Desio () is a (municipality) in the province of Monza and Brianza, in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region of

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 ...

History

In 1277 it was the location of the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

between the Visconti and della Torre families for the rule 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 ...

. On 24 February 1924, Desio received the honorary title of city with a royal decree. In 1944 the opera singer Giuseppina Finzi-Magrini was killed in an American air raid on Desio. The town is known for being

Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

’s birthplace, information which the road sign on Desio’s border recalls. In the centre, more precisely in Via Pio XI 4, tourists and citizens can visit the Pope’s house every Sunday. On November 20, 1998, it was instituted the International Studies and Documentation Center

, at the presence of Mgr. Maurizio Galli. On 28 May 2022, Desio’s hospital was named after

to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Pope’s election. Marco Sportiello, A.C. Milan goalkeeper, was also born in Desio. Gabriele Oriali, former Inter‘s icon and

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national footbal ...

winner with

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, lives in Desio.

Main sights

* Villa Tittoni Traversi (18th century) *Torre dei Palagi (19th century) *Polo di Eccellenza

Transport

Desio is served by Desio railway station.

Sports

Gruppo Sportivo Santi Pietro e Paolo, also referred to as S. Pietro e Paolo Desio, is one of the most famous football teams in Desio. Founded in October 2003, the Group started its activities in March 2004 becoming affiliated with the Centro Universitario Sportivo Italiano (CUSI), the entity for sport promotion acknowledged by the

Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee (, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in ItalyWithin Italy, CONI recognizes 48 national ...

and the Episcopal Conference of Italy. Members of the Italian rhythmic gymnastics national team live and train in Desio. The football team U.S. Aurora Desio 1922, which plays in the Seconda Categoria, is based in Desio. The club is also affiliated with AC Monza

References

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