Milan Surroundings
Admiral Hotel
ClassHotel 4 star
Area Fiera Milano City
HotelThe Admiral Hotel was created in 1972 by the carburetor genius: cav. Luigi Dell'Orto...
Art cities and castles
Fashion, finance, economy and industry have always marked the identity of the Milanese hinterland, but perhaps not everyone knows that the ever-growing capitalist production is paralleled by an inestimable artistic and cultural heritage. The image of modernity which currently characterises Milan and the entire Lombard region leads us to overlook the complex historical past, a synthesis of the passage and encounter of different cultures. Fortunately, there are a surprising number of richly illustrative art cities, which proudly and constantly offer this heritage to our gaze; picturesque and evocative villas and castles are preserved, perfectly integrated within a context of modernity which nevertheless remains removed. In the past some of the noblest and most powerful Italian families chose sites of particular environmental attraction within the province to build their summer residences, fortresses or castles, then summoning the best artists and craftsmen of the time to apply their inexhaustible creativity and genius to celebrate the magnificence of their patrons.
Castles, villas, fortresses and gardens surrounded by marvellous parks, with views which range over the Lombard countryside or the largest and finest lakes in Italy, offer the visitor unforgettable sights. Let yourself be carried away by the intense atmosphere which pervades these sophisticated settings, veritable museums overflowing with works of art. Stroll along the avenues of gardens which proffer an explosion of colours and scents, among austere and ancient trees transformed into veritable natural sculptures. The visitor cannot but be moved in these places which have made history, breathing an air scented with the past, wandering amidst dwellings which have housed illustrious figures whose memory is zealously preserved in the rooms and museums. In this way a normal day-trip or week-end is transformed into an amazing voyage of discovery, a precious occasion of entertainment and culture.
Lainate: Villa Borromeo
Opening an itinerary worthy of the most demanding culture vultures is the opulent splendour of Villa Borromeo in Lainate. This monumental edifice was built in 1560 by Fabio Visconti Borromeo and transformed in 1585 by Pirro I Visconti Borromeo who, inspired by the Medici villas of the period, called upon the most famous architects and artists of the time to carry out his ambitious project. Purchased in 1700 by the Litta family, it was embellished with gardens, an English park and the splendid fountains of Galatea and Neptune. Acquired in 1872 by Baron Ignazio Weill Weiss, in 1932 it passed into the hands of the Toselli family and thence in 1970 to the Lainate Town Council. It is a masterpiece of frescoes, mosaics, fountains and waterworks; the unique technique of Camillo Procaccini's stone frescoes is of considerable importance, as are the striking arabesques of Ninfeo's water-plays, the frescoes of Morazzone and Levati and the statues of F. Brambilla the Younger. After a period of abandon, the villa has been restored, and is now open to the public on Sundays between May and September from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. On warm Saturday evenings in June, July and September, the villa is transfigured by an enchanting spectacle of Son et Lumire, while in the first week-end of September it becomes the dramatic backdrop for an Historical Re-enactment in period costume.
Legnano
Remaining with tradition, we have to visit Legnano, a city not far from the capital and famous for the "Sagra del Carroccio" - a Palio delle Contrade held in May, an ancient mediaeval celebration recalling the famous battle of 29 May 1176. This very distinctive festival is a combination of folklore revival, costume parade and sportive contest. The ritual celebration is flanked by a series of highly important cultural events, among them an international choral festival, and sporting competitions. As well as the church of S. Ambrogio and the historic Cascina Mazzafame, site of the famous battle, Legnano also houses the Museo Civico Sutermeister, displaying archaeological finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages, Roman urns and tablets, Longobard tomb furnishings and important numismatic collections. The rendezvous with art proceeds in an unceasing marathon amidst spectacular historical complexes.
Magenta
Magenta has many historical and famous buildings: Villa Brocca, Villa Crivelli and the "Peralza" villa, a farm since 1962, with frescoed drawing-rooms, staircases and a porticoed facade. Very fine is the Castello Visconteo in Turbigo, built in the thirteenth century and transformed into a residence by the Landi family, where we can still admire the three towers and the battlemented walls. Parabiago, lapped by the Canale Villoresi and a centre for footwear and mechanical industries, preserves precious architectural exemplars from various periods, including the fine art-nouveau Villa Felice Gaio, while also well worth a visit is the Museo Archeologico, Storico, Culturale "Carla Musazzi".
Abbiategrasso
Very similar in its austere simplicity is the Castello Visconteo Sforzesco (1382) in Abbiategrasso, built on a rectangular plan, with the courtyard opening onto the piazza. At the junction of the two sides, with fine ogive windows, are the remains of the tower, while in the courtyard we can see the decorations with the Sforza motto "a bon droit". The late fourteenth-century Lombard Gothic style church of S. Maria Nuova has the great pronaos designed by Bramante in 1497 against its facade.
From Peschiera Borromeo to San Colombano al Lambro
To the south of Milano San Felice, in the municipality of Peschiera Borromeo, you will find the homonym castle, raised by the noble dynasty in 1432 and in its possession since then. Nearby, the Cascine Guardia di Sopra and di Sotto di Corsico, are typical exemples of the great Milanese agricultural estates. Previously belonging to the Visconti, the complex unwinds astride the Naviglio Grande with long blind arcades running parallel to the waterway, concealing the service buildings in the courtyards to the rear. Not to be missed are the Oratory of the Madonna della Guardia and the magnificent fifteenth-century Castello Visconteo in Binasco, which witnessed the tragic destiny of Beatrice di Tenda, wife of Filippo Maria Visconti, who was locked up and later beheaded here on the charge of adultery. The habitual spiritual retreat of Cardinal Federico, Villa Borromeo, set within the Groane park in the historic centre of Senago, displays the results of careful renovation. The ancient Castle of San Colombano in Lambro, built in 1164 and extended in the fourteenth century by the Visconti family with the addition of new walls and towers, still preserves the perimeter walls and the remains of the Rocca. The ancient mediaeval hamlet is of immense interest, a fitting conclusion to an itinerary through the extraordinary evidence of centuries, with structures and complexes harmoniously preserved in full respect of art and of history.