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Bosisio Parini
A journey in time on the banks of the Lake Pusiano
Bosisio Parini, in the province of Lecco, lies on the banks of Lake Pusiano.
Its territory also comprises the village of Garbagnate Rota, an autonomous municipality until 1757.
In the Middle Ages, Bosisio was part of the Contado Martesana; in the fifteenth century, with Pusiano, Moiana, Garbagnate, Suello, Cesana and Borima, it joined the Squadra de’ Mauri, a special administrative parish of the Duchy of Milan that enjoyed many privileges thanks to its link with a powerful Ghibelline family, the Mauris. The fief then passed into the hands of the Fregoso family and in 1533 into those of Senator Francesco Sfondrati, whose family owned it until 1788.
During Spanish domination, its development was slowed down by heavy taxes and frequent outbreaks of cholera and plague, caused by widespread poverty and poor hygiene conditions. The arrival of the Austrians in the early eighteenth century improved social organisation and living conditions.
At the start of the nineteenth century, Bosisio was part of the Italian Republic founded by Napoleon. This was when reclamation started of the swampy “Pascolo” area, leading to discovery of peat, which was to become an important new resource for local industry.
After extraction, some of it was distributed to the locals and the rest was sold. This brought in considerable revenue for the municipal coffers, so much so that during domination by the Savoy family and when it became part of the Kingdom of Italy, Bosisio was able to loan money to other cities while sustaining its own development, the building of roads, wells, public washing places and purchase of the lake. The town’s most famous citizen was the poet Giuseppe Parini (1729-1799).
