Castano Primo (; ) is a city and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in

Province of Milan The province of Milan () was a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Milan. The area of the former province is highly urbanized, with more than 2,000 inhabitants/km2, the third-highest population density among Ital ...

, in the Italian region

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

, located about northwest of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. Castano Primo borders the following municipalities: Lonate Pozzolo, Vanzaghello, Magnago, Nosate, Buscate,

Cameri Cameri is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northeast of Novara. Cameri borders the following municipalities: Bellinzago Novarese, Caltignaga ...

, Turbigo, Robecchetto con Induno, Cuggiono. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on October 11, 1984.

History

Castano was initially a Roman village that subsequently came under the Burgaria of Parabiago. It was converted to a military fortress by the Counts of Biandrate, passing eventually to the House of Visconti. During internal struggles within the House of Visconti, Castano was pillaged. The fortress was rebuilt in the 14th century and ownership passed to the Archbishop. Various periods of struggle and domination by the Visconti followed until, in 1447, Castano came under the control of the

House of Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ended with the d ...

who gave it as fiefdom to a family favourite. In the 16th century the war between the French and Spanish waged around the town but remained it under the control of the Viscount of Brignano until 1717. By 1604 the population of Castano was around 1500 people. On 22 June 1636 Castano was nearly destroyed in the battle fought by the Spanish and Austrians against the French. With the end of the Brignano family, Castano came under Portuguese rule passing through the hands of various noble families, then was eventually conceded to the Austrians. From 1786 to 1791 Castano was part of the Province of

Gallarate Gallarate (; Lombard language, Lombard: ''Galaraa'') is a city and ''comune'' of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people. It is the junction ...

. With the end of Napoleonic rule, Castano again came under Austrian control. In 1848 much of the population emigrated to the nearby Province of

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

to escape the repressive rule of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

. Following the

Battle of Magenta The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 near the town of Magenta in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a crown land of the Austrian Empire, during the Second Italian War of Independence. It resulted in a French-Sardinian victory under ...

in June 1859, Castano became part of

Name

The name Castano most probably derives from the old "Silvae Castanae" (chestnut woods). Other sources suggest the original name was in fact "Castro Casteno", as town was close to a castle or other fortification. Those sources point to an ancient crest or shield of the town that depicts a red castle from which grows a leafy chestnut tree, still shown today on the stem of the current council. The suffix "Primo" was added by the then king,

Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di House of Savoy, Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 u ...

, by a decree dated 10 December 1863 to distinguish Castano from another town of the same name in the Province of

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

Main sights

* Church of St.

Zeno of Verona Zeno of Verona (; ; about 300 – 371 or 380) was an African emigrants to Italy, Afro-Italian Christian figure believed to have either served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Verona, Bishop of Verona or died as a martyr. He is venerated as a saint i ...

, which also hosts the Santo Crocifisso (or Holy Cross) of Castano Primo. * Church of

Saint Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known for his translation of the Bible ...

. * Church of

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

. * Church of the Madonna of the Poor. * Chapel of Madonna di Gree. * Palazzo Rusconi Castano Primo Villa Rusconi

Le Cascine

A Cascina is a type of courtyard farmstead, typical to the region, where all the buildings (dwellings for all workers and inhabitants, stables, storerooms, haylofts, wells, even mills) are built in a square around a courtyard. * ''Cascina Malpaga'': the largest in the area, has hosted up to 137 inhabitants * ''Cascina Cantona'' * ''Cascina Cornarina'' * ''Cascina Saronna''

References

External links

www.comune.castanoprimo.mi.it/
{{authority control Cities and towns in Lombardy