Gratosoglio
Gratosoglio
Grattasoeuj(Lombard) | |
|---|---|
Quartiere of Milan | |
 Apartment blocks in Gratosoglio | |
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lombardy |
| Province | Milan |
| Comune | Milan |
| Zone | 5 |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
Gratosoglio(Italian:[ɡratoˈsɔʎʎo];Milanese:Grattasoeuj[ɡrataˈsøj])[1]is a district (quartiere) of the city ofMilan,Italy,part of theZone 5administrative division. It is located at southernmost end of the city, bordering on thecomuneofRozzano,and it is traversed by theLambroriver.
The district has an area of about 400,000 m2,centered on the main thoroughfare Via dei Missaglia. Having started as acommuter townin the 1960s, with large prefabricated apartment blocks destined to house immigrant workers coming from theSouth of Italy,the district is usually listed among those most degraded (e.g., having the highest crime rates) in the surroundings of Milan.
The nameGratosogliois derived from theLatinwordsgratum solium"agreeable throne", whichapostleBarnabas(founder of the Milanese church), according to a local legend, pronounced when he was about to leave Milan.[2][3]
History
[edit]Gratosoglio developed from aBenedictinemonasterythat was founded between 1107 and 1130 on the road connecting Milan toPavia.Despite being a very little community (less than a dozen monks), the monastery became very wealthy, and for about three centuries it also actively influenced the city of Milan.[4]In the mid 15th century the community fell in decay, and by 1545 the monastery was abandoned by the Benedictine. BothCarmelitesandFranciscanswould later be sent to officiate in the monastery's church and would thus inhabit the monastery.
The local rural community survived the decay of the monastery, and in the 18th century was annexed to theCorpi Santicomune.
The area was urbanized in the early 1960s, in response to the increasing demand of low price residential areas caused by immigration fromSouthern Italy.Between 1962 and 1965, over 50 large buildings (9 to 16 floors high) were constructed, largely usingprefabricatedblocks. Gratosoglio thus earned its fame of a degraded and marginaldormitory district.
Footnotes
[edit]- ^E. Restelli.A Milano si dice così(in Italian). Libreria Milanese.
- ^Storia di Casina Basmetto
- ^Barzaghi, Achille (2004).Gratosoglio. Vicende storiche di "Gratum Solium" dalle origini al 2000(in Italian). Barzago: Marna.ISBN88-7203-220-2.
- ^Parrocchia San Barnaba in Gratosoglio - La storia della chiesaArchived2010-10-01 at theWayback Machine(in Italian)
