- Villages
- Parks
Parks, trails and small villages northwest of Milan
The Upper Milanese Park enriches this area with natural vegetation, a regenerating green lung consisting mainly of broadleaf trees, especially oaks such as English Oak and Oak.
These are coppice-governed forests of limited extent, mostly wooded hedges or wooded belts dominated by two exotic North American species: the Robinia and the Late Cherry. Finally, the presence in the undergrowth of some herbaceous species such as Periwinkle is noted.
Thanks to the presence of areas of traditional agriculture and rural buildings such as farmsteads and stables, the park is inhabited by the owl, swallow, redstart, bat and other species that would not find a place elsewhere. Also signal the steadily increasing presence of blackbirds, turtle doves, red woodpeckers and squirrels.
It boasts multiple buildings of worship: the Parish Church of Saints Bernard and Joseph, which houses a 17th-century crucifix and some oil paintings; the Church of the Madonna della Nevi, where an 18th-century painting depicting the Holy Family is kept inside; and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, designed by Vico Magistretti, inside there is a Renaissance fresco. In the hamlet of Rescalda we find the deconsecrated church of San Giuseppe alla Pagana, also mentioned among the "Places of the Heart of the FAI, in the complex there is a fresco of Madonna and Child attributed to Bernardino Luini"
Ph: sempionenews.it
An important testimony concerning the Cerro area is archaeological findings. These are Christian tombs from the Roman period. A burial ground from the 1st century AD was discovered. Coins were also found with images of emperors Caesar Augustus, Domitian, Vespasian, Nerva, Trajan and with the effigy of deities such as Mars, Pallas and so on. Another burial ground was discovered later, filled with 17 tombs with various objects and 4 coins, the inscriptions of which lead one to believe that we were in the time of Augustus and Tiberius, thus the first decades of the 1st century AD.
Ph: legnanonews.com
Facts and legends are intertwined in the description of the clash that took place in 1176 between the forces of the League and the troops of Frederick I: the former, entrenched around the chariot, thanks in part to the arrival of reinforcements, succeeded in repelling the opposing attack and forcing Barbarossa to flee. Colorful, albeit with some indulgence to fantasy, is the account of the battle, which made Alberto da Giussano a symbol of greatness and valor. The monument by Buzzi, erected near the church of S. Maria delle Grazie, was dedicated to him after the 7th Centenary of the battle.
Ph: wikipedia.it
This pretty little town is very rich in the field of art, such as the frescoes in the little church of Santo Stefano. To the old mills on the Olona River, sure evidence of Lombard enterprise, agricultural activities, spinning mills and manufactures, many other initiatives, many other factories large and small have been added over time. S.Vittore and its people have lived and live around their municipality with all its public facilities, the parish church with its oratories, the new Sanctuary, in the courtyards of the old nucleus, in its houses and palaces.
Ph: malpensa24.it
A cadastral map highlights houses typically articulated around a courtyard, or a simple presence of dwellings that occupied parts of courtyards, in which case called a 'united court.' Buildings made of stones and terracotta, with tile roofs, were accessed by an arched doorway. On the same map, the Arborio-Mella palace and Villa Parravicini (referred to as 'holiday homes') stood out because of the size of their parks, which occupied 1/4 of the municipal area (Parravicini Park still exists today, albeit reduced, and is bound by the Superintendence of Environmental Heritage as a natural beauty).
Ph: IG juninluisao
Complexes noteworthy for their grandeur are Palazzo Visconti-Castelli, consisting of two conjoined buildings, the older of which faces north, and Villa Gallarati-Meraviglia. The "woods of Ca' Litta" are part of the Roccolo Park, covers about 15,000,000 m2, and is suitable for the defense of local fauna, flora and agricultural activities. It is characterized by the presence of native tree species (oak, cherry, Scots pine) and other species introduced by man (black locust, chestnut, red oak, prunus serotina); an extension is planned.
Ph: IG sagittario94
Olona Greenway is a route along the Olona River to discover the landscape, agricultural products and cultural heritage. On foot or by bicycle, immersed in the millennial agrarian landscape, along the river you will encounter historic mills, farms and artistic and naturalistic excellences. You will be able to make: a loop route that traces the route of the well-known international cross-country race "Cinque Mulini": the route that leads to the places of the Battle of Parabiago: the Virgilian route in which you can encounter various living environments that Virgil mentioned in his works.
Ph: sportlegnano.it
A Crivelli, the noble and powerful Ugolino, in 1468 supported the construction of the Olivetan Monastery of S. Maria Incoronata, a center of prayer and work, according to the Benedictine rule. Miniaturist artists and calligraphers worked on the construction, including Alessandro da Sesto, who was also the first Prior, Ambrogio da Fossano, known as the Bergognone, who painted the Altar Major Altarpiece representing the Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin, now preserved at the Brera Art Gallery. In 1859 King Victor Emmanuel II stopped in Nerviano after the Battle of Magenta.| Ph: IG sarappi81
During the Sforza seigniory in Milan, the official Executioner was a fellow who was a native of Pogliano itself, and as was the custom in those days, people were more easily recognized by calling them by the name of the town they came from. So that Milanese Hangman was called the "Pujian," and from then on the two words became synonymous, and the village was for everyone the "Paes del Boia." As a symbol, it was thought to build a statue, a monumental work, the Hangman as tall as a grown man together with the "bujet," a small demon that stood at his feet, usually around the braziers of a bonfire.
Ph: wikipedia.it
The present municipal seat is the palace that the Counts of Adda had built with various additions over time including the Granary and called by popular legends the cà del mago because a character who practiced magic and kidnapped the village girls lived there, according to tradition. The manor house has the typical U-shape of Lombard country villas, with a noble portico with granite columns on the facade. On the ground floor the rooms are decorated with late Mannerist grotesque frescoes. The building is preceded by a small square and followed by an English garden.
Ph: milanodavedere.it
The Visconti family owned the "castle" of Cornaredo, complete with a "fossatum magnum": it was certainly not a lordly residence, but served as a temporary refuge for the Cornaredesi during the devastating raids of the "Ungheri," bands of barbarians who wreaked havoc across the entire Po Valley in the 9th century. The "castle" was also owned in the 14th century by Luchino Visconti, Lord of Milan, whose son, Luchino Novello, having inherited it, in 1399 donated it, with the adjoining land, to the Certosa di Garegnano in order to help finish the construction work on the Milanese monastery.
Ph: wikipedia.it
Many farmsteads belonged to this municipality: Cascina "La Fabriziana," here in a large oven, in ancient times, bread was baked for all the pregnanesi; Cascina "L'Isola dei Fiori," so called because it was surrounded by gardens and flower beds; Cascina "Svizzera" with an owner of those origins; Cascina "Serbelloni-Salvetti," the only well-stocked store, where you could find everything, for all needs; Cascina "Comune" is rich in history and tragic events. The building still has a bell tower with a bell, a small altar and a very old bas-relief.
Ph: milanodavere.it
An absolute gem is the presence of the "Bosco di Vanzago," a nature reserve now owned by the WWF. This is an area of a thousand hectares in which the original appearance of the woods and the Lombard countryside is preserved and enhanced by the local fauna and with the periodic arrival of birds of passage, also attracted by the existing ponds. In the Middle Ages there was a nunnery, whose name has remained in the courtyard still known as "il Monasterolo." The palace known as "Gattinoni" and Palazzo Caldarara are surrounded by beautiful parks full of ancient and valuable trees.
Ph: comune.vanzago.mi.it
