The town hall is housed inVViillllaa SSoommaagglliiaa, restored a few years ago.Just outside the town, the oorraattoorryy at Casci-na Graziosa, once owned by the Galleranifamily, was built in the 18th century by Car-lo Federico Pietrasanta.

CarugateCity Council website: www.comune.carugate.mi.it


Villa Gallerana, Carugate.

Villa Somaglia, now the Town Hall, Carugate.

The “Non-places”Carugate is well-known

in and around Milanfor its constantly

crowded shoppingoutlets: some are Italian

businesses; others –significantly –

are European chains.In a few cases the

underlying philosophyseems to be to

offer families a full-service day out, theme-

park style.It’s an interesting

phenomenon: one weall indulge in andsociologists andanthropologists

earnestly study. Todescribe such places the

French scholar MarcAugé coined the term

“non-places”,meaning they have no

historical or clearlydefined identity.

Why they exercisesuch a strong pull

on us has yet to beexplained.....


73

Bussero

RRestoration work in the centre of Bussero hasbrought back the former layout of this small

rural community: narrow, winding streetslined with long, low dwellings whose entrancedoors open onto old courtyards.Its origins date back to antiquity, in fact a Roman

sarcophagus containing a woman’s remains wasfound here about a hundred years ago. Thename of the town derives from bosso, evergreenboxwood; a common Lombard surname hasthis same origin. Bussero appeared on maps ofthe plains east of Milan as early as 852; about300 years later Bussero gave its name to a promi-nent household which founded the hospital ofSan Barnaba in Milan (with Goffredo daBussero, in 1145); Pagano, podestà in 1212 wasalso a member of this family. In his “Liber Noti-tiæ Sanctorum Mediolani” Goffredo daBussero left us precious information about13th-century life in the environs of Milan.VViillllaa SSiioollii LLeeggnnaannii was built in the 18thcentury but attractively refurbished in themid-1800s. The origins of VViillllaa TTaammaassssiiaaRReeddaaeellllii, with its garden and adjoining “rus-tic” oratory, go back to the 17th century.

BusseroInformation: ProLoco di Bussero, via S. Francesco, 4 [email protected]

prolocobussero.altervista.org Phone: 02-95038808 Fax: 02-95038808City Council website: www.comune.bussero.mi.it


Villa Sioli Legnani, Bussero.

Fresh raw milkin BusseroAzienda AgricolaFratelli ManzoniCascina RosaPhone 0295038100

Azienda AgricolaFratelli FossatiVia Barzago 9

Villa Tamassia Redaelli,Bussero.


74

itinerario 1


than a canal

UUntil a few decades ago“Cascina dei Pecchi” wassimply a long double row of

low rural buildings. Nowa-days it is one of Milan’smost sought-after resi-dential satellites, a fact forwhich it owes thanks

mostly to the suburban transitservice provided by “MM” line 2.

VViillllaa CChhiieessaa BBeennttiivvoogglliioo, dated mid-1700s, holds some architectural interest. It is sit-uated on the Padana Superiore road, the main

artery running through Cassina, parallel to thecanal and the MM line. Located in the outlying frazioni of Sant’Agataand Camporicco are VViillllaa CCuussaannii and thechurch of SSaanntt’’AAggaattaa built to designs by Pel-legrino Tibaldi.

Cassina de’ PecchiCity Council website: www.comune.cassinadepecchi.mi.it


Church of Sant’Agata, Cassina de’ Pecchi.Peace and quietin Cassina de’

PecchiBorgonovo Lara

Cascina FoglianaPhone 029513652

Accommodationfor 16 guests


75

Vignate

VVignate – about 15 km from Milan – wasonce little more than a stop on the railway

line to Treviglio and Bergamo; although in-dustry has now taken over most of its territory,agriculture used to be its mainstay. Long agoVineate (from the Latin “vinea”, meaning vine-yard) was involved in the complex events re-garding possession and transfer of the feud ofMelzo and Gorgonzola, of which it was part.At one time under the ownership of LuciaMarliani (1475), favourite of duke GaleazzoMaria Sforza, it remained the property of theTrivulzio family (1533-1678) until the redemp-tion of feudal rights in 1691. One of the mostinteresting of its historic buildings is the 13th-century parish church of SSaanntt’’AAmmbbrrooggiioo ,renovated at the end of the 1500s. Still deco-rating its interior are fourteen large canvases ofthe 18th-century Lombard school, depictingthe Via Crucis. The church of SSaann BBiiaaggiioo ismentioned in documents from 1170: it con-tains two remarkable frescoes, recovered fromthe demolished oratory of Cascina Bianca andattributed to the school of Bernardino Luini.

VignateInformation: ProLoco di Vignate, via G. Deledda - c/o Scuola Elementare

City Council website: www.comune.vignate.mi.itkm 16,7 from Milan. Map: D-E 5

“El pret de Retenà”Don Giuseppe Gervasini(1867-1941) came fromRetenate, a frazione ofVignate, where he was apriest from 1897 to 1901;as a popular healer andperformer of miracles, hebecame known – in localdialect – as “el pret deRetenà”. He was not wellliked by the Diocese ofMilan which eventuallysuspended him a divinis,albeit not definitively.

Parish church of Sant’Ambrogio, Vignate.

Oratory of San Biagio, Vignate.


76

itinerario 1


than a canal

TThis good-sized, lively town in the country-side south of Gorgonzola – and with only a

short distance between the two along provin-cial road 13 – has always been a centre of trade.Its historic centre was encompassed by walls (a

MelzoInformation: ProLoco di Melzo, p.zza Garibaldi 10

[email protected] Phone: 02 95710801 Fax: 02 95710801City Council website: www.comune.melzo.mi.it


more extensive 17th-century ring, but the olderone at least medieval) and its street plan re-mains a sunburst pattern around the centralsquares. A prominent feature, at the very centre,is the 16th century TToorrrree CCiivviiccaa, intended as

the bell tower of the never-com-pleted church of Sant’Ambrogio.The church dedicated to SSaannttiiAAlleessssaannddrroo ee MMaarrgghheerriittaa, orig-inally erected on this site in the11th/12th century, was almost to-tally rebuilt in the mid-1800s. Inthe third chapel is a detached fres-co of the Dead Christ, attributed toGiovanni Battista Crespi also

16th-century Civic Tower with the Town Hall on the left, Melzo.

Parish church dedicated toSanti Alessandro e Margherita,Melzo.


77

Melzo

known as Il Cerano. A neoclassical façade is nowthe most distinctive feature of PPaallaazzzzoo TTrriivvuullzziioo,built in the 16th century over a pre-ex-isting medieval castle. The only visibleremains of the castle are its square tow-er and part of the courtyard.The elegant baroque oratory of SSaann--tt’’AAnnttoonniioo, octagonal in shape, is al-most a pantheon of the Trivulziohousehold which held sway in thisarea between 1531 and 1679. Thechurch of Sant’Andrea, from the 1300s, wasrenovated in the following century.

Melzo, landof milk and honeyAzienda AgricolaBiondi Cugini

Cascina RogolonePhone 029551390

Direct sale ofhoney and freshraw milk

Azienda AgricolaCeriani RenatoCascina Banfa 1Phone0295711405Direct sale offresh raw milk

16th-century Palazzo Trivulzio, Melzo.

Church of Sant’Andrea, Melzo.


78

itinerario 1


than a canal

TThis is the most important town between Mi-lan and the river Adda. Traditionally traders

who passed through used either the Martesanacanal – which often offers evocative views as itflows through the built-up central area – or thePadana Superiore road, following a route thathas existed since Roman times.

GorgonzolaInformation: ProLoco Gorgonzola, Vicolo Fabio Filzi 3

[email protected] Phone: 02 95301238 Fax: 02 95301238

City Council website: www.comune.gorgonzola.mi.itkm 21,3 from Milan. Map: D 5-6

Agri-culture andagri-relaxation in

GorgonzolaBorgonovo Giuseppe

e AndreaCascina Mirabello

Phone 0295110077Accommodation

for 30 guests

Azienda AgricolaColombo

Cascina VerganiPhone 029515663

Direct sale of cheese

While Gorgonzola was once the feud of theMarliani and Trivulzio households, in more re-cent centuries the noble SSeerrbbeelllloonnii family hasoften played a role in its history. The familytombs are to be found in the centrally locatedparish church of SSaannttii GGeerrvvaassiioo ee PPrroottaassiioo, de-signed by Ticino architect Simone Cantoni(1736-1818), one of the finest exponents of Lom-bard neoclassicism. Opposite the church, in apicturesque setting beside the canal, the CCaassaaPPaarrrroocccchhiiaallee has been tastefully restored.The Serbelloni family also owned the imposing

�

Parish church of Santi Gervasio e Protasio, Gorgonzola.


79

Gorgonzola

16th-century VViillllaa SSoollaa BBuussccaa; its now-publicgarden faces the canal and several of its roomsare set aside for cultural initiatives organized bythe municipal authorities. The local hhoossppiittaall(1848-50) is also named after the Serbellonis; itschapel, dedicated to San Giuseppe, is the workof Giacomo Moraglia. Entering from Via Piave12, you catch an intriguing glimpse of the CCoorrtteeddeeii CChhiioossttrrii, a late-medieval cloister once partof a 15th-century monastery.There are several bridges crossing the Marte-sana canal. On the one furthest towards Mi-lan there is a stone ppiillllaarr erected to com-memorate the Black Death.

A Fair dedicatedto Santa CaterinaThe Fair dedicated to SaintCatherine is the biggestlocal festivity and itcontinues to attract hugecrowds to Gorgonzola’sold centre every year onNovember 25th and26th. Nowadays it offersother appealing eventsbesides its market stalls,but it has been a popularshopping opportunity forcenturies. In fact it hasreportedly been heldregularly since the 1700s.For further information onthe Fair, as well as onevents celebrating thelocal cheese and onGorgonzola in general,contact the Pro Loco atVicolo Fabio Filzi 3,Phone 0295301238,www.prolocogorgonzola.191.it

Azienda AgricolaInvernizzi Francescoe GiuseppeCascina Mugnaga 7tel. 029514248Direct sale of fresh raw milk

�

Villa Busca, Gorgonzola.

Gorgonzola cheeseIt goes without saying that the town ofGorgonzola is regarded as the originalhome – according to some sourcessince the end of the10th century – of thecharacteristic bluecheese that is one ofItaly’s most distinc-tive and best-loved. Itis made from pasteur-ized cow’s milk fromlocal farms, to whichstarter cultures andselected moulds areadded to provide the

streaks of blue veining. Mild gorgonzo-la is ripened for about two months, thenatural (sharp-tasting) variety for morethan three. Gorgonzola now has now

obtained official des-ignation – Denomina-tion of Protected Ori-gin (“DOP” in Italian)– from the EU. Eachcheese, weigh ingabout 12 kg, has them a r k o f o r i g i ns tamped on bo thfaces and is wrappedin aluminium sheetswith the DOP mark.

More


80

itinerario 1


than a canal

TThe double name of this municipality is self-ex-planatory: here – immediately north of Gor-

gonzola, amid cultivated fields – there are twosmall towns that came into being and developedseparately, neither more important than the oth-er. But the gradual merge of Pessano’s urban fab-ric with Bornago’s means the two now formpractically a single entity. In this part of the Lom-bardy plain, as elsewhere, the agricultural activi-ties evident from the many cascine (farms) inpart gave way to the industrialization typical ofthe post-war years; later there was extensivehousing development in the area, to meet the de-mands of commuters travelling daily to Milanand Monza. This place had long been chosen forthe country residences of the aristocracy, and anumber of them still remain: VViillllaa LLoonngghhii (18thcentury), Villa Prinetti (early 1800s, its groundsnow open as a public park) and VViillllaa NNeeggrroonniiPPrraattii MMoorroossiinnii (used as a community centre).Although Bornago’s church is of medieval origin,its present exterior dates to the 17th century.

Pessano con BornagoCity Council website: www.comune.pessanoconbornago.mi.it

km 20,1 from Milan. Map: C-D 5

Meat in Pessano& Bornago

Azienda AgricolaAmbrosoni

di Burni LuciaVia Neuroni


Direct sale of meat, pork,salami/sausages etc.

18th-century Villa Longhi, Pessano con Bornago.


81

Caponago

WWhile, during the Middle Ages, the mainactivity of this very old settlement was

farming, from the early 19th century onwardsindustry began to make its mark, with small

CaponagoCity Council website: www.comune.caponago.mi.it

km 21,4 from Milan. Map: C 5

Villa Prata Galbiati Simonetta, Town Hall, Caponago.

Country foodin CaponagoGrazioli GiuseppeCascina San GiuseppePhone 0295345038Restaurant cateringfor 70 clients

Parish church of Santa Giuliana, Caponago.


82

itinerario 1


than a canal

and medium-sized enterprises. The munici-pality extends over an area of flat countrysidecrossed by the river MMoollggoorraa; part of Molgo-ra Park is in its territory.Flanking several streets in the town centre are anumber of rural courtyards, two of them adjoin-ing an imposing residence, surrounded by gar-dens: VViillllaa PPrraattaa GGaallbbiiaattii SSiimmoonneettttaa, built inthe early 1800s over a 16th-century monastery,is now used as the town hall. Another interest-

ing building is the large parish church of SSaannttaaGGiiuulliiaannaa. Built by Carlo Giuseppe Merlo in1730, its central space has an elliptical plan but itsoverall appearance totally changed in the 19thcentury when the façade was brought forward.

The river Molgora as it flows through Caponago.

MoreOaks and birches in the Parco del MolgoraThe Molgora park and nature reserve,established in 1985, stretches across avast area, since its founding municipal-ities – Vimercate, Burago di Molgoraand Agrate – were later joined by Car-nate, Usmate-Velate, Caponago, Pes-sano con Bornago, Bussero and Caru-gate. The park is part of the even largerexpanse of protected areas set up un-der the auspices of Lombardy’s region-al government On the northern fringe of the reserve –

which has 80 hectares of woodlandalong the banks of rivers and streams –there are still oaks and birches that havealways grown in the valley of the Mol-gora. In pre-Roman times forests ofthese trees covered the land. Now, sub-sequent to clearance for farming andthe introduction of other species in lat-er periods, few of them remain.Parco del MolgoraVia Roma 5, Burago di MolgoraPhone 0396612944www.parcomolgora.it


83

Cambiago

NNowadays known to some for the tollbooth and exit from the Milan-Venice

motorway it shares with Cave-nago, the town is situatedon the Lombard plain be-tween the rivers Adda andMolgora, just north of theVilloresi canal. Like manyother places in the Mi-lan area, the “ago” suffixof its name reveals a Celtic origin, althoughthere is no other documentary evidenceto prove it.

CambiagoCity Council website: www.comune.cambiago.mi.it


This is basically a country town that hasgrown up around its church. However,more interesting than the parish churchof SSaann ZZeennoonnee built in 1900 on the siteof the old place of worship (and contain-ing an 1848 organ) is the chapel of theBlessed Virgin of the Rosary, with itsstained-glass windows and mosaics, in thehamlet of TToorrrraazzzzaa ddeeii MMaannddeellllii.

Bikes and cycleframes madein CambiagoA major contribution tothe town’s more recenthistory has been madeby a company thatstarted up anddeveloped here:Colnago cycles are nowknown and appreciatedin Italy and worldwide.Colnago Ernesto e C.

Viale Brianza 7/9,CambiagoPhone 0295308082www.colnago.com

Parish churchof San Zenone,Cambiago.

The small churchof Beata Vergine

del Rosario,Cambiago.


84

itinerario 1


than a canal

VVurrently the terminus of the overland sec-tion of “MM” Line 2 (green). First men-

tions of historic Glaxiate are to be found intwo parchments referring to money mat-ters, dated 848 and 870 respectively, and athird from 957. It is nonetheless highly like-ly that the settlement had even more re-mote origins. Its prosperity as a farming community (aboveall, for cereals and wine) dates at least from the17th century. Although this parish church is noteven a century old, SSaannttii PPiieettrroo ee PPaaoolloo con-tains two important 16th-century works byBernardino Campi (“Doubting Thomas”) andhis brother Antonio (“Pentacost”). Situated inVViillllaa FFoorrnnaaccii, part of which is a frazione of Ges-sate and part a frazione of Bellinzago Lombar-do, is the noteworthy VViillllaa SSaallaazzaarr.

Gessate

Parish church of Santi Pietro e Paolo, Gessate.

City Council website: www.comune.gessate.mi.itkm 25,6 from Milan. Map: D 6

Farm shopsin Gessate

Azienda AgricolaFossati

Via Monza 100,Cascinello

Phone 0295384132Meat, cheese, vegetables,

fruit, eggs,salami/sausages etc.,

fresh raw milk

Azienda AgricolaLa Casara

di Nava M. GraziaVia Monza 80

phone 0295382340Meat,

salami/sausages etc.


85

BellinzagoLombardo

TThe town is situated along the Martesanacanal some 20 km east of Milan, separated

from Gessate by the Padana Superiore road. Itprobably owes its name to a family that can layclaim to some celebrated figures: for instance,Isabella Bellinzaga Lomazzi who in the late16th/early 17th-century cooperated with toCardinal Carlo Borromeo, or Giulio Bellinza-ghi, who founded a bank of the same name inMilan in the 19th century and became mayorof the city. The town’s foremost historic building is theparish church of SSaann MMiicchheellee, of medievalorigin (13th century).Bellinzago shares with Ges-sate the frazione of VViillllaaFFoorrnnaaccii, where the mainroad is lined with a series ofstately residential buildingsof some interest. Perhapsthe most prominent are VViill--llaa MMooiioollii, dating back tothe 1500s but extensivelymodified through the cen-turies, and neoclassicalCCaassaa CCaarrccaannoo AArrrriiggoonnii inVia Umberto I, with gardensoverlooking the canal. Originally owned by themarquisate of Maino di Bordoleno, it was even-tually acquired by the Oggioni and later Arrigo-ni families. The land it was built on in the early1800s was landscaped to create two large gar-dens: one Italianate, the other English-style.The building stands perpendicular to the road,with a courtyard on the entrance side. Severalof its painted ceilings are well preserved.

Bellinzago LombardoInformation: ProLoco, via Roma 46 Phone: 02 95780096

City Council website: www.comune.bellinzagolombardo.mi.itkm 24,1 from Milan. Map: D 6

Country foodin Bellinzago

Sala Enrico e FigliCascina DonninoPhone 0295781552Restaurant cateringfor 80 clients

Azienda AgricolaMapelli FerdinandoVia Cascina MisericordiaPhone 0295781388Direct sale of freshraw milk

Azienda AgricolaPassoni e C.Padana Superiore 50,Villa FornaciPhone 0295781389Direct sale of freshraw milk

Parish church of San Michele,Bellinzago Lombardo.


86

itinerario 1


than a canal

PPozzuolo is also located on the plain that ex-tends towards the Adda, on the Cassanese

provincial road, further on from Gorgonzola.Its name probably stems from the great manyrivulets of natural and man-made (fontanili)spring water to be found in the surrounding

area. Each of the localities that in1865 joined to form this munici-pality – Pozzuolo itself, Trecellaand Bisentrate – have their owndistinctive history and features.Still standing in Pozzuolo is theimpressive Gothic church ofSSaann FFrraanncceessccoo, with frescoesdating from the 14th/15th cen-tury: work on its constructionbegan in 1295 and the church isnow all that remains of theFranciscan monastery foundedin that period by the Milanesecardinal, Pietro Peregrosso. AtTTrreecceellllaa –legend has it thatmonks fleeing from the Gothsfound refuge in “three cells”

here in the year 540 – three courtyards repre-senting the historic heart of the villa can still beclearly identified. VViillllaa RReessttaa PPaallllaavviicciinnoo, on

the edge of the frazione, is a fine ex-ample of Lombard baroc-

chetto, a toned-downstyle of Baroque.At BB ii ss ee nn tt rr aa tt ee , awwaatteerr mmiillll – called“della Galanta” – owesits name to a nearbyspring.

Pozzuolo Martesana

Church of San Francesco,Pozzuolo Martesana.

City Council website: www.comune.pozzuolomartesana.mi.itkm 22,9 from Milan. Map: D 6

Honey fromPozzuolo

MartesanaAzienda Agricola

ApicolturaPaolo Matteo

Via IV Novembre 25Phone [email protected]

Inzago

Chiesa di San Rocco e Sant’Ambrogio, Inzago.


87

IInzago is situated between Gor-gonzola and Cassano d’Adda:

nowadays the Padana Superiore roadpasses through the town but in the15th century it overlooked the Marte-sana canal. It was once a popularplace for noble Milanese families tospend the summer. Its very old ori-gins are confirmed by documentswritten as early as 848 and 807 whenits name was reported as Aniciaco orAnticiacum; in medieval times thesettlement belonged to the abbot ofthe Milan church of Sant’Ambrogio. It hassome interesting sites that testify to its past as a“resort” and recommend it as a tourist destina-tion. Anyone using public transport can take theATM 922 bus from Gessate “MM” station.The best-known and most eye-catching of Inza-go’s patrician residences is VViillllaa FFaacchheerriiss, in Pi-azza Maggiore. Although 16th-century in origin,its façade and main gates are 19th-century up-dates, in the latter case by Alessandro Mazzu-

InzagoInformation: ProLoco, via Facheris 12 [email protected]

Phone: 02 9547691City Council website: www.comune.inzago.mi.it


Celebratingsince 1803On the second Sundayin October, Inzagoholds its Patron Saint’sDay Festival,followed by the traditionallivestock fair foundedin 1803.


88

itinerario 1


than a canal

cotelli. Also overlooking Piazza Mag-giore is the small 16th/18th-centurychurch of SSaann RRooccccoo containing valu-able frescoes.Along Via Cavour, a high wall hidesVViillllaa BBrraammbbiillllaa from view; built in the1700s, it was remodelled in a moremodern vein in the early 19th centurywith the addition of a tower and alarge garden. Just a few steps from themain square, VViillllaa GGnneecccchhii was onceowned by the Franchetti di Ponte fam-

ily: in the 1700s they ran the postal service be-tween Lombardy and Vienna. It consists of sever-al buildings arranged around a U-shaped court-yard: they include outhouses, barns, stables and achapel with a frescoed sacristy. At the rear, the

garden forms two sides of Piazza Mag-giore. The interior has several largerooms with painted caisson ceilings.Opposite Villa Gnecchi, Inzago’stown hall is housed in PPaallaazzzzoo PPiioollaa,a mainly Baroque-style building. It isflanked by the parish church of SSaann--ttaa MMaarriiaa AAssssuunnttaa built in the 7thcentury, enlarged in the 1500’s andrenovated at the beginning of the19th century.

Villa Facheris, Inzago.

Villa Brambilla, Inzago.

Visitors at the entranceto Villa Gnecchi, Inzago.


89

Inzago

A distinctive feature of VViillllaa AAiitteellllii VViittaallii is theoctagonal tower facing towards the MartesanaCanal; its origins date back to the 1500s whenthis was the site of a monastery of the Humiliatiorder. Since then it has been extensively modi-fied and enlarged. Along Via Marchese Seccod’Aragona is the entrance courtyard of VViillllaaRReejj, probably the oldest of Inzago’s statelyhomes originally owned by the Secco d’Arago-na family. In the garden overlooking the Canal,there is a balustrade with an opening leading toa landing-stage.Along the towpath of the Martesana Canal, inthe direction of Bellinzago Lombardo, stands

the “MMoonnaasstteerroolloo”, founded in 1489 by the Au-gust inian monks f rom the IncoronataMonastery in Milan. The church joined to it,dedicated to SSaannttaa MMaarriiaa ddeellllee GGrraazziiee, is deco-rated with precious frescoes and is open to visi-tors on the feast of Our Lady’s Birth (8th Septem-ber). Also worth seeing is the adjacent irrigationtap which Ludovic the Moor donated to theAugustinian monastery in 1494.

Villa Aitelli Vitali overlooking the canal,site of a 16th-century monastery, Inzago.

The steps of Palazzo Piola,Town Hall, Inzago.

Horseridingin InzagoPozzi AngeloCascina Magana

Phone 029548403Accommodation for 8guests. Family-stylerestaurant for 20 clientsRiding stables for 30horses

Fresh raw milkfrom InzagoAzienda AgricolaRonchi Marco e GiorgioCascina Pignone


90

itinerario 1


than a canal

AAccording to the historianGiorgio Giulini (1714-

1780) , Truccazzano wasnamed after a 13th-century cap-

tain Giovanni da Trocazano who cap-tured Ezzelino da Romano. From thor-

oughly reliable historic facts, on the otherhand, we know the town has long been afarming centre, situated on the border ofBergamo’s territory, close to the river Adda,along the Rivoltana road. Its interesting ur-ban plan, from the Napoleonic era, includesthe frazione AAllbbiiggnnaannoo, which developedaround PPaallaazzzzoo AAnngguuiissssoollaa.

Truccazzano

Truccazzano, main square.

Other important examples of local archi-tecture are the late 16th-century parish

church of SSaann MMiicchheellee, inTruccazzano itself,and the so-calledTToorrrreettttoonneealleged-

ly dating back to the10th century, along theroad to Rivolta d’Adda.Another f raz ioneof Truccazzano is

Agriturismoin Truccazzano

Groppelli AntonioCascina Rosina

Phone 029583012www.cascinarosina.it

Accommodation for 30guests. Restaurant for 50

clients. Recreativepursuits for 200 clients.

Riding stablesfor 30 horses

�Information: ProLoco di Truccazzano, via Scotti 48 [email protected]

www.truccazzanopro.altervista.org Phone: 3345042274 City Council website: www.comune.truccazzano.mi.it

km 22,9 from Milan. Map: E 6


91

Truccazzano

16th-century parish church of San Michele, Truccazzano.

CCoorrnneelliiaannoo BBeerrttaarriioo, an attractive place withan old church, set in pleasant countryside not farfrom the Adda. The focal point of this little vil-lage with its medieval atmosphere is the BBoorr--rroommeeoo CCaassttllee, of 12th-century origin.

Borromeo Castle, Corneliano Bertario.

Invernizzi MarioCascina CortenuovaPhone 0295838495Recreative pursuitsfor 150 clients

�

Farm shopsin TruccazzanoAzienda AgricolaDanelli FratelliCascina FrancescaFresh raw milk

Azienda AgricolaCascina CortenuovaStrada Rivoltana, km 16Phone 029583007www.cortenuova.itCheese andsalami/sausages etc.

Azienda Agricolail TorrettoneStrada Rivoltana, km 17.500Phone 029583586www.iltorrettone.itMeat, salami/sausagesetc., fish

Azienda AgricolaCascina RosinaVia Cascina Rosina 1 Strada Prov.le RivoltanaPhone 029583012www.cascinarosina.itMeat, cheese, eggs,salami/sausages etc.,fresh raw milk

MoreCorneliano’s PalioThe traditional Sagra del Latte (milk fes-tival) was recently revived in CornelianoBertario by a group of local enthusiasts.With the support of the municipal andprovincial authorities, an evocative palio

in medieval costume is now organizedhere each year in September.

Accademia medievale cornelianesePhone 0295309444www.corneliano.it


92

itinerario 1


than a canal

TThis small town is located on the banks of theVilloresi canal and on the edge of the Rio

Vallone park; its setting is still rural, despite itslocation in an industrialized “strip” stretchingfrom the suburbs of Milan to those of Berg-amo. And it has in fact succeeded in retainingthe appealing look of a place “tailored” toman’s needs. Its name came from that of the“de Maxate” family, who lived in Milan back inthe 13th century and must have owned estatesin this area. A settlement – initially of farmersand later of fabric makers – is believed to have

MasateCity Council website: www.unione.basianomasate.mi.it


The present parish churchof San Giovanni Evangelista,dating from mid-1800s, Masate.


93

Masate

Protecting Lombardy’s upper plainThe Parco del Rio Vallone is a parkand nature reserve that comprises aseries of municipalities: Basiano, Bel-lusco, Cavenago di Brianza, Gessate,Masate, Ornago and, more recently,Aicurzio, Busna-go, Cambiago,Mezzago, Sulbi-ate and VerderioInferiore. Its ter-rain – with an in-tricate network ofpaths and un-made roads – issituated in a partof the upper Lom-bard plain wheres o m e o f t h ecountryside isstill relatively in-tact, unlike other

areas now extensively built-up.Within the region’s system of protect-ed areas the park provides an impor-tant ecological corridor: it is borderedto the west by the Parco del Molgo-ra, to the south by the Parco Agrico-

lo Sud Milano, tothe east by theParco Adda Nordand to the north bythe Parco di Mon-tevecchia e dellaValle del Curone.

Parcodel Rio ValloneCascina Sofia 1Cavenagodi BrianzaPhone0295335235 www.parcoriovallone.it

existed here since around the year 1000.The parish church of SSaann GGiioovvaannnnii EEvvaannggee--lliissttaa is a Neo-Classical building erected in thefirst half of the 1800s.In CCaasscciinnaa SSaann NNaabboorree, on the fringe of thetown, the oratory of Santi Nabore e Feliceorginated even earlier than the 13th century.

More


94

itinerario 1


than a canal

NNow the busy stretch of the A4 motorwaybetween Cambiago and Trezzano Rosa

flanks Basiano, but the place was first settledno later than the year 200 (a Roman sarcoph-agus was discovered here in 1979).

Close by, in a locality still known asMMoonnaasstteerroo, imposing porticoesare the only visible remains of a me-dieval monastery that experiencedits heyday in the 1500s; it was even-tually shut down at the end of the18th century. The parish churchof SSaann GGrreeggoorriioo is in 19th/20th-century neogothic style.Basiano is part of the Rio Vallone

park, and CCaasscciinnaa CCaasstteellllaazzzzoo is in its terri-tory. Tradition has it that the LongobardQueen Teodolinda once stayed here: shemay have been connected with the origin ofa chapel that is part of this farm’s property,later dedicated to San Carlo.

BasianoCity Council website: www.unione.basianomasate.mi.it


Parish church of San Gregorio,Basiano.

Cascina Castellazzo, Basiano.


95

TrezzanoRosa

Trezzano RosaInformation: ProLoco di Trezzano Rosa, via ai Campi 2

[email protected] Council website: www.comune.trezzanorosa.mi.it


TThis essentially agricultural town – on theupper Lombard plain, in an area crossed

by the Milan-Venice motorway – is situat-ed to the right of the Adda, in countrysidesloping down towards terrain irrigated bythe Martesana canal. In medieval times itwas part of Trezzo; it is distinguished fromTrezzano sul Naviglio by the “Rosa” suf-fix, after the Confraternity of the Rosary.During the wars between Milan and Venice,it provided support to soldiers and sufferedthe consequences. The town conserves itsmedieval urban plan.The parish church in the town centre –dedicated to SSaann GGoottttaarrddoo – has 15th-century origins.

A toastfrom PortaThere are no longervineyardsaround Trezzano Rosaand Busnagobut in some of hisfamous versesMilan’s celebrateddialectal poetCarlo Porta(1775-1821)was in time todedicate a toast to the local wine.

Parish church of San Gottardo, Trezzano Rosa.


96

itinerario 1


than a canal

HHalfway between Milan and Bergamo, themunicipal area of Pozzo d’Adda includes

the frazione of BBeettttoollaa – situated at the heightof the 18th mile along the ancient Romanroad to Bergamo – which is practically as im-portant as Pozzo itself. Reportedly there wasonce an eating-place (“bettola”) here, used bytravellers.

Pozzo d’Adda

In Pozzo’s main square, standing in splendidisolation, is the old parish church of SSaanntt’’AAnn--ttoonniioo AAbbaattee with its late 17th-century façade.Initially erected around 1554, the buildingwas extensively altered and enlarged throughthe centuries: it fell into disuse after a newchurch with the same dedication was built in1901. Subsequent to a very heavy snowfall in1985 its roof collapsed.Among the patrician households that settled

Parish church of Sant’Antonio Abate, Pozzo d’Adda.

BettolaApproaching Bettolafrom Pozzo d’Adda,the visitor’s gaze isimmediately drawnto a long, curving

structure, ontwo floors: this isPalazzo Dugnani,

a 17th-centurydwelling built

�

City Council website: web.tiscali.it/comunepozzo/km 30,2 from Milan. Map: C 6-7


97

Pozzod’Adda

in Pozzo was the Brizzolara family: CesareBrizzolara was in fact the town’s mayor in thelate 1800s. VViillllaa BBrriizzzzoollaarraa in Via Colombowas recently sold to the Municipality, whichhas made a start on its refurbishment. Hiddenfrom view behind its walls is a large garden;the former stables have provided premises forthe new municipal library. An important lega-cy that has survived to the present-day is VViill--llaa MMoonnttaallttoo (also known as Cascina Montal-to). There are documents testifying to the factthat the Montalto family owned extensivelands here before the 1700s, including anabbey subject to the Curia of Milan. It washere that the present villa was later built.

to a farmhouse-styleplan, embellishedby a round look-outtower in a corneroverlookingthe large innercourtyard.Today, besides severalapartments,the building isoccupied by theoffices of a beekeepingbusiness.Many rooms of thepalazzo are in thethroes of restoration.

�

Villa Brizzolara, Pozzo d’Adda.

Palazzo Dugnani, frazione Bettola.


98

itinerario 1


than a canal

AAsmall town about 30 km from Milan,situated slightly north of the Milan-

Venice motorway, between the exits forCavenago Cambiago and Trezzo sull’Ad-

da. In all likelihood its ori-gins are Roman since – as innearby Busnago, with whichit has had close ties throughthe centuries – its land showstraces of centuriation. Roncello’s faithful in factcame under the parish of Bus-nago from 1566 to 1885. Partof Roncello is now used formanufacturing activit ies ,while part of it is residential.Its terrain is on the very fringeof the PPaarrccoo ddeell RRiioo VVaall--lloonnee .The present parish church of

SSaannttii AAmmbbrrooggiioo ee CCaarrlloo was built in the19th century.

RoncelloInformation: ProLoco di Roncello

[email protected] - www.prolocoroncello.itCity Council website: www.comune.roncello.mi.it


Parish church of Santi Ambrogio e Carlo, Roncello.

Parco del Rio Vallone, Roncello.


99

Busnago

BusnagoInformation: ProLoco di Busnago - c/o Palazzo Municipale Busnago

City Council website: www.comune.busnago.mi.itkm 31 from Milan. Map: C 6

TThe original settlement here, towards theAdda, must have been a rearguard encamp-

ment, removed from the outposts on the river.The root of its name is attributed tothe term ‘buccina’, a type of bugleused in war, and in this case servingto warn one-time inhabitants ofpresent-day Busnago that they wereunder threat of invasion.The TToorrrree ddeeii GGeerrmmaannii (named af-ter Germanin, founder of the Vimer-cati family) also had a military func-tion: it was one of the four that, asearly as the 12th century, served tostabilize the walls of the settlement:the tower is entered through a largedoorway with a single light window, whileother remains of fortifications have been in-corporated into nearby buildings.The town hall occupies the handsome 18th-century Palazzo Schiaffinati, built by the fami-ly (later Porro-Schiaffinati) which then playeda key role in local affairs.

Eatingin BusnagoGianni MassimoVia San Rocco 28Phone 0396956383Restaurant cateringfor 19 guests

Palazzo Schiaffinati, Town hall, Busnago.

13th-century Torredei Germani, Busnago.


100

itinerario 1


than a canal

JJust a short distance from theright bank of the Adda, be-

tween Trezzo and TrezzanoRosa, the municipal area ofGrezzago is crossed by the

Milan-Venice motor-way at a point closerto Bergamo than toMilan. Nevertheless,

Grezzago’s loyalt ieshave always lain withthe Lombard capital.

A village on this site has re-portedly existed s ince the

9th/10th century but the first reliable informa-tion on its history are to be found in the 13th-

century “Liber NotitiæSanctorum Mediolani”by Goffredo da Bussero;he mentions an “Eccle-sia Sancti Martini” inGrezzago, of which theparish church of SSaannMMaarrttiinnoo, now housedin a modern building, isthe direct heir.It is also known that inthe 16th century the“fundus de Gratiago”was turned into a largeagricultural estate, with

GrezzagoCity Council website: www.comune.grezzago.mi.it

km 30,1 from Milan. Map: C 6-7

Parish churchof San Martino, Grezzago.


101

Grezzago

a house occupied by the land’s owner. Thisbuilding, then the focal point of village life,corresponds to PPaallaazzzzoo ZZooiiaa: although it hasmuch changed over the years a room with17th-century frescoes has been preserved.

Palazzo Zoia, Grezzago.

“I Comuni per l’Adda”This association was formed in Ju-ly 2005, when it comprised the mu-nicipal authorities of Trezzo sull’Ad-da, Vaprio d’Adda, Cassano d’Ad-da and Truccaz-zano. In September 2006Grezzago and Poz-zo d’Adda joinedthe group and thenin January 2007, In-z a g o , M a s a t e ,Basiano and lastly,in June 2007, Trez-zano Rosa.These municipalitiesregard such an as-

sociation as the most appropriate wayto initiate joint involvement in proce-dures regarding environmental poli-cies, in particular conservation and en-hancement of the river Adda and areas

pertaining to it.On 25 October 2007the General Meetingof the Members ap-proved the decisionto make the associa-tion a non-profit or-ganization (Onlus).

Associazionedei Comuniper l’Addawww.comuniperladda.it

More


102

Aplain of fields and canals guard Milan onits southern edge. During the last centu-

ry, its farmers were often urbanized, com-ing to work in the large companies es-

tablished in the area south of Milan– from Tecnomasio electro-

mechanics in Piazza-le Lodi, to RichardGinori ceramics orBindi paper mill onthe Navigli - while

today, it is rather theMilanese turning from the city to the coun-try. Sometimes permanently, taking housesout of the city’s fray, and sometimes justbriefly, for a pleasurable weekend outingwith the family.

The countrysideof the south,

up to the Colle

ExploringDa Vinci’s

Countryside


103

The ddiirreeccttiioonnss from Milan in this zone ofthe flatlands are numerous, but can begrouped into ffoouurr aaxxeess. That in the direc-tion of Magenta and Abbiategrasso, be-tween the highway for Torino and theNaviglio Grande; that for Pavia andGenoa, stretching more or less along theNaviglio Pavese; that for Lodi, the Emiliaand finally Rome (along the Autostradadel Sole) and that which runs past Linateairport and the Idroscalo towards the Ad-da river.Almost all the BBaassssaa - as, for inconvertiblereasons of altitude, we call this the “Low-er Plain” - is carefully protected for its val-ue as well as its natural settings by thePPaarrccoo AAggrriiccoolloo SSuudd MMiillaannoo, an area (and aseries of study initiatives, of tutoring, bythe local government involved in theProvincial administration and about 60 mu-nicipalities) both worthy and promising.


up to the Colle

Still further to the south,the Bassa Milanese findswelcome interruption inthe Colle di SanColombano, an enclaveof the Milan provincein the province of Lodi,established in 1992.(When it was declared anew province, theinhabitants preferred tocontinue to report toMilan as their provincialcapital). Here, other thantranquillity, wine reignssupreme.


104

itinerario 1

ExploringDa Vinci’s

Countryside

�

InformationThe Parco Sud and its landmarks

With a view towards the futuresince its institution in 1990, theParco Agricolo Sud Milano ex-tends in a vast semicircular areaalong the southern perimeter ofthe province of Milan, surround-ing the city. Conceived with theaim of protecting and making themost of the agricultural vocationsof Milano Sud and to protect theenvironment and the countryside,it is managed by the Province ofMilano.The park is rich in farms and farm-houses, in addition to historicalbuildings, among them somewhich particularly stand out arethe abbeys of Chiaravalle (in theterritory of Milan municipality),Mirasole and Viboldone (nearOpera and San Giuliano Milaneserespectively). In addition, alsofound in this area are the Visconti

castles of Binasco, Cusago andMelegnano, as well as those ofCassino Scanasio (in Rozzano),Locate Triulzi, Peschiera Bor-romeo, Buccinasco, Macconago(in Milan) and Rocca Brivio (inSan Giuliano Milanese).There are also many fortifiedfarming centres like Carpiano,Tolcinasco (in Pieve Emanuele),Settala and Coazzano, in additionto Fagnano and Gudo Visconti,which are found in the western-most portion of the Park, towardsAbbiategrasso.For further information, you canconsult the heading “Parco Agri-colo Sud Milano” within the web-page of the Province www.provincia.mi.itLocations where you can find in-formation, product materials andpromotional offers are called Pun-ti Parco. Aside are addresses intown and in the areas covered inthis guide.


105


up to the Colle

Punto Parco BoscoincittàVia Novara 340, MilanoCascina San RomanoPhone 024522401

Punto Parco Naviglio GrandeSocietà Cooperativa “Presenza”via Vittorio Emanuele II 27CorsicoPhone 0245119508

Punto Parco TicinelloAssociazione Parco TicinelloThe Parco Agricolo Ticinello is anexample of the integration be-tween the environment, farmlandsand spaces for leisure time andlearning, with an area of 800.000square metres. via Dudovich 10, MilanoPhone 0289500565

Punto Parco NocetumAssociazione NocetumAt the entrance of Milan and just ashort distance from Chiaravalle.The association organizes townfestivals, creative parties, roundtables, concerts, literary eventsand conventions.via San Dionigi 77, MilanoPhone 0255230575

AAn integral part ofthe urban fabric

along the finaltract of the NNaavv--

iigglliioo GGrraannddee, Corsico,since the 1950s, has been

among the areas of Milan pri-marily interested in residen-tial growth due to post-warexpansion. Industrializationin the zone began at the startof the 1900s, with the Burgo

Paper Mills and the SocietàMateriali Refrattari.A pair of cascine, or farmhouses, GGuuaarrddiiaa ddiiSSoottttoo and GGuuaarrddiiaa ddii SSoopprraa, located on the

Corsico


106


up to the Colle

City Council website: www.comune.corsico.mi.itkm 9 from Milan. Map: E-F 2

banks of the canal in the tract towards Trez-zano, are testimony to centuries of Corsico’sagricultural roots; the latter was once anoutpost of the Visconti villa of Cassinetta diLugagnano.

Cascina Guardia di Sopra,overlookingthe Naviglio Grande.

SSituated between the Naviglio Grande andPavia, it probably owes its name to the Latin

root ‘bucina’ (conduit or canal) and the suffix ‘as-co’ of Etruscan origin. In this territory wherewater is plentiful, development has been carriedout respecting the environment with the boost-ing of farming traditions in the vast ex-panse of the Parco Sud (BuccinascoCastello and Gudo Gambaredo), indus-trial and craftwork factories (along thering road) and residential building en-suring a pleasant way of life.The CCaassttllee is actually a Renaissance erapalace on a grid pattern, with a colon-nade and a small balcony. The nearbySSaannttaa MMaarriiaa NNaasscceennttee church is decoratedwith a Lombard school fresco of the Crucifixionof the same period. The chapel of SSaann BBiiaaggiioo, in18th century style, has an interesting altar-piece.The VViillllaa DDuurriinnii BBoorrrroommeeoo on the NaviglioGrande is an ex-16th century convent convertedfor residential use.Of the numerous cascine, most of which havebeen modernized, those currently used forpublic activities are the Fagnana (Library andYouth Centre) and the Robbiolo (social-cul-tural centre). Unspoiled areas offer relaxationand wellness.


107

BuccinascoCity Council website: www.comune.buccinasco.mi.it

km 9,5 from Milan. Map: F 2

Oratory of San Biagio,

Buccinasco.

15th-centuryCastle,

Buccinasco.

Buccinasco

Agri-Campingin Buccinasco

TrovalettoAzienda AgricolaMeraldi Antonioe SimoneVia Marconi 32Phone 0245708540Agri-Campsite 60 pitches Recreational activitiesfor 80 guests(picnic area, 5-a-sidesoccer pitch, volleyballcourt, fishing)


108

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

TThe atmosphere of the NaviglioGrande becomes more airy when

- leaving Milan behind and passingCorsico - you come to Trezzano,

which was essentially a farmingvillage until the 1960s. Onecould say perhaps though, thatits true centre for 40 years hasbeen the QQuuaarrttiieerree ZZiinnggoonnee ,passing the canal and railroadtracks and straddling the 494

Nuova Vigevanese road.Glimpses of the past canstill be seen in the historic

centre around the parish church ofSSaanntt’’AAmmbbrrooggiioo, which could be dated backto the first millennium, because of its originslinked to the properties in the zone whichwere holdings of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan.The church, enlarged in the 16th century, is ofhistorical importance for the bell tower dated1582, designed by Martino Bassi, as well as aMadonna and Child, found in the interior, at-tributed to Bernardino Luini.

Trezzano sul NaviglioInformation: ProLoco di Trezzano sul Naviglio sede, c/o Casa delle Associazioni

Via Cavour 22 - [email protected] City Council website: www.comune.trezzano-sul-naviglio.mi.it


Town Hall, Trezzano sul Naviglio.


109

CesanoBoscone

TToday a little city in itself – even ifpractically integrated into the

urban fabric of the metropolis - ithas in reality more than a thousandyears as a tiny rural burgh.Certainly the city centre shows thedesign of a Roman encampment,and surely Cesano, in the MiddleAges, was a centre of one of theeleven parishes within the coun-tryside around Milan.A sarcophagus and memorialstone in the piazza bring to mindits remote origins, but the buildingfarthest from our day is the “Cortedel fabbro”, a structure with ogivalwindows dating from the 15th century, andthe VViillllaa MMaarraazzzzii LLaattttuuaaddaa , which datesback to the first half of the 1700s.If the parish of SSaann GGiioovvaannnnii BBaattttiissttaa wasindeed, as tradition has it, founded by theLongobard Queen Teodolinda, it is impossi-ble to figure out from the current baroque ap-pearance, due to restructuring in 1899.

Cesano BosconeInformation: ProLoco di Cesano Boscone, via Dante 29

c/o Trattoria “Vecchia Cesano”[email protected] - prolococesano.altervista.org Phone: 02/4580213

City Council website: www.comune.cesano-boscone.mi.itkm 9,9 from Milano. Map: E 2

Villa Marazzi Lattuada; below, parish church of San Giovanni Battista.

Raw Milk inCesano Boscone Azienda AgricolaDonetti Angeloe ModestoCascina Nuova,Via VespucciPhone 024453323


110

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

TThe most favourable position from the point ofview of communications - Assago is located

next to Milan at the crossroads between the By-pass and the axis of the A7 highway for Pavia andGenoa - has allowed this area to become the cen-tre of what could be termed the first attempt, start-ing in the 1980s, to give the metropolis a suburban

AssagoCity Council website: www.comune.assago.mi.it

km 10,1 from Milan. Map: F 2-3

office district: MMiillaannooffiioorrii. Even more than a zonefor offices of the high-tech service industry, it iswell-known for the FFoorruumm, which combines the

functional possibilities of an auditorium,a sports complex, as well as an exposi-tion and congress centre. In the past his-tory of Assago, there have been histori-cal reports since the 13th century, sup-porting the existence of a Carthusianconvent. The parish of SSaann DDeessiiddeerriioo,with origins dating from 1200s, has fres-cos surviving from the 15th century.

“Forum” sports stadium and exhibition centre, Assago.

and 42 story high,which would be among

the tallest buildingsin the Po Valley.

If Assagoreaches

for the skyFor Milanofiori,

a project has beenproposed for a pair

of towers of 50

Parish church of San Desiderio, Assago.

Rozzano

RozzanoCity Council website: www.comune.rozzano.mi.it


DDirectly linked with the territory of Milan, andwithout any clear division from the southern

edge of Milan, and accessible by urban publictransport, it has benefited from its position in abuilding boom typical of the 1960s, a series ofpublic architecture mentioned within books onthe history of Italian architecture. Often cited arethe MMuunniicciippiioo or City Hall (1965-70), the eellee--mmeennttaarryy sscchhooooll (1973-80) as well as the mmiiddddlleesscchhooooll (1973-75) in the neighbourhood of Quin-to Stampi. Perhaps even more relevant is a simi-lar private operation: the headquarters of DDoommuussEEddiittoorriiaallee (1982) designed by Marcello Nizzoli.The most importanthistorical landmark inthe territory of Rozzanois the Castello Viscon-teo in CCaassssiinnoo SSccaannaa--ssiioo, with origins datingback to 1000, while thecurrent structure datesback to the 13th to 14thcentury.

Cassino Scanasio Castle, Rozzano.

Cascina Grande in Rozzano,now the municipal library.

QuattroruotecollectiblesNear the Domus building,you can visit a museumof automobiles, which isassociated with thepublication of themagazine Quattroruote.Thirty-some vintage carsbuilt between 1902 and1972 are on display.

Editoriale Domus MuseoVia Gianni Mazzocchi 1/3RozzanoPhone 02824721


111

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

NNow part of ‘Greater Milan’ – also due toMMiillaannoo 33, a large development of residen-

tial structures in a green area in operation sincethe 1980s – the ancient “Basilio” was already ofimportance to the Milanese country-dwellersduring the Middle Ages, dependent on theparish of Decimo, which at that time was locat-ed close to Lacchiarella. The territories appearin documents since 1307. The parish church ofSSaanntt’’AAggaattaa apse and prothyrum survive from

BasiglioCity Council website: www.comune.basiglio.mi.it

km 15,2 from Milan. Map: G 3

the 14th century, butpresent a baroqueappearance.From a Holy Ro-man building, thereremains a bell towerand arch close to thesmall church of SanBernardo, a portionof a rural complex ofthe CCaasscciinnaa VViioonnee. The last, based on a four-sided plan probably dating from the 17th centu-ry, is perhaps the most classical example of thisnoted type of agricultural buildings of the Bassa.

Cascina Vione, Basiglio.

Parish church of Sant’Agata,Basiglio.

Basiglio naturereserve, an important wetlandsarea in the province of Milanwhere many species of floraand fauna can beseen. The reserveis equipped for bird watching.


112

Rice and plantsin Basiglio

Azienda AgricolaMario Gennari

Piazza Monsignor Rossi 18Phone 0290753585


113

Binasco

BinascoCity Council website: www.comune.binasco.it


HHistorically a burgh on the confines betweenMilanese and Pavese along the Naviglio, di-

vided by the “fossatum” (or Ticinello canal) dugby the Milanese in the 12th century, to-day’s Binasco corresponds with the lo-cation of the first tollbooth south ofMilano along the A7 headed forGenoa. The importance of this localityis underscored by that of the CCaasstteelllloo

Visconteo Castle, Binasco.

VViissccoonntteeoo, well-known since 1329 (today it’sthe City Hall) and by the dimensions of thechurch of SSaannttii GGiioovvaannnnii BBaattttiissttaa ee SSttee--ffaannoo PPrroottoommaarrttiirree, a building from the end ofthe 1700s, with an interior featuring an altarpieceby Luigi Pellegrini, known as Scaramuccia, andtwo works by the circle of Bernardino Luini.

Parish churchof Santi Giovanni Battista

e Stefano Protomartire,Binasco.

Ducal crime sceneIn 1418, the castle of Binasco wasthe location where Beatrice di Ten-da, accused of adultery by her hus-band Filippo Maria Visconti, duke ofMilan, was imprisoned and later de-capitated.

More


114

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

WWell connected from the point of viewof accessibility, Casarile - situated on

state road 35 dei Giovi - is located justabout halfway between Milan andPavia, a circumstance which has, start-

ing in 1267, periodically exposed it tocontroversies of ownership.

The small municipality which was estab-lished during the years in which Italy was be-ing formed, more precisely November 4,1860, reunited scattered rural villages of earlyorigins like CCoolloommbbeerraa, MMeelloonnee, PPoorrcchheerraaand ZZaavvaannaassccoo. The character of this placedepends more on the long history of the coun-tryside than on a specific art or architecturalhistoric work. The church of SSaann BBiiaaggiioo, atZavanasco, dates from 1877. A church withorigins in the 17th century, SSaann RRooccccoo, can befound in Porchera. Remnants of frescos fromthe 16th century have survived at the CCaasscciinnaaRRiizzzzaa along the state road.

Casarile

17th-century church of San Rocco, Casarile.

18,9 from Milan. Map: G 2

Rice and restin Casarile

Azienda AgricolaIl Melone

Agriturismo Il MulinoPhone 0290093596

www.agriturismoilmulino.itDirect sales of meat,

pork and riceCatering for 80 guests

Rosmari VallinoCascina San Rocco 7

Phone 029055877Lodging for 10 guestsCatering for 80 guests

two days per week

Casarilese cuisineRossignoli Giorgio

Cascina San Rocco 2Phone 029054137

Informal cateringfor 10 guests

Strigazzi EnricoCascina San Rocco 7

Phone 029055877Catering for 80 guests

two days per week


115

Lacchiarella

LacchiarellaInformation: ProLoco di Lacchiarella, corso Matteotti 4

[email protected] Phone: 02 90030570 Fax: 02 90030570City Council website: www.comune.lacchiarella.mi.it


AAt the limits with the territoryof the province of Pavia, in

the Lower Plain to the east ofthe Naviglio Pavese, Lacchiarel-la dates back at least to the an-cient Romans, in an area that inthe Middle Ages was traversedby Huns, Goths, Lombards,Francs and Hungarians, and thatwas later the location where manybattles were staged between Mi-lan and Pavia.The defense was provided by theRRooccccaa, which was surrounded bya large moat, was dismantled after 1275 but re-constructed 20 years later by Matteo Visconti.The oratory of SSaann RRooccccoo, dates from 1500s,while the church of AAssssuunnttaa, from the early1600s, has been reworked in successive cen-turies: on the façade, to the left of the maindoor, is a Roman flagstone with a dedication toMercury. The oldest surviving building is thechurch of SSaann BBiiaaggiioo (CCaasscciinnaa CCoorriiaassccoo),mentioned as early as 1289 by Goffredo daBussero in his “Liber Sanctorum Mediolani”.

The Rocca, Lacchiarella.

Parish church of L’Assunta, Lacchiarella.

Oratory of San Rocco, Lacchiarella.


116

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

IIn the first centuries of the second millenni-um, Mirasole, of the celebrated abbey, be-

longed to the ‘PPlleebbee LLooccaattee’, today’s PieveEmanuele, a short distance south of the cityalong state road 412 of the Val Tidone.While a direct heir, the current day church ofSSaanntt’’AAlleessssaannddrroo, has changed over the cen-turies. The original parish, in existence sinceat least 852 AD, comprised Cassino Scanasio,Ponte Sesto, Quinto Stampi, Rozzano andTerricula. Some of these have since becomeresidential centres in ‘Greater Milan’.In the countryside there still remain cascineworthy of note, like Viquarterio or Pizzabrasa,but most important is the small fort of TToollccii--nnaassccoo, commissioned in the 1500s by thed’Adda family.

Pieve EmanueleCity Council website: www.comune.pieveemanuele.mi.it


Church of Sant’Alessandro, Pieve Emanuele.

The reasonfor Emanuele

Why this Pieve is calledEmanuele is explained bya decision in 1862 when

the enthusiasm for anewly unified Italy

pushed the inhabitants toask their new king

permission to renamethis site, dating from the

first millennium.Permission was granted.


117

Opera

AArecent and impressive residential develop-ment, with a particularly high standard of

living, has fully integrated Opera into the areaof southern Milan. It remains noteworthyfrom a cultural perspective due to the MMiirraa--ssoollee Abbey - founded in the twelfth centuryby the Order of the Humiliati. Of this typicalLombard religious order - which the Bor-romeo sought to dis-solve in the 1500s -Mirasole was one oft h e f u n d a m e n t a lheadquarters - sec-o n d o n l y t o Vi -boldone.The complex, a four-sided facility, makesup one of the best ex-isting examples of ac o u r t y a r d w i t hcolumns from theMiddle Ages, the sortof which led the de-sign of the Lombardfarmhouse into themodern age. The structure was surroundedby a moat and protected by a tower. Next tothe courtyard is the ccllooiisstteerr, with its over-looking refectory, kitchen, chapter - houseand sacristy. The church of SSaannttaa MMaarriiaa AAss--ssuunnttaa l ike the cloister, dates from the14th/15th century, and contains a panelledwooden ceiling, with at its centre a 14th cen-tury fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin.Since 1797, Mirasole has been the property ofthe Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

Opera

Mirasole Abbey, Opera.

Entrance to Mirasole Abbey, Opera.

City Council website: www.comune.opera.mi.itkm 10,7 from Milan. Map: F 3


118

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

Locate di TriulziCity Council website: www.locateditriulzi.it

km 14,5 from Milan. Map: F-G 3-4

IIf, as all are left to believe, ‘Triulzi’ is a popu-lar way of referring to the ancient family

TTrriivvuullzziioo , it is clear that Locate links thememories of man with his image of that mostfamous of dynasties. Locate however - aname which means ‘land upon water’ - wasmentioned well before 1400 when it became(like many other zones in the Milan area) thedomain of the Trivulzio. Of a farming tradi-tion, the town is still grateful for the philan-thropy of Cristina Trivulzio di Belgiojoso(1808-1871) who presented it with nurseries,

schools and a park. Between Piaz-za della Vittoria and Via Martiridella Libertà, PPaallaazzzzoo TTrriivvuullzziiooflanks 14th century buildings anda residence dated back to the1700s. Nearby, in a street bearingthe same name, PPaallaazzzzoo SSaallaazzaarrbelongs to another importantfamily, originally from Spain.Both buildings were previouslycastles, to defend the Milanesefrom the South.

Palazzo Trivulzio, Locate di Triulzi.Shrineto Santa Maria

alla FontanaThe shrine is outside the

town, at the end of apretty street that takes

its name from theoriginal spring next

to which the churchwas built:

Via della Fontana.This place of worship

was erected at therequest of the Trivulzio

brothers, Benedetto andUrban, to commemorate

a real miracle that tookplace in their

home in Milan:tears flowing

from the eyesof Saint Jeromeportrayed in an

icon theyowned. The

interior of thechurch is

decorated witha da Vinci

school frescoof the Virgin of

the Fountain.

Direct Salesin Locate

Azienda AgricolaCornalba

Cascina NesporedoPhone 029077327

www.aziendaagricolacornalba.itMeat, poultry, rice,

cured meats, raw milk


119

Carpiano

CarpianoInformation: ProLoco di Carpiano, via San Martino 54 Phone: 02 9815488

City Council website: www.comune.carpiano.mi.itkm 17,9 from Milan. Map: G 4

CClose to Melegnano - between this and theconfines with the province of Lodi - Carpi-

ano belonged to the Certosa di Pavia from1386 to 1781. Gian Galeazzo Visconti donat-ed to provide the assurance of long-lasting re-sources for the monks.It was a fortified Carthusian grange thatwhich today can seem just a farmhouse nextto the church of SSaann MMaarrttiinnoo. This Gothicbuilding, in Piazza Colonna at the centre ofthe village, was constructed in the 14th cen-tury, although it has since been restored.Frescos by the Lombard school painters,contemporary of the building, survive in theinterior, and a high altar sculpted in Can-doglia marble by the artist Giovanni daCampione and his school tells the story of

the Virgin. Originally destined for the Cer-tosa of Pavia, the altar was sent here becauseof the symbolism did not adhere to ecclesi-astical standards.

Parish church of San Martino, Carpiano.

Fresh Eggsfrom CarpianoAzienda AgricolaPoiago di BartoliCascina PoiagoPhone 029815305

Cascina Zunico,a largefarmstead

Almost alandmark in thisarea is the verylarge CascinaZunico: itsstructure istypical offarmingcommunities inthe countrysidesouth of Milan,with theowner's homeand the placeprovided forworship

completely separate fromthe working part of thefarm. The church has abaptismal font worthnoting.


120

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

AAn important strategic point locatedhalfway between Milan and Lodi - today a

meeting-point with the metropolis for thosearriving on the highway from the south -Melegnano is the site of many battles, the firstof importance being the ‘Battle of the Giants”on September 13th and 14th, 1515. Crucial to the history of the Milanese and ofnorthern Italy, it was fought close to whattoday is called MMaarriiggnnaannoo between theFrench, who would win, and Massimiliano

MelegnanoInformation: ProLoco di Melegnano , via Giardino 1 - [email protected]

Phone: 02 9838397 Fax: 02 9838397City Council website: www.comune.melegnano.mi.it

km 17,3 from Milan. Map: F-G 4-5

Panoramic view of Melegnano and the river Lambro.

Mediceo Castlein Melegnano,home of history,art, culture.

Fruit andvegetables

in MelegnanoAzienda Agricola

CascinaCappuccina

Via VerdiPhone 029823207

[email protected]


121

Melegnano

Sforza’s mercenary Swiss. With the econom-ic growth of the following centuries the agri-cultural centre was transformed, but theCCaassttllee - seized by Federico Barbarossa,sacked by Federico II of Swabia, lovingly re-built in the 1300s by Bernabò Visconti - stillboasts two imposingmedieval towers andsigns of renaissancerefinement, amongthem 16th centuryfrescos.Not far from the Cas-tle, in Piazza IV No-v e m b r e , t h e l i t t l echurch of SSaann RRooccccoois of 14th century con-struction, with a roco-co façade and a 18thcentury interior. Church of San Rocco, Melegnano.

The parish church of SSaann GGiioovvaannnnii BBaattttiissttaain Piazza Risorgimento, of medieval originsbut reworked in the baroque age with afaçade of the early 1900s, houses many im-portant artworks, among which, in the firstchapel on the right, a Baptism of Christ byBergognone.

Church of San Giovanni Battista, Melegnano.

Pro MelegnanoFor information onMelegnano and guidedvisits, inquire atPro Loco, with mainheadquartersat the Castello Mediceo,which organizesactivities and localevents, startingwith the Festa delPerdono which takesplace in the spring.

Pro MelegnanoPro Locophone [email protected]


122

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

OOn the river banks of the Lambro at the bor-der with the Lodigiano, along the provincial

road between Melegnano and Sant’Angelo, thisis one of the municipalities of Milan’s majorgrowth as a consequence of the economicboom after the Second World War. Despite itsancient origins, hypothetically fixed some-where between the fifth and fourth century BC,the current state of built-up areas is in large partresidential and modern.The most important historical building is thechurch of SSaannttii CCrriissttooffoorroo ee GGiiaaccoommoo withits 18th century façade. In Riozzo, the oratoryof SSaann RRooccccoo is of interest.

Cerro al LambroInformation: ProLoco di Cerro al Lambro, via della Repubblica 1

City Council website: www.comune.cerroallambro.mi.itkm 20,9 from Milan. Map: G 5

The LambroWith 130 kilometres running from Ghisal-lo to the Po, the Lambro river is amongthe largest in Lombardy. To the south ofMonza and Milan - where the river invol-untarily gave its name to the historicalscooter Lambretta - it touches Meleg-nano, Cerro al Lambro, San Zenone al

Lambro and Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, re-ceives the water of man-made canals ofthe Lambro meridionale (coming fromNavigli and Olona), then flows throughSan Colombano al Lambro and opens in-to the Po near Orio Litta. The conditionsof pollution, although improved, are notyet satisfactory.

Parish church of Santi Cristoforo e Giacomo, Cerro al Lambro.

Oratory of San Rocco,Cerro al Lambro.

Direct Salesin Cerro al Lambro

Azienda AgricolaTaveggia

di Tommaso MarinoFrazione Riozzo

Phone 0298300633397293727

Raw milk

Azienda AgricolaCascina FornaciCascina Fornaci


Meat, pork,cured meats

Società AgricolaLa Gazzera

Cascina GazzeraRaw milk

More


123

San Zenoneal Lambro

San Zenone al LambroCity Council website: www.comune.sanzenoneallambro.mi.it

km 22 from Milan. Map: G 5

TThis small town – bordering on both Lodigianoand Pavese areas and not far from the A1

highway – is named after its patron saint, plus areference to the river that flows through it.The urban fabric of pastcenturies is still verymuch in evidence in theold centre: in its midst isPalazzo Tre Porte (liter-ally, with three doors),with nearby VViillllaa CCaacccciiaaDDoommiinniioonnii built in a typi-cally rural style around alarge courtyard; oppo-site, beyond the piazza, isthe 17th/18th-centuryparish church of SSaannZZeennoonnee. The outlying districts of Villa Bis-sone, Ceregallo and Santa Maria in Prato alsohave a distinctly rural aspect. CCeerreeggaalllloo is es-sentially one huge farmstead that also com-prises the 13th-century oratory of San Gior-gio. Around SSaannttaa MMaarriiaa iinn PPrraattoo country-side dotted with fields and poplars slopesdown towards the river Lambro.

Parish church of San Zenone, San Zenone al Lambro.

Villa Caccia Dominioni,San Zenone al Lambro.

Santa Maria in Prato.


124

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

TThe BBaanniinnii – inhabitants ofSan Colombano, which

remained part ofthe province ofMilan even afterthe institutionof the provinceof Lodi in 1992 -find the ancientorigins of theirname in the Irishmonk Colman,Colombanus in

Latin, who is said to have stoppedhere on his path towards Bobbio where in614, he founded the celebrated monastery. The village rises at the base of an extended hill

San Colombano al Lambro

Tower situated on the west side of the castle, San Colombano al Lambro.

City Council website: www.sancolombano.itkm 43,1 from Milan. Map: G 6


125

country covered in vineyards, the CCoolllleeddii SSaann CCoolloommbbaannoo, and preserves mem-ories of the Middle Ages. It was here, according to a memorialstone which survives on the tower of acastle, where Francesco Petrarca wasprovided sojourn in 1353, as a guest of theMilanese archbishop Giovanni Visconti.At the centre of the urban framework -where the axis of Via Mazzini and Via Vit-toria intersect with Via Steffani - is the or-atory of SSaann RRooccccoo, a small brick edificewith a four-sided exterior and an octago-nal interior, which is included in the parkof a villa. Via Mazzini leads to the churchof SSaann CCoolloommbbaannoo AAbbaattee, founded in1499, and later expanded. The façade is 19th-century Neo-Classical. On the interior, there re-main 15th-century frescos by Bernardino Campi,coming from the oratory of the castle. The taber-

Oratory of San Rocco,erected in 1510 on an octagonal

plan, in the style of Bramante, and still in a perfect

state of conservation today,San Colombano al Lambro.


126

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

nacle of the presbytery is from the 1400s. Infront of the church you find a 15th centuryttoowweerr, destroyed by then and later rebuilt byFrederick Barbarossa, which pro-tected the entranceto the ccaassttllee. Thecastle was passed from handto hand between Landri-ani, Torriani, Viscontiand the Certosa diPavia, and finally givento the Belgiojoso family.The fortress remained fam-ily property, with changing

Parish church of San Colombano Abate, San Colombano al Lambro

Located inside the castle is the tourist information office,San Colombano al Lambro.

MoreAmong the vines of San ColombanoWhat is best known as the “vino di Mi-lano” corresponds more ex-actly to San Colombano DOC– a range of three reds ob-tained from Croatina, Bar-bera and Uva rara grapes,p lus two wh i tes f romChardonnay and Pinot nerograpes - produced also closeto the cities of MiradoloTerme and Monteleone (inthe province of Pavia), Graffignana andSant’Angelo Lodigiano (in the province ofLodi).

Still speaking enologically, since 1995 theColle di San Colombano has been part ofan IGT area, or Typical Geographic Appel-

lation, under the name “Colli-na del Milanese”: it is onlyhere the quintessentialVerdea white is produced.Below is a list of producersindicated by their associa-tion:

Azienda Agricola Poderi San PietroVia Steffenini 6 - Phone [email protected]


127

San Colombanoal Lambro

The hill of San Colombano al Lambro.

Harvesting grapes in San Colombano al Lambro.

Not just wine,on the ColleAzienda AgricolaPodereVilla MariaVia Tobruk 13San Colombanoal LambroPhone 037189075Direct sales of fruitand vegetables

Azienda AgricolaVini e Spiriti di Carlo PietrasantaVia Sforza 55/77 - Phone [email protected]

Azienda AgricolaGruppo Vignaioli - Cesari MarioViale Milano 85 - Phone [email protected]

Azienda Agricola Panigada AntonioVia della Vittoria 13Phone [email protected]

Azienda Agricola Panizzari AngeloVia Madonna dei MontiPhone 0371897613 - www.panizzariwine.it

Azienda Agricola Nettare dei SantiVia della Capra 17 - Phone 0371897381www.nettaredeisanti.itThe agricultural territory of San Colom-bano is crossed by a road of the same

name, the San Colombano WineRoute, a sixty kilometre stretch be-tween Milan and Lodi. Tourist itiner-aries in the area are organized bythe association Il Borgo e il Colle,Phone 0371293236www.itineraribanini.it

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

fortunes, until the first part of the 1900s. Also remaining is the western tower, certain-ly from the 1400s, which was a part of the de-fence wall. More than anything else, it is sug-gestive of the village which once existed in-side those walls. The Museo Paleontologico“Virginio Caccia”, closed on weekends, is lo-cated in the 17th century PPaallaazzzzoo PPaattiiggnnoo inVia Monti.

Stopoversin San Colombano

Panizzari AngeloVia Madonna dei Monti , 39

Phone 0371897613www.panizzariwine.it

Catering for 80 guestsCultural activities for 60guests 30 days per yearEducational programs for

60 guests 100 days per year

Agricola San Brunodi Seveso Maria Luisa

Cascina San BrunoPhone 0371898008

Accommodation for 20 guests

Palazzo Patigno, a typical 17th-century aristocraticdwelling-place, now the Town Hall, San Colombano al Lambro.

Guided tourof the monuments

(from the beginning ofMay to October)

Every first Sundayof the month

10.00 am-12.30 pm,3.00 pm-6.00 pm a

(free) guide isavailable for visits to

the monuments

Every first Sunday ofthe month

Free guided tour ofthe Paleontological

Museum10.00 am-12.15 pm3.00 pm-6.00 pm

Meeting place: the offices of the

“Pro Loco” in thewalled village of the

CastleTo book weekday visits

phone: Council offices

0371 293211

Il Borgo e il ColleAssociation

0371 293236www.itineraribanini.it


128

Feast Days

• Cantine aperte (Open wine cellars):4th Sunday in May

• Festa delle ciliege (Cherry festival):2nd Sunday in June

• Benvenuta vendemmia(Grape harvest festival)2nd Sunday in September

• Guiderdone banino (Re-enactment of siege of the castle)3rd Sunday in September

• Festa provinciale dell’uva(Provincial grape festival)4th Sunday in September

More


129

VizzoloPredabissi

AAname so particular, in some ways capti-vating, is derived from the ancient “Vico-

ciolus” (a diminutive of the Latin “vicus”) ofthe family of Predabissi, Sofia Predabissi tobe more precise, widow of an Alfieri, whohad vast properties here between Milaneseand Lodigiano in the 1800s, and who in 1863obtained a decree to add her own maidenname to this historical place.The lands of Sofia were for the most part in thatarea which today in the hamlet of CCaallvveennzzaannoo,also home of the ancientchurch of SSaannttaa MMaarriiaa AAss--ssuunnttaa , founded by Clunymonks, which is the most im-portant art history presence inthe zone. A document from1093 attests that in thisyear the family “de Mereg-nano” (today we would sayMelegnano) were author-ized to donate a church oftheirs in Calvenzano to ac o m m u n i t y o f C l u n ymonks: two years later, ithad already been turned in-to an abbey. In 1558, how-ever, the monastery was reduced to a lowerstatus and later passed on to the MilaneseChapter House. Typical of Lombardy is thecotto used for the building. The façade is late15th-century, the portal features relief workpreserved from the 12th century. In the apsethere remains a fresco from the mid 1300s.Tradition has it that here, in 524, SeverinoBoezio was put to death.

Vizzolo PredabissiInformation: ProLoco di Vizzolo Predabissi, viale Sarmazzano 2

City Council website: www.comune.vizzolopredabissi.mi.itkm 18,9 from Milan. Map: F-G 5

Church of Santa Maria Assunta,Vizzolo Predabissi.


130

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

ColturanoCity Council website: www.comune.colturano.mi.it


AAlong the provincial road be-tween Melegnano and Melzo,

historically within the scope ofMelegnano, this is a small citywhich, at the end of the 1900s, sawa very rapid transformation withresidential building development,subsequently bringing about its at-tractive position in the picture ofthe “Greater Milan”.Of artistic and historical interestare the small parish church andabove all what, in the centre of thevillage, remains of the CCiisstteerrcciiaannmmoonnaasstteerryy , founded in the firstdecade of the 1300s, later secular-

ized and even later passed to the Visconti,then to the Trivulzio, who passed it in part to

the Gallarati Scotti.Still recognizable is the internal ogival arcade,where the upper columns have painted coatsof arms and some windows are framed in ter-ra cotta. The homes in BBaallbbiiaannoo, around themodern church of San Giacomo Maggiore,are of ancient construction.

Church of San Giacomo Maggiore,Colturano.

Cistercian monastery, Colturano.


131

Dresano

BBetween the Lambro and the Adda, crossedby the Muzza canal, the territory of

Dresano was marshland for a millennium, butwas reclaimed and put to use by the monks ofSan Pietro in Lodi Vecchio.The three municipal centres of Dresano in-clude its historic centre which has grown uparound the church of San Giorgio Martire,the VViillllaaggggiioo MMaaddoonnnniinnaa built in the 1960salong provincial road 159, which breaks offfrom Via Emilia near Melegnano and, to thewest of the provincial road, the residentialcomplex which makes up the VViillllaaggggiioo AAmm--bbrroossiiaannoo. The area, natural farmland with anabundance of water and fertile soil, in someways struggles between the sphere of influ-ence of the metropolis and that of Lodi. Buteven as early as 1034, as a bequest of Aribertod’Intimiano, and since 1658, it became theproperty of the Milanese hospitals.Of particular interest is the ancient CCaasscciinnaaBBeellppeennssiieerroo, situated a brief distance fromthe town's historic centre.

DresanoCity Council website: www.comune.dresano.mi.it


Parish church of San Giorgio Martire, Dresano.Bernabòand the peasantThe story goes that it wasin Dresano that BernabòVisconti, incognito, heardfrom a peasant all thecomplaints people weremaking about the Viscontirule. When the poorpeasant discovered towhom he was talking, hethought he was doomed.But Bernabò had himtaken to court where hewas fed, and the peasantwas given back the smallfield that had been takenfrom him.

Cascina Belpensiero, Dresano.


132

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

IIn Roman times “ad quintumlapidem” – which means “at the

fifth mile” from Milan along ViaEmilia – this small city is locatedin a place where, in the 7th cen-tury, a parish church – a pieve -

was dedicated to San Donato. Itscurrent position is close to Milan, insome way a part of the city itself nearto the interchange on the A1 high-way, almost in front of the Chiar-avalle abbey. The farming tradition, historicallyvery successful, due to the efficiencyof irrigation systems, was surpassedin the 1950s, by the discovery of nat-ural methane fields which broughtEnte Nazionale Idrocarburi to trans-form San Donato into its headquar-ters: MMeettaannooppoollii. The result broughtabout the entry of the city into booksof the history of architecture, espe-cially with the offices of SSNNAAMM by Al-bini, Helg and Piva (1969-73) andthose by Gabetti and Isola (1985-91).The original pieve, reconstructed in ear-ly 1600s, still remains a valuable exam-ple of Lombard baroque. It is flanked bythe church of SSaanntt’’EEnnrriiccoo in Bolgiano,

constructed between 1963 and 1966 by IgnazioGardella.The BBMMWW headquarters in Via dell’UnioneEuropea – like the rest of the buildings ofMetanopoli, are easily distinguished from thehighway – were projects designed by KenzoTange Associates Italia.

San Donato MilaneseCity Council website: www.comune.sandonatomilanese.mi.it


BMW headquarters.

Church of Sant’Enrico,San Donato Milanese.

Abbey of Chiaravalle, San Donato Milanese.


133

San GiulianoMilanese

AAsmall city – even a city, considering its currentdimensions – is found in “Greater Milan” to

the southwest of Milan, separated only by theterritory of San Donato.Of very ancient history along the Roman ViaEmilia (two farmhouses present in the territorycorrespond to the seventh and eighth miles ofthe Mediolanum), the place bears the name of anearly Christian missionary originallyfrom Cappadocia, and in the MiddleAges was an important capopieve, orhead church.In what was, up to the 1800s, the inde-pendent municipality of Viboldone, -and the current hamlet of Sesto Ulteri-ano and Zivido have a similar history -the AAbbbbeeyy ooff VViibboollddoonnee has existedsince 1176, dedicated to San Pietro bythe Humiliati, and completed between1200 and 1300. With its cycle of Giot-toesque frescos, it can be grouped withChiaravalle, Mirasole and Morimondoas one of the most important monaster-ies of Milan. Part of the ancient com-

San Giuliano MilaneseInformation: ProLoco di San Giuliano Milanese, via Giovanni XXIII 19

[email protected] Council website: www.sangiulianonline.it


Viboldone Abbey, San Giuliano Milanese.

Main door of Viboldone Abbey,San Giuliano Milanese.

Hospitality in San GiulianoCascina Santa BreraGrandePhone 029868752Accommodation for25 guests. Recreationalactivities for 50 guestswww.cascinasantabrera.it


134

plex was reconstructed by Luigi Cac-cia Dominioni after the Second World

War. A short distance from ViaEmilia between San Giulianoand Melegnano, the RRooccccaa

BBrriivviioo is no longer in reality afortress, but a beautiful baroquebuilding with frescoed ceilings

and large fireplaces in the interior.Commissioned in the 1600s by the Brivio mar-

quis, today it is private property, used for exhibi-tions, concerts and conferences.Centro servizi per il turismo culturale Rocca BrivioPhone 02/98128321 - Fax 02/[email protected]

Fresh productsfrom San Giuliano

Azienda AgricolaBonetti GiovanniCascina Cologno

Phone 029880144Fresh raw milk

Azienda AgricolaTerra e Acqua

Cascina Santa Brera GrandePhone 029868752

www.cascinasantabrera.itCheese, vegetables,

fruit, honey, eggs,fresh raw milk

Azienda AgricolaViganò Rinaldo

Cascina Carlotta 2Fresh raw milk

Interior of Viboldone Abbey with its magnificent mainand side aisles, San Giuliano Milanese.


up to the Colle

The “Battle of the Giants”It is at Zivido, in the municipal territory of San Giu-liano Milanese, that a monument first commem-orates the link between the historical memorieswith the name of Melegnano. As we know, at thatbattle in 1515, mercenary Swiss participated.However, what is less known is that to this day,there has never been another war with suchheavy involvement of Swiss troops.

More

IIn the Bassa between the Lambro andthe Addetta, just about halfway be-

tween the Paullese road and Meleg-nano, there is farmland with only occa-sional springs, farmhouses or ancientbuildings: the municipalities of Trigin-to, Robbiano, Mombretto, Bustighera,San Martino Olearo, Vigliano and Bet-tolino, as well as the actual Mediglia.One curious historic feature is providedby the large ice-house, a propertywhich, for many years, was rented tothe contractor in the business of sup-plying Milan with ice.Of religious historic interest is thechurch of SSaannttoo SStteeffaannoo PPrroottoommaarr--ttiirree, which is found at Triginto, heir toone of the churches mentioned in the area in1280 by the “Liber Notitiæ Sanctorum Medi-olani” and, before that, in contracts of acquisitionin both 1254 and 1256.

MedigliaCity Council website: www.comune.mediglia.mi.it



135

Mediglia

Bustighera, Church of Madonna Maria Assunta, Mediglia.

Parish church of Santo Stefano Protomartire, Mediglia.

Fresh raw milkfrom Mediglia

Azienda AgricolaRanghetti S.S.

Cascina Gavazzo

Azienda AgricolaErcoli Giovanni

Cascina Canobbio


136

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

IIn the Bassa, southwest of the city, rathernear to Paullo but at some distance from the

principal roads, it lies on the border with theprovince of Lodi, in a zone of rich, fertilecountryside. Historically “Tribianum”, it isdocumented for the first time around the endof the first millenium. The small town is close

to the Addetta canal floodway originat-ing from the Muzza: close to the bridgewhich crosses the secondary canal, abuilding which is included in the rem-nants of a 14th century fortification isstill evident. Not far away, the churchof SSaannttii VViittoo ee MMooddeessttoo is from the1600s. In the hamlet of ZZooaattee, the littlechurch of SSaann BBaarrbbaazziiaannoo is datedfrom approximately 1090.In the area, there remain numerousagricultural buildings typical of the Bas-sa, among them the Cascina VecchioMonastero.

TribianoCity Council website: www.comune.tribiano.mi.it


Muzza canal, Tribiano.

Parish church of San Barbaziano, Tribiano.

Church of San Vito, Tribiano.


137

Paullo

IIt is from the vast expanse of marshland ofLake Gerundo and of the marsh waters

surrounding it, that the name of the cityhas been derived: from the Latin “palus”(marsh) to “Paullum” in 1140, then “Pad-ule” in 1174, followed by “Paule” and final-ly Paullo. Place names and archaeologicalfinds support the idea that there wereCeltic residences located here, while alsothe urban layout contributes to documenta complete Roman takeover. Of major im-portance then were the buildings of theBenedictine and of the Humiliati orders.The most important historic building, ofwhich we have had notice since 1261, is

PaulloCity Council website: www.comune.paullo.mi.it


Interior of the sanctuary of Santa Maria in Pratello, Paullo.

Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Pratello, Paullo.

the small sanctuary of SSaannttaa MMaarriiaa iinnPPrraatteelllloo that has recently been restored.An important plan between Milan andCremona has lately been put into motionto significantly increase the width of theprovincial road PPaauulllleessee (415).

Peach and quietin PaulloCasorati ImeldaCascina Sant’AntonioPhone 0290632350Accommodation for 10guests


138

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

LLike nearby Seg-ra te – wi th

which it shares thec i ty a i rport o fLLiinnaattee – PeschieraBorromeo is todaya medium/high-end residentialarea, surroundedby greenery, irri-gation ditches andmills. Found close

to the path of the Lambro, it is in an area histor-ically rich in woods which were traversed bythe old road Paullese, now interrupted verynear to Peschiera by the Linate runways.The municipality is the result of progressiveunification of small agricultural settlements: Ze-lo, Foromagno, the ancient Mezzate (a headchurch) and Peschiera itself.In 1432, Vitaliano Borromeo transformed whathad been an agricultural building into CCaasstteelllloo

di Peschiera, after whichit was converted into acountry home. Fourbrick buildings which in-clude a chapel define thecourtyard. The court-yard, as well as the dou-ble row of rectangularwindows, is from the17th century. The com-plex, which features itsown museum, is todayproperty of the Bor-romeo family.

Peschiera BorromeoCity Council website: www.peschieraborromeo.com


Castle, Peschiera Borromeo.

Castelletto diLonghignana

The Castelletto diLonghignana, 2

Via Trieste, is the secondmost important

monument in PeschieraBorromeo, even if little

of its past splendour hasstood the test of timeand wear. The interior

frescos, originallywide, have beenlost and covered

with plaster. Some decorationshave nevertheless

been restored by themost recent owners,

who in accordancewith Soprintendenza

dei Beni Culturalihave begun a

recovery effort. Todaythe castle is home toa restaurant. In frontof it, what was once

the cascina diLonghignana has also

been restored. Close-up of the Castelletto di Longhignana.


139

Pantigliate

AAsmall centre of the Bassa to the west of Mi-lan, a little north of the Paullese road past the

town of Peschiera Borromeo, in an agriculturalzone dating back for a thousand years, it still ap-pears today relatively untarnished by industrial-ized civilization.The countryside is furrowed by a tight networkof irrigation canals, which touch the numerouscascine and which sometimes even today acti-vate the mills. The city administration has start-ed restoration in the case of the old mill ofCascina Riva , or Cascina di Sotto. Today the zone of Pantigliate supports a greatdeal of traffic betweenMilan and Cremona,which is predicted tobe alleviated by thelengthening of the third(yellow) line of Milan’smetro network, the“Metropolitana Mi-lanese” (MM) alongthe Paullese, towardsPeschiera Borromeo.

PantigliateCity Council website: www.comune.pantigliate.mi.it

km 16 from Milan. Map: E 5

Above: Parish church of Madonna Provvidenza, Pantigliate.Left: an old mill, Pantigliate.

Agriturismoin Pantigliate

Arrigoni FermoCascina RoverbellaPhone 029067682Family catering for 20guests. Accommodationwithin the facilities for 10guests


140

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

NNot far from Milan, between the Adda andthe Lambro, north of Paullo, it takes its

name from the titled family of Settala,well known in the cultural history ofMilan for the sepulchre in the church ofSan Marco as much as for the splendid16th-century collection of objects ofevery type – a real Wunderkammer as-sembled by Count Ludovico at thedawn of modern science – which for along time remained at the Ambrosianaand were then in part recovered by theCivico Museo di Storia Naturale. The Settala family, who in the 16th cen-tury gave Milan a bishop, San Senatore,had already given Milan the foundationof what was to become in 1108 thechurch of SSaanntt’’AAmmbbrrooggiioo.

SettalaCity Council website: www.comune.settala.mi.it


Cascina Castello, Settala.

Parish church of Sant’Ambrogio,Settala.

Cascina CastelloSlightly less ancient are

the origins of theCascina Castello, where

the tower of a smallpalazzo survives from

the 12th century.


141

Rodano

BBetween Pioltello and Peschiera Borromeoalong the axis of the Rivoltana road, the ter-

ritory of Rodano has assembled since 1869 aseries of historic residential buildings that havegrown up around farmhouses, plus a few farm-houses which today remain isolated. Theircommon denominator is an origin far from themedieval works reclaimed by the Cistercianmonks (one is the Cascina Pratomarzo, whosename recalls a water-meadow), although nat-urally there are industrial buildings present.

Rodano

In the two photos, “Casa Gola”, a rural building of 15th-century origin, now used as premises for the Polo Botanico in Rodano.

City Council website: www.comune.rodano.mi.itkm 14,6 from Milan. Map: E 5

itinerario 1


up to the Colle

In the main piazza in the hamlet of LLuucciinnoo, infront of the city hall of Rodano, CCaassaa GGoollaa is arural complex composed of a closed court, atypical example of 15th-century Lombard ar-chitecture. It is municipal property used by theParco Agricolo Sud Milano which financed therestoration and gave the area its own PPoollooBBoottaanniiccoo.Also serving as apoint of informa-tion within thepark, Casa Gola isa short distancefrom the RiservaNaturale Sorgentidella Muzzetta andfrom the CascinaCastello, soon tobe headquarters ofa ethnographicaland rural historycentre.

The Museum of the LambrettaThe collections of enthusiastVittorio Tessera and a remark-able gift of the Innocenti family– who owned the company, lo-cated in the Lambrate area ofMilan, which produced the Lam-brette - gave life to an importanthistorical story of the scooter.Thirty-six of the most importantLambretta versions are exhibitedalongside other Italian and for-eign models, in addition to proto-types, miniature models, tro-phies, medals, clothing, and theonly official Innocenti archive,with more than 5000 photos,detailed construction plans,manuals and films.

Museo Scooter e LambrettaVia Turati 7, RodanoPhone 0295320438

Opening hours:Mondays and Fridayspre-booked visits for groupsof min. 10 people 10 a.m.-12 midday / 2 - 6 p.m.No entrance chargeSundays open to private

visitors too

Riserva Naturale Sorgenti della Muzzetta, Rodano.

Holdingof Trenzanesio

The portion northof the municipal

territory of Rodanoincludes the large and

splendid holding ofTrenzanesio,

maintained asa park, with deer

around a villa builtby Litta in the16th century.


142

More


143

Liscate

AAsmall city less than three kilometres south ofMelzo, along the axis of the Rivoltana road,

Liscate is made up of its original historic centre,some farmhouses, and a recent residential zonefor those who chose a tranquil life over a metro-politan one. Mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Man-zoni classic “The Betrothed” – by a youth thatRenzo meets while fleeing towards Bergamo –Liscate has its historic building in the church ofSSaannttii GGiioorrggiioo ee LLoorreennzzoo, with its characteristicbell tower, interesting not only in itself, butmore because it was the site of a preceding holybuilding in the Middle Ages, and previous tothat a building of ancient Roman construction.In the flowerbeds surrounding the church, youcan find an arrangement of sarcophagi, close toa wall featuring with a notable series of frag-ments dating back a thousand years. A bit scat-tered about in the interior are other materialsfrom the Middle Ages.

LiscateCity Council website: www.comune.liscate.mi.it

km 18,5 from Milan. Map: E 5-6

Parish church of Santi Giorgio e Lorenzo, Liscate.

AgriturismoliscatesePirola RobertoCascina di MezzoPhone 0295350372Accommodationfor 10 guestsCatering for 65 guestsfour days per week

From the farmsof LiscateAzienda AgricolaPirola RobertoCascina di MezzoPhone 0295350372Direct sales of meat,honey, rice and curedmeats

Azienda AgricolaDella Bassa AngeloCascina Molino MoraPhone 029587415Direct sales of meat,poultry, cured meats


144

Index

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

AChiaravalle Abbey 132Mirasole Abbey 117Viboldone Abbey 133, 134Albignano 90Arlate 54, 55Assago 110

BBagna 61Balbiano 130Basiano 93, 94, 101Basiglio 112Basilica Autarena 44Bellinzago Lombardo 84-85, 89Bertini hydroelectric

power plant 18Bettola 96, 97Binasco 104, 113Bisentrate 86Borromeo Castle 91Borromeo d’Adda Castle 42-43Brembo 8, 46Brivio 16, 20, 21, 52-54, 59Buccinasco 104, 107Busnago 93, 95, 98-99Bussero 64, 73, 82, 100Bustighera 135

CCalvenzano 129Cambiago 83, 93-94, 98Muzza Canal 40Canonica d’Adda 26, 45Caponago 81-82Chapel of the Beata Vergine 68Chapel of San Biagio 107Capriate San Gervasio 12-13, 46

Carpiano 104, 119Carugate 64, 72, 82Casa Carcano Arrigoni 85Casa Gola 141-142Casa parrocchiale 78Casarile 114Cascina Belpensiero 131Cascina Castellazzo 94Cascina Castello 140, 142Cascina Ricevitoria 60Cascina Rizzi 114Cascina San Nabore 93Cascina Vione 112Cascina Guardia di Sopra 106Cascina Guardia di Sotto 106Cassano d’Adda 34, 36-37,

39-44Cassina de’ Pecchi 64, 74Cassino Scanasio 104, 111, 116Castelletto di Longhignana 138Castle, Buccinasco 107Castle, Locate Triulzi 120-121Castle, Peschiera Borromeo 138Castle, San Colombano

al Lambro 124-126, 128 Castle, Trezzo sull’Adda 12,

14-15, 17, 19-20Castle, Binasco 113Castle, Rozzano 111Ceregallo 123Cernusco sul Naviglio 70Cerro al Lambro 122Cesano Boscone 109Church of Saints Colombano

e Gottardo 54Church of San Biagio,

Lacchiarella 115Church of San Biagio, Vignate 75Church of San Francesco 86Church of San Rocco, Casarile 114


145

Index

Church of San Roccoe Sant’Ambrogio, 87

Church of Sant’Alessandro 116Church of Sant’Andrea 77Church of Sant’Enrico 132Church of Santa Maria

Assunta, Opera 117Church of Santa Maria Assunta,

Vizzolo Predabissi 129Church of Santa Maria

delle Grazie 89Church of Santa Maria

in Prato 123Church of Santa Maria

Nascente 107Church of Beata Vergine

del Rosario 83Church of

San Barbaziano 136Church of San Rocco,

Inzago 88Church of San Rocco,

Melegnano 121Colle di San Colombano

103, 125-126Colleoni Castle 50-51Colombera 114Colturano 130Concesa 24-25, 33, 59Cornate d’Adda 18, 59, 61Corneliano Bertario 91Corsico 105-106, 108Corte dei Chiostri, 79Crespi d’Adda 12, 19, 24, 46-49

DDresano 131

EEsterle hydroelectric

power plant 60

FFara Gera d’Adda 44Forra di Paderno 56

GGessate 65, 84-85, 87, 93Gorgonzola 64-65, 75-76,

78-80, 86-87Grezzago 100-101

IIdroscalo 69Imbersago 51-52, 54-55, 57Inzago 87-89, 101Isola Borromeo 43

LLacchiarella 112, 115Lambro 9Linate 103, 138Liscate 143Locate di Triulzi 118

MMasate 92-93, 101Mediglia 135Melegnano 104, 119-122,

129-131, 134-135Melone 114Melzo 64-65, 75-77Milano 64Milanofiori 110Monastero, Basiano 94Monastero, Gorgonzola 79Monastero cistercense 130Monasterolo 89

NNaviglio Grande 103, 105-108


146

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

Naviglio Martesana 62, 64-70, 78-79, 87, 89

OOlona 9Opera 104, 117, 141Oratory of Sant’Antonio

Gropello d’Adda 35Oratory of Sant’Antonio,

Melzo 77Oratory of Saints

Aquilino e Carlo 42Oratory of San Dionigi 41Oratory of San Leonardo, 53Oratory of San Rocco,

Cerro al Lambro 122Oratory of San Rocco,Lacchiarella 115Oratory of San Rocco,

San Colombano al Lambro 125Oratory of San Rocco,

Trezzo sull’Adda 22-23Oratory of Santa

Maria Nuova 68

PPaderno d’Adda 55Palazzo Anguissola 90Palazzo Berva 41Palazzo Patigno 128Palazzo Piola 88, 89Palazzo Salazar 118Palazzo Schiaffinati 99Palazzo Trivulzio, Melzo 77Palazzo Trivulzio,

Locate di Triulzi 118Palazzo Zoia 101Pantigliate 139

Parco Adda Nord 59Parco Agricolo Sud Milano

103-104, 142Parco del Rio Vallone 93, 98Parish church of Santi

Ambrogio e Carlo 98Parish church of Santi

Cristoforo e Giacomo 122Parish church of Santi

Gervasio e Protasio 78Parish church of Santi

Giorgio e Lorenzo 143Parish church of Santi

Giovanni Battistae Stefano Protomartire 113

Parish church of SantiPietro e Paolo 84

Parish church of Santi Sisinio, Martirio e Alessandro 53

Parish church of SantiVito e Modesto 136

Parish church of Assunta 115Parish church of Beata

Vergine Maria Assunta 25Parish church of

Madonna Provvidenza 139Parish church of Cassano 39Parish church of

San Biagio 114Parish church of

San Colombano Abate 125Parish church of

San Desiderio 110Parish church of

San Giovanni Battista 109Parish church of San Giovanni

Evangelista,Canonica d’Adda 45

Parish church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Masate 93


147

Index

Parish church of San Gottardo, 95

Parish church of San Gregorio 94Parish church of San Martino,

Carpiano 119Parish church of San Martino,

Grezzago 100Parish church of San Michele,

Bellinzago Lombardo 85Parish church of San Michele,

Truccazzano 90Parish church of San Nicolò 30Parish church of San Zenone,

Cambiago 83Parish church of San Zenone,

San Zenone al Lambro 123Parish church of Sant’Agata 112Parish church of Sant’Ambrogio,

Settala 140Parish church of Sant’Ambrogio,

Trezzano sul Naviglio 108Parish church of Sant’Ambrogio,

Vignate 75Parish church of Sant’Andrea 71Parish church of Sant’Antonio

Abate 96Parish church of Santa

Giuliana 82Parish church of

Santa Maria Assunta 89Parish church of Santo

Stefano Protomartire 135Paullese 135, 137-139Paullo 136-137, 140Peschiera Borromeo 104,

138-139, 141Pessano con Bornago 80, 82Pieve Emanuele 104, 116Porchera 114

Porto d’Adda 59Pozzo d’Adda 96-97, 101Pozzuolo Martesana 86Prepositurale dei SantiAlessandro e Margherita 76Prevostal church of Saints

Gervasio e Protasio 21Prevostal church of

San Giovanni Battista 121

QQuartiere Zingone 108

RRiserva Naturale Sorgenti

della Muzzetta 142Rocca Brivio 104, 134Rodano 141, 142Roncello 98Rozzano 104, 111, 116Rusca hydroelectric

power plant 44

SSan Colombano 31San Colombano

al Lambro 122, 124-128San Donato Milanese 132San Giuliano Milanese 104,

133-134San Zenone al Lambro 122-123Santuario della Divina

Maternità 24, 25Santuario della Madonna

del Bosco 55Santuario di Santa Maria

alla Fontana 118


148

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

Santuario di Santa Mariain Pratello 137

Serio 8Settala 104, 140Solza 50-51

TTaccani hydroelectric

power plant 18-19Tenuta di Trenzanesio 142Tolcinasco 104, 116Torrazza dei Mandelli 83Torre civica 76Torre dei Germani 99torrente Molgora 82Trecella 86Trezzano Rosa 94-95, 100-101Trezzano sul Naviglio 108Trezzo sull’Adda 8-28, 30,

32-34, 36,-38, 40, 42, 44-48,50, 52, 54, 56-61

Tribiano 136Triginto 135Truccazzano 90-91, 101

VVaprio d'Adda 10, 26-33Vecchio mulino, Pantigliate 139Via Verdi 40-41Vignate 64, 75Villa Aitelli Vitali 89Villa Alari Visconti 70Villa arcivescovile 35Villa Biancani Greppi 70Villa Borromeo,

Cassano d’Adda 36-37, 40 Villa Brambilla 88Villa Brizzolara 97Villa Caccia Dominioni 123Villa Cazzaniga 68

Villa Chiesa Bentivoglio 74Villa d’Adda 51Villa Durini Borromeo 107Villa Facheris 87-88Villa Fornaci 84-85Villa Gallerana 72Villa Gina, Concesa 24, 25Villa Gina, Porto d’Adda 59Villa Gnecchi 88Villa Longhi 80Villa Marazzi Lattuada 109Villa Melzi d’Eril 26-28Villa Moioli 85Villa Montalto 97Villa Negroni Prati Morosini 80Villa Paradiso 61Villa Prata Galbiati

Simonetta 81-82Villa Prinetti 80Villa Rej 89Villa Resta Pallavicino 86Villa Rosales PallaviciniBrambilla 40Villa Salazar 84Villa Simonetta Archinto 29Villa Sioli Legnani 73Villa Sola Busca 79Villa Somaglia 72Villa Tamassia Redaelli, 73Villa Uboldo 70Villa Visconti di Modrone 29Villa Visconti,

Trezzo sull’Adda 18Villaggio Ambrosiano 131Villaggio Madonnina 131Villaggio operaio 12, 45-46Vimodrone 64, 68Vizzolo Predabissi 129

ZZavanasco 114Zoate 136

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

Notes

ExploringDa Vinci's

Countryside

Printed in february 2008by La Serigrafica Arti Grafiche Srl

Buccinasco (Milano)