Gorgonzola, Milan

Gorgonzola (Lombard: Gorgonzoeula [ɡurɡũˈzøːla]) is a town in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy. It is part of the territory of the Martesana, north-east of Milan. The cheese gorgonzola is named after the town.

Gorgonzola
Comune
Città di Gorgonzola
Night view of the Naviglio Martesana canal in Gorgonzola.
Coat of arms
Location of Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola
Location of Gorgonzola in Italy
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola (Lombardy)
Coordinates: 45°32′N 9°24′E
CountryItaly
RegionLombardy
Metropolitan cityMilan (MI)
Government
 • MayorAngelo Stucchi
Area
 • Total10.69 km2 (4.13 sq mi)
Elevation
133 m (436 ft)
Population
 (30 November 2017)[2]
 • Total20,516
 • Density1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Gorgonzolesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
20064
Dialing code02
WebsiteOfficial website

History

The first written records mentioning the village of Gorgonzola back to the tenth century: the notary clerk of the convent of Saint Ambrose in Milan was the caretaker of the church of Saints Gervasio and Protasio in "Gorgontiola". In 453 the church, located in the current suburb of Gorgonzola, was attacked by the Huns who destroyed the nearby Roman town of Argentia, making the small village, formed earlier by one "mutatio" (station for changing horses) become the most densely populated of the surrounding territories.

In 1176 it joined the Lombard League and, in 1245, during clashes that followed the Peace of Constance in 1183 and which involved the heirs of Frederick Barbarossa, during the assault by Frederick II on the ramparts of Milan, the forces of Lombardy had to hold up in Gorgonzola: there were clashes amongst them and commanders of both sides were captured by their respective enemies.

In the thirteenth century, the town belonged directly to the Milanese family of the Della Torre, before they were ousted by the Visconti. In 1288, Gorgonzola was recorded as one of the most important churches of the diocese of Milan, and in 1510 it appears for the first time on a document, with its current name.

Towards the end of the 18th century, the town became politically significant for the area around Milan, particularly the 12th district of Lombardy, and it was vested with the power to administer 33 neighbouring towns. By the time of the Italian unification in 1861, Gorgonzola was in charge of administering only nineteen of these, including one that was larger than itself: Cernusco sul Naviglio. In 1861 the population of the area was 28,496, only 4,320 of whom lived in Gorgonzola itself.[3]

Etymology

For a long time it was thought that the name derived from the Latin Gorgonzola "Curte Argentia" which seems to indicate a settlement near the Roman town of Argentia, situated between Milan and Bergamo, or, according to other interpretations, a place for the horses at the 14th mile on the road towards Bergamo; over time the name would undergo the change in Curt-Argentia, Cort-argentiola and finally Gorgonzola. A more recent theory is that it takes its name from the goddess Concordia, corrupted into Corcondiola and finally in Gorgonzola.

Weather

Gorgonzola is located in the west of the basin of the Po Valley, and has a continental climate. Winters are cold, with heavy frost and fog, and temperatures frequently close to or below freezing. There are approximately 100 frost days per year, mostly from late November to early April, but occasionally in October or April as well.

Summers are very hot and humid, as throughout the Po Valley, but affected by very strong storms, destructive and often accompanied by lightning, hail and strong winds. The storms are most common in July, and often cause significant cooling. Even in midsummer, cool days with temperatures of 12-15°C are possible, and the months between June and August are quite rainy.

Overall, rainfall in Gorgonzola are very abundant and relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. However, winter months are drier, with a low of about 68 mm in January. Snow falls from November to March and accumulations can be substantial. The average accumulations per event is around 10 cm. Total episodes of snow in a year are never more than ten.

Humidity is high throughout the year, especially in the winter months and during the night. Rainy and foggy days are becoming less frequent, although the total annual rainfall has not changed significantly. The mists are favoured by the clear skies, which allows cooling from radiation.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census, the population of Gorgonzola amounts to 19,402 people, including 1,753 foreigners (8.9%).

Largest foreign communities
Rank Nationality Population Percentage
1 Romania 368 21.1%
2 Peru 152 8.7%
3 Philippines 145 8.3%
4 Egypt 140 8.0%
5 Albania 129 7.4%
6 Ecuador 119 6.8%
7 Morocco 103 5.9%
8 Ukraine 80 4.6%

Residents in the past:

    1,467 in 1751
    1,726 in 1771
    2,205 in 1805
    2660 after annexation of Sant'Agata in 1809
    4113 in 1853
    4220 in 1859

People

Economy

In 2008, there were 1223 companies in the municipality with a total of 4770 employees. Of these, 1461 employees were in industry, 688 in the commerce sector, and 2233 in the service sector.

Transport

The municipality of Gorgonzola is served by the line M2 of the Milan Metro with three stops: Villa Pompea (Piazza Marzabotto), Gorgonzola (Piazza Europa) and Cascina Antonietta (Via Sondrio). The Gorgonzola stop (Piazza

Administration
Period Mayor Party
1946 1980 Camillo Ripamonti DC
1980 1990 Mario Villa DC
1990 1995 Osvaldo Vallese PSI
1995 1998 Ernestino Mantegazza LN
1998 2008 Stefano Lampertico PD
2008 2013 Walter Baldi PDL - LN
2013 Angelo Stucchi PD

Cheese

The city claims to have been the birthplace of its namesake cheese in 879,[4] although other towns claim the origins.[5]. The area has a long history of breeding of dairy cows and production of cheese, in particular soft cheese. In this regard there are documents in the state of Milan that prove the presence of these cattle, sheep and cows, periodically surveyed and took the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who, in one of his proclamations declared that the areas east of the state of Milan would continue in the cultivation of meadows for the breeding of dairy cows to be used in the production of cheese.

Churches

Provost of Saints Gervasio and Protasio

The main city church is dedicated to Saints Gervasio and Protasio, and was completely rebuilt in the nineteenth century in the neoclassical style by Simone Cantoni for the Duke Serbelloni.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Help

Formerly dedicated to St. Peter, part of an ancient convent of the Humiliated, religious architecture is the city's oldest. It was later dedicated to Our Lady of Help. The marble altar is of the seventeenth century, and there is a Via Crucis of valuable wood. In the past the church had an eighteenth-century pipe organ.

Sport

The main volleyball team is US Volleyball Argentia whose male team currently plays in Serie B2, while the ladies play in Serie C. The club has teams of all ages from Under 13 to Under 18, both for men and women.

The main football club is Giana Erminio, which in 2013 achieved its first promotion to Serie D, and was promoted again in 2014-2015. The home ground of Giana Erminio (as well as the main ground in the city) is the Municipal Stadium of the City of Gorgonzola. Another football club is POL Argentia whose first team plays in the second category. Other sports clubs in Gorgonzola include Argentia New Basketball, Shotokan Karate Argentia, and ASD Gorgonzola Cycling. In the town there is also the Group Podistico Gorgonzola, which organises the races known as Running Gipigiata.

Twin towns
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See also

Notes
  1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. Data from Istat
  3. G. Perego, Gorgonzola: Tre secoli della nostra storia (Comune di Gorgonzola, ed.) (Modulinpianti, Grezzago 2002) p. 50
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-03-27. Retrieved 2007-02-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. The birthplace of Gorgonzola. Maybe. | csmonitor.com
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