Provincia di Milano

Knowing Milan and its province

Great Noble Villas in Groane Regional Park

Along the route to Milan's north, are some of the most important areas that are undergoing major urban development. The sector of the city from Bovisa to Quarto, was heavily used for industrial purposes, now operations have ceased in order for new developments to take place: new houses, new green areas, historical parks completely restored, and the recovery of facilities previously closed to the population. Therefore, the large factories in Bosiva have been transformed into classrooms and laboratories for the various faculties of an engineering school. There are other new buildings along the avenue that have also been converted. Following, the Milan-Torino route and heading to Saronno, we will reach the Castellazzo di Bollate, also known as Villa Arconati, on a warm evening during July you can see a beautiful concert starring famous international artists Here we are at the gates of Groane Park, a protected area that has over 3,400 acres of woods and meadows, considered as very precious greenery in the metropolitan area of Milan. The regional park, established in 1976, gets its name from the natural terraces, that sit a few meters higher than the other surrounding plains, consisting of glacial land and clay, this is Groane precisely . The natural beauty of the park extends to the precious villas belonging to aristocrats that can be found in this part of the plains that are crossed by the Channel Villoresi waters. The historical dwellings with high chimneys from the many furnaces that characterize the area alternate with the many tracks created by mankind in past eras . The major development of this area undertaken post-war rescued these beautiful villas. Villa Visconti Villa Borromeo Litta in Lainate with its famous water features and Villa Arese Borromeo in Cesano Maderno, in the brianteo territory, together with their gardens make a great impression on the land in the north of Milan.

Notes

The project of itineraries is by AIM - Association of Metropolitan Interests - and was developed for the site in association with provincial editorial staff of visitamilano.

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> The Sforza Castle
The Civic Aquarium stands next to the castle, a historical pavilion of the Exposition of 1906, that reopened to the public in 2006.
> Aquarium and Hydrobiological Station
From the Aquarium we will proceed to Bovisa, a district of Milan historically an industrial hub for chemistry and mechanics in addition to the gasworks that began in the early 1900. In the early 90's this area underwent major changes, with the arrival of the Politecnico di Milano new headquarters.
> Politecnico di Milano - Campus Bovisa
In the middle of Bovisa we will find the the new headquarters of the Mario Negri Institute, the Telelombardia head office, the University of Antenna 3 and above all the new Triennale.
> Mario Negri Institute
> Triennale Bovisa Museum
Alongside the district is the Vialba Park and Villa Scheibler.
> Park and Villa Scheibler
From the park we will go to the Certosa district where we will arrive at the Certosa park.
> The Certosa district/park
Proceeding to Saronno, which is close to Bollate, we will head along a scenic avenue that will lead us to the front of the majestic Villa Arconati or Castellazzo, one of the most spectacular homes in Milan.
> Arconati Palace
From Castellazzo we will continue along the road to Lainate, an area with an abundance of water and in the past covered with vineyards and mulberries. The name itself Lainate, comes from "locus ladenate" to be more precise a fertile place, the productivity of this territory was postponed, the farms here where still operational at the end of 19th century. The urban developments that took place after the second war, changed the area around Lainate. The beauty of Villa Litta Visconti Borromeo, has remained unaffected.
> Villa Visconti Borromeo, Litta, Weil Weiss
The territory that we have covered so far on this route is that of the vast Groane Regional Park, established in 1976.
> Groane Park
> Manue' Lake
Continuing on the road, we will pass the Groane Park, which will bring us to Cesano Maderno, where we will see the small village of Solaro, an its 14th century oratory of SS Catherine and Ambrose.
> Oratory of Saints Ambrogio and Caterina
From Solaro we will go to a protected area of the Groane Park: the Ca' of Re.
> Ca' del Re
In the green territory of Groane, mankind has left an imprint recognizable by the high chimneys of the many furnaces and the number or villas throughout the area. Senago and Arese names are linked to important noble residences, these areas have attracted a lot of interest because of its mild climate and proximity to Milan.