Bovisio-Masciago ( lmo, label= Brianzoeu, Bovis-Masciagh ), is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Monza and Brianza The province of Monza and Brianza ( it, provincia di Monza e della Brianza; lmo, label= Monzese, provincia de Monscia e de la Brianza) is an administrative province of Lombardy region, Italy. Description It was officially created by splitting ...

in the

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

region

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, located about north of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Geography

Bovisio Masciago is located in the

Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...

, the foothills of the nearby hills of

Brianza Brianza (, , lmo, label= Brianzöö dialect, Briànsa) is a geographical, historical and cultural area of Italy, at the foot of the Alps, in the northwest of Lombardy, between Milan and Lake Como. Geography Brianza extends from the ...

. It is a few kilometers from

(easily accessible thanks to the Northern Railways of Milan),

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

Saronno Saronno (; lmo, Saronn ) is a ''comune'' of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960. With an estimated population of 39,351 inhabitants, it is the most densely populated ...

and

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

. The city is crossed from north to south by the River Seveso. Bovisio is one of the 16 municipalities of the Park and one of three common Groane Oasis LIPU (Italian League for Bird Protection) of Cesano Maderno.

History

Name

Bovisio Masciago arose in 1928, when the

king of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...

Victor Emmanuel III The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, after consulting

Italian Minister of the Interior The Minister of the Interior (Italian: ''Ministro dell'Interno'') in Italy is one of the most important positions in the Italian Council of Ministers and leads the Ministry of the Interior. The current Minister is prefect Matteo Piantedosi, a ...

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

, fused Bovisio and Masciago Milanese. The village was called "Bovisio", but people of Masciago protested; so, in 1947, the municipality was called Bovisio Masciago.

Bovisio

The name Bovisio should come from the Latin ''bovis otium'' and would like to show that in this place the Roman army took the supplies and animals. The confirmation of the Roman origins of Bovisio occurred in 1935 when it was discovered in its territory, a Gallo-Roman tomb containing various household items.

Masciago

The name of Masciago also has Latin origin and should be derived from ''Martis ager'' (Field of Mars) and would indicate that the location, the Roman era, had been a military camp.

Economy

Formerly the main economic activity was agricultural, with many of the families engaged in the

silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...

. Since the 19th century the industrial sector gradually developed. One of the most important industries in Bovisio was that of the Zari family, whose activities started in 1867. The company produced wooden floors and furniture and sewing machines. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Zari turned into a war industry producing wooden casings for aircraft. Other industries present at Bovisio included: * Golden Auction Limited Company * L.I.G.A. (Italian Rubber Processing and Related) * S.A.R.A. (Anonymous Society of Bovisio Weaving) * Cork Marangoni & C. (founded in 1882, was one of the largest cork in Europe) * Furnace Solcia. Currently none of these industries is active. The furnace and many of the old warehouses have been demolished. Some sheds still house small artisan firms, but there are plans to redevelop their total demolition of the old town.

Main sights

* Parish church of St. Pancrazio * Ancient church of St. Martin Vescovo * The parish church of St. Martin * Villa Erba Odescalchi-Scotti (now Town Hall) * Villa Sonzoni-Mariani-Compostela * Villa Tanzi * Villa Zari * Villa Agnesi-Mariani-Radix-Ditches * Villa Crofs

People

* Anselm IV (1097), Archbishop of

Maria Gaetana Agnesi Maria Gaetana Agnesi ( , , ; 16 May 1718 – 9 January 1799) was an Italian mathematician, philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian. She was the first woman to write a mathematics handbook and the first woman appointed as a mathematics profe ...

(1718), linguist, mathematician and philosopher *

Luigi Maria Monti Luigi Maria Monti (24 July 1825 – 1 October 1900) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception. He was referred to as "Father" despite not being an ordained priest. Monti served as a ...

(1825), Blessed *

Franco Giorgetti Franco Giorgetti (13 October 1902 – 18 March 1983) was an Italian racing cyclist and Olympic champion in track cycling. Giorgetti was born in Bovisio-Masciago. He won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antw ...

(1902), cyclist and Olympic Champion, * Alessandra Fossati (1963), high jumper

References

External links

Official website

{{authority control Populated places on Brianza