Quarto Cagnino
Encyclopedia
Quarto Cagnino is a district ("quartiere
") of Milan
, Italy
, part of the Zone 7 administrative division of the city. It borders onto the districts of Trenno
(north), San Siro
(east), Baggio
(south), and Quinto Romano
(west). Before being annexed to Milan, in 1869, it has been an autonomous comune
and, briefly, a part of Trenno (from 1861 to 1869).
Quarto Cagnino is a formerly rural, now urban district, with the last period of quick urban development having occurred in the late 1960s in so called "GESCAL" projects. The "GESCAL" acronym stands for "Gestione Case per i Lavoratori", i.e., "Housing for Workers"; these projects were meant to realized vast low-income apartment blocks in rationally organized, "satellite" city neighbourhoods. Example of GESCAL apartment flats are found along Via Carlo Marx, close to the San Carlo hospital. While low-income, huge apartment buildings dominate the landscape of Quarto, these contrast with some remaining ancient cascine, testifying the rural past of the district. These are mostly found along Via Fratelli Zoia, which used to be the main street of old rural Quarto Cagnino.
The district is connected to Milan by several bus lines. The district has one of the major hospitals in Milan, the San Carlo, and part of two large city parks, Parco delle Cave and Parco di Trenno.
times, as the very toponymy proves (the name "quarto", i.e., "fourt", being a reference to Quarto being four Roman miles from Milan). In the middle ages, a rural borgo
developed, which had an important role in the Milanese country as it was crossed by both a pilgrimage
route to the Holy Land
and the road towards Santiago de Compostela
. In the 18th and 19th, a number of cascine
(farms) were established nearby the borgo. Prominent crops in the area included mulberries, vine, and fodder.
In 1846, the population of Quarto was 298, and its territory 182 hectars. In 1861, Quarto Cagnino as well as two nearby comunes (Figino
and Quinto Romano
) were annexed to Trenno (which was renamed "Trenno e Uniti") which in turn became part of Milan in 1869.
Quartiere
A quartiere is a subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word is from quarto, or fourth, and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods. The English word "quarter" to mean a neighborhood A quartiere (plural: quartieri) is a subdivision of certain Italian towns. The...
") of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, part of the Zone 7 administrative division of the city. It borders onto the districts of Trenno
Trenno
Trenno is a district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 8 administrative division of the city. It borders on green areas to the north and west and to the south ; to the east, it is adjacent to the Gallaratese district...
(north), San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
(east), Baggio
Baggio
Baggio is the Italian-derived name of Bagg in Milanese dialect. Is an Italian surname and also a village in Milan inhabited by Celtic tribes. It can also be found in Germany and the UK ....
(south), and Quinto Romano
Quinto Romano
Quinto Romano is a district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 7 administrative division of the city. Before being annexed to Milan, it was an autonomous comune and a frazione of Trenno ....
(west). Before being annexed to Milan, in 1869, it has been an autonomous comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
and, briefly, a part of Trenno (from 1861 to 1869).
Quarto Cagnino is a formerly rural, now urban district, with the last period of quick urban development having occurred in the late 1960s in so called "GESCAL" projects. The "GESCAL" acronym stands for "Gestione Case per i Lavoratori", i.e., "Housing for Workers"; these projects were meant to realized vast low-income apartment blocks in rationally organized, "satellite" city neighbourhoods. Example of GESCAL apartment flats are found along Via Carlo Marx, close to the San Carlo hospital. While low-income, huge apartment buildings dominate the landscape of Quarto, these contrast with some remaining ancient cascine, testifying the rural past of the district. These are mostly found along Via Fratelli Zoia, which used to be the main street of old rural Quarto Cagnino.
The district is connected to Milan by several bus lines. The district has one of the major hospitals in Milan, the San Carlo, and part of two large city parks, Parco delle Cave and Parco di Trenno.
History
The origins of "Quarto Cagnino" date back at least to RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times, as the very toponymy proves (the name "quarto", i.e., "fourt", being a reference to Quarto being four Roman miles from Milan). In the middle ages, a rural borgo
Borgo
Borgo is an Italian word , cognate with English borough, German Burg, French bourg, that now usually means the new town outside the walls of an old town...
developed, which had an important role in the Milanese country as it was crossed by both a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
route to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
and the road towards Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
. In the 18th and 19th, a number of cascine
Cascina a corte
The Italian phrase cascina a corte or, equivalently, cascina lombarda or just cascina refers to a type of rural building traditional of the Po Valley, especially of Lombardy and of some areas of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna. Cascine are reported in the Po Valley at least since the 16th century, but...
(farms) were established nearby the borgo. Prominent crops in the area included mulberries, vine, and fodder.
In 1846, the population of Quarto was 298, and its territory 182 hectars. In 1861, Quarto Cagnino as well as two nearby comunes (Figino
Figino
Figino is a district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 7 administrative division. It is located north-west of the centre, within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano nature reserve. Before being annexed to Milan, in 1869, it was an autonomous comune, named Figino di Milano.The name "Figino" is usually...
and Quinto Romano
Quinto Romano
Quinto Romano is a district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 7 administrative division of the city. Before being annexed to Milan, it was an autonomous comune and a frazione of Trenno ....
) were annexed to Trenno (which was renamed "Trenno e Uniti") which in turn became part of Milan in 1869.