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Corbetta ( , ) is a ''
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 ...
'' (municipality) in the
Metropolitan City of Milan The Metropolitan City of Milan (; , ) is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city (not to be confused with the Milan metropolitan area, metropolitan area) in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is the second most populous metropolitan ci ...
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 ...
. Corbetta is also home of the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Miracles where according to history, a miracle occurred in 1555, when Jesus emerged from a painting of the Infant and healed a local deaf child. The church became a destination for pilgrimages.


Geography


Physical geography

The city of Corbetta has a planned layout, which is typical of the towns of the
Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...
, with forested areas and cultivations occupying roughly three-quarters of the municipality's territory. In terms of elevation, the settlement is very flat; the lowest point is above sea level and the highest point is , a difference of only . A noteworthy aspect of the town is that it is filled with many small streams, helping to shape the typical landscape of Corbetta; these rivers are now in the ''
Parco Agricolo Sud Milano Parco Agricolo Sud Milano ("Rural Park South Milan") is a large protected rural area located south and south-east of Milan, Italy. The park was established in 1990 with the purpose of preserving, safeguarding, and enhancing the natural and histo ...
'' (Natural Preservation South of Milan). Because of its proximity to the '' Naviglio Grande'', Corbetta is a member of the ''Polo dei Navigli'' (i.e. the cultural area surrounding the aforementioned canal) instituted by the
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 ...
. Corbetta received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on February 5, 1988.


Climate

Corbetta exhibits the usual climate of Italy's Northern plains: cold winters and warm summers, with rainfall being most common in autumn and spring. The municipality is in Climatic zone E.


Political geography

Corbetta's territory borders
Magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
to the West, Robecco sul Naviglio to the Southwest, Cassinetta di Lugagnano and Albairate to the South, Cisliano to the Southeast, Vittuone to the East, and Santo Stefano Ticino and Arluno to the North. Inside the borders, there are four ''
frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
'' (administrative subdivisions): Soriano, Castellazzo de' Stampi, Cerello and Battuello (the last two united in a unique ''frazione'' formally called Cerello-Battuello).
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 ...
, the largest nearby metropolis, is roughly from Corbetta, but for the dispensation of services, the most important center could be considered the bordering settlement of Magenta.


History


Pre-Roman and Roman Period

It is quite certain, looking at glass crockery found in the old castle's well, that the first houses in Corbetta were built between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when a small community of Celto-Ligurian tribes inhabited the area. In the 4th century BC, Celtic tribes called ''Insubres'' arrived. In the 2nd century BC, a Roman colony was established with the goal of defending
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 ...
and the territories to the east of the
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
River from the incursions of Gauls and Burgundians. In fitting with the defensive purpose of the settlement, city walls were constructed that surrounded a third of the local castle. Archeological sites are visible near the local church, including a Roman altar dedicated to
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
and Mani (Sacred Matrons - divinities who were protectors of the family). Archaeologists also found coins displaying the heads of
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
,
Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...
and
Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
. The city's proximity to Milan, which subsequently became an imperial see, favored the development of ''Curia Picta'' (i.e. the Roman name for Corbetta), which indicates that there probably was a tribunal located in the settlement (''curia'' meaning "tribunal" in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
).


Middle Ages

As a result of the siege of Milan led by Uraia's Ostrogoths in 539 AD, Corbetta received exiles coming from that city. It was at this time that the spread of Christianity also reached Corbetta; this is attested through the discovery (in 1971) of a pre-Christian Basilica under the church of Saint Vittore. In 569, the arrival of the
Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
brought the first formal legal documents that expressly mention the village. During the 9th century, the village and the castle of Corbetta passed under the lordship of the Archbishop of Milan. In 1037, hostilities between the Archbishop of Milan Aribert and the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II began. This was significant for Corbetta, because the Holy Roman Emperor, seeing the difficulty of laying siege to
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 ...
, with its multitude of defenders, instead, occupied Corbetta and its castle with his troops. A century after the occupation by Conrad in 1154, emperor Frederick I burned the village during his fight with the united communes of Northern Italy. In a document of 1162 - the ''actum in loco Corbetta, Frederico imperatore regnante'' - Corbetta is mentioned for the first time under this name. The population of Corbetta fought in the Milanese army in 1239 against
emperor Frederick II Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...
.


Visconti period

Following the rising in
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 ...
in 1270, Corbetta became part of the Visconti's dominion, which was almost a return to being under the lordship of an archbishop, as Ottone Visconti was elected archbishop in 1262, effectively making him lord of Milan. In 1275 Scarsio of Lanfranco from the Borri family, the general captain of Milanese noble exiles, was awarded many estates in the borough of Corbetta for services rendered to Otto and
Matteo I Visconti Matteo I Visconti (1250–1322) was the second of the Milanese Visconti of Milan, Visconti family to govern Milan. Matteo was born to Teobaldo (o Tibaldo) Visconti, Teobaldo Visconti and Anastasia Pirovano. In 1287, Matteo's uncle Ottone Visco ...
. In July 1289 the representatives of the Republic of Milan and the Marquis
William_VII of Montferrat William VII (c. 1240 – 6 February 1292), called the Great Marquis (), was the twelfth Marquis of Montferrat from 1253 to his death. He was also the titular King of Thessalonica. Biography Youth William was born in Trino, the eldest son ...
convened in Corbetta with the aim of creating an anti-Visconti alliance. In 1292 Matteo I Visconti resumed power in Milan, and gathered an army at Corbetta to conquer
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
. Visconti's son Galeazzo subsequently became vicar of Novara. Here in 1299, supporters of Montferrat conspired to conquer the city: Galeazzo Visconti escaped and took shelter in the castle of Corbetta. At the end of the 13th century painter Simone da Corbetta created frescoes in the church and cloister of Santa Maria dei Serviti in Milan, now conserved in the Pinacoteca di Brera. On 4 January 1363
Magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
and Corbetta were conquered by a British mercenary company hired by the Marquis of Monferrato. In 1376
Gian Galeazzo Visconti Gian Galeazzo Visconti (16 October 1351 – 3 September 1402), was the first duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan (1395) and ruled that late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance. He also ruled Lombardy jointly with his uncle Bernabò V ...
was sent by his father Galeazzo II against the Montferrat army in an ill-fated campaign that forced the Visconti to withdraw to Corbetta, where he was besieged.


Sforza and Italian Wars

With the climb to the power of Francesco I Sforza, Corbetta changed the lordship and was faithful also to the new princes. In 1499 the French troops of
Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...
invaded the Duchy of Milan. After a series of long wars, Milan, and orbetta with it, became Spanish possessions in 1535


16th-18th centuries

On 22 November 1577
Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal in 156 ...
consecrated the new bells of the church. He visited Corbetta again in 1581. In 1582 the population of Corbetta rebelled against the Spanish rule. In 1631 the German troops, returning from the siege of
Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...
, pillaged of the area. In 1650 the castle, already partially ruined, was dismantled; what remained was used to build some palaces in the nearby. During Austrian rule in Lombardy, baroques villas were built in Corbetta. The parochial church was built after Napoleonic troops occupied Italy.


From the Battle of Magenta to contemporary period

On 3 June 1859, to the eve of 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 ...
, the Massari Villa of Corbetta was one of the headquarters of the Austrian Feldmareshall Ferencz Gyulaj. The 2nd division of Austro-Hungarian cavalry of the VII Army Corps, at the orders of Feldmareshall Lieutenant von Lilia, was quartered in the garden and the stables of the castle In 1866 a body of the National Guard was garrisoned in the Castle: 150 men divided in four squads under the command of captain Dario Chierichetti. In the 1880s, with the peasants reduced to hunger from the ''"pendizzi"'' (debits but also "appendici" in contracts of rent) and from low wages, also exasperated because of ill-fated vintage years and unexpected deaths of silk worms, often the only source of maintenance for their families came down in public square against the landowners. . On 19 May 1889, in front of the Town hall of Corbetta (then situated in Via Cavour), the
police officers A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of ...
shot on the crowd killing one person, injuring at least seven and arresting twenty-one. In 1891 the new church was inaugurated, but the collapse of the bell tower at the costt of nine lives (2 June 1902) delayed the completion until 1908. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, 158 soldiers from Corbetta died. In 1921 the municipality had 7,689 inhabitants. The country's urban planning changed radically due to industrialization, with workers migrating to those towns where industries sprang up. In Corbetta, many workers still found employment in agriculture. In August 1944 on orders of German captain Theo Saevecke, responsible for the Massacre of Loreto square in
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 ...
, eight civilians including the local partisan Pierino Beretta were killed as reprisal for partisan attacks on German troops. After the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Corbetta experienced an
economic boom An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with ...
. Corbetta's importance increased, and it became one of the greater naturalistic and cultural centers of the
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 ...
, especially in the 1980s. On 5 February 1988 Corbetta was designated a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
by the president of the Italian Republic Francesco Cossiga. Today Corbetta is consolidating more and more like cultural and naturalistic pole, and in order to render these prerogatives in 2007 still more realistic it has taken to the way the plan "ecosustainability", than the scope is proposed to render the common note ecosostenibile to low environmental impact them.


Demographics

In the latest census of 2001, Corbetta had 13,735 inhabitants, subdivided into 6,664 males and 7,071 females. Throughout its known history, the city has usually exhibited moderate growth. A peak in population growth occurred from 1881 to 1911, during which time the local industrialization brought in new citizens and new workplaces. There was a period of stasis in population growth during the two World Wars. A resumption in growth occurred with an economic boom (from 1951 to 1971). The two most recent censuses have each recorded a small increase of approximately 500 residents. From 2001 until the present, the population has grown more than 18,000, with the construction of new residential complexes in the city and its
frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
.


Historic buildings

* Marian sanctuary of the Madonna of the Miracles * Palazzo Brentano


References

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