Rovello Porro
Encyclopedia
Rovello Porro is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Como
in the Italian
region of Lombardy
, located about 25 km northwest of Milan
and about 20 km south of Como
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,797 and an area of 5.6 km².
Rovello Porro borders the following municipalities: Cogliate
, Gerenzano
, Lomazzo
, Misinto
, Rovellasca
, Saronno
, Turate
.
s, a family of Milanese patricians which owned several estates in Rovello as well as a villa that has been renovated over the centuries; its current residents are members of the Porro family. The coat of arms depicts a blindfolded Moor imprisoned during the Crusades
within a fortress. The laurel
branches extol the city while serving as a reminder of vast oak
forests which surrounded the village until the mid-19th century.
words rose (valley) and vel (fort); i.e. "valley fortress." If that interpretation is correct, it would point to a very early settlement, since groups of Celts settled in parts of northern Italy up to about 300 BCE. The area was definitely inhabited in Roman times, as confirmed by the 1977-78 discovery of some 40 tombs between Via Manzoni and Via Carducci. The tombs contained everyday objects related to daily life (mirrors, bracelets, lanterns and vases, etc., as well as coins dating from the 1st century BCE up to the 1st century CE.
During the Middle Ages
the chaplain of the Rovello parish was Goffredo da Bussero, sometimes known as Gotifredo, a priest from Milan
credited as the author of Notitiæ Mediolani Sanctorum, completed in the late 13th century, an important source for the diocesan history of the area. From this work it appears that four chapels were originally dedicated to St. Andrew
(not mentioned in later centuries); Saints Euphemia and Ursula
(recorded until the 15th century); Santa Maria della Lura; and St. Peter
, since the 12th century dedicated to St. Paul as well. Little or nothing is known of Rovello during the rest of the Middle Ages, except for a short-lived peace treaty signed in Rovello and Lomazzo
between the Guelphs and Ghibellines
, warring factions from Como
and Milan
.
In the countryside near Saronno
was the residence of Matteo II Visconti (c. 1319–1355). In 1519 the local council of heads of families decided to entrust two local churches to the Carmelites
, who occupied the Rovello convent till 1653, having pledged to celebrate a daily Mass and to teach reading and writing to local children. Early in the 17th century the monks began observing a feast day on the third Sunday in July with an annual procession and carrying a statue of the Madonna. In October 1652 Pope Innocent X decided to suppress all smaller monasteries, and Archbishop Alfonso Litta
closed the Rovello monastery in 1653, ceding its building and property to the parish. In 1677, however, Marquis Cesare Pagani, a leading figure in Milan's public life, received permission to erect a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria del Carmine. He donated a wooden statue of the Madonna which is still revered today.
against the Austrian Empire
. In 1926 Benito Mussolini
's Gen. Carlo Porro (1854–1939) attached his family's name to the earlier town name of Rovello.
During the 19th century the Santa Maria church became a part of the parish of Appiano and was expanded twice, first from 1804 to 1808, then again in 1872-73. Between 1925 and 1929 the architect Ugo Zanchetta completely rebuilt the Carmelite monastery, and from 1935 and 1939 the parish church, which had already been rebuilt in the late 18th century, was expanded to accommodate the town's increasing population. Architect Paolo Mezzanotte presented plans for a church expansion to cost 800,000 lire
, and 12 granite columns, each 8.5m in height and 1m in diameter, were purchased from the municipality after the demolition of the atrium of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital (Azienda Ospedaliera Fatebenefratelli e Oftalmico). Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
laid the cornerstone on March 14, 1935 and consecrated the Pietro e Paolo church on September 30, 1939. The old church building remained beside the new and was not demolished until 1953, after two keystones broke and large cracks appeared in the wall, which were prohibitively expensive to repair.
Between 1928 and 1945 the painter Vanni Rossi adorned the church with a cycle of fresco
es. More recently the sculptor Giorgio Galletti added bronze doors, and Emiliano Viscardi produced frescoes by the two ovals of the transept
. For the reconsecration of the church in July 1995, a new marble altar and mosaics were completed by sculptor Floriano Bodini, as well as stained-glass windows depicting Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun
. In 2002 paintings by Valentino Vago were added to the church interior.
In recent decades, construction activity has intensified in Rovello with the completion of new homes and such public works as a city hall and civic centre, elementary and middle schools, and the Opera Pia Carcano, a senior citizens housing project.
A census conducted in 1751 listed the feudal Count Giovanni della Porta along with about 700 residents. The town had a general council of citizens, which would assemble when summoned by a bell, and a mayor and elected councillors known as the Console. Included in the Parish of Appiano, the City appears in the Indice delle pievi e comunità dello Stato di Milano (Index of churches and communities of Milan) in 1753 as still belonging to the Duchy of Milan. The feudal system ended in 1763 with the death of the Count.
By 1771 the community had recorded a population of 1012. With the division of the Austrian province of Lombardy (September 26, 1786), Rovello was transferred to Gallarate
province.
Following the 1797 subdivision into departments, as required by the Constitution of the Cisalpine Republic
(1797–1802), Rovello was added to the Verbano
department, but it was transferred the following year to the Olona
department; a 1799 census showed 1065 inhabitants. In 1801 the town was transferred anew into District II of Varese
and became a part of the Lario
department. In 1807 Rovello incorporated the surrounding district as the Comune di Rovellasca, but this was reversed in 1812. From 1816 under the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
the city of Rovello became a part of the Province of Como
, District XXIII Appiano
. After 1853 the city was assigned to District V of Appiano, now with a population of 1570.
railway which has trains running from Milan (Milano Cadorna) to Como (Nord) changing at Saronno for trains to Varese
, to Novara
,to Malpensa Airport
and Erba
. There is also a limited bus service. The A9 motorway (Turate
junction) links Rovello to Milan (via A8), Como
and Switzerland
.
and Como
and excellent soil, Rovello has historically produced potatoes, corn and other fruits and vegetables. Agriculture has since wained in Rovello because of the heavy development experienced in the majority of the surrounding areas of Milan
. Many of the buildings in the centre and and surrounding areas are formerly farmhouses.
There is an annual potato festival in the town held in September.
The majority of the current working population commute into the Milan
area via Rail and Motorway routes. Light industrial units are located in and around Rovello and provide work for some of the local residents. The area has also experienced a recent influx of North Africans seeking cheaper housing and taking advantage of the transport links to other larger towns.
bordering the Swiss canton of Ticino
. Running south for 35 km, it has its confluence at Rho
with the Olona
River, which in turn flows into the Lambro
. The Lura River traverses the entire Lura Park (Parco del Lura), meandering through low-sloped hilly areas flanked by woods, and helps to green an area of a thousand hectares skirting nine municipalities. Partially wooded with oak
and locust
trees, scattered pine forest and riparian woodland, approximately half of the park is agricultural, planted in grass and a stable cycle of cereal grains.
In 1975 the nine municipalities established and funded a sanitation consortium, which constructed 30 km of sewer trunk lines to collect industrial and domestic wastewater and pipe it to a purification plant in Caronno Pertusella
. The directors of the water purification project conceived the idea of a regional park in the area.
In 1995 the Lombardy region officially recognized Lura Park. Several volunteer groups have helped to restore the area and to combat the environmental degradation that could have ruined many of the landscapes that Lura Park intends to preserve. Through the Lura Valley linking the provinces of Como and Varese
there are forest groves and several old farmhouses, with a 1-km cycling path going from Saronno
to Rovello Porro. After 1997 the park has been managed by the city of Cadorago
, and in early 2000 a consortium with elected managers was established to operate the park.
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:...
(municipality) in the Province of Como
Province of Como
The Province of Como is a province in the north of the Lombardy region of Italy and borders the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni to the North, the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the East, the Province of Milan to the south and the Province of Varese to the West...
in the Italian
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...
region of Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, located about 25 km northwest 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 ,...
and about 20 km south of Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,797 and an area of 5.6 km².
Rovello Porro borders the following municipalities: Cogliate
Cogliate
Cogliate is a comune in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km northwest of Milan....
, Gerenzano
Gerenzano
Gerenzano is a comune in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 25 km northwest of Milan and about 25 km southeast of Varese....
, Lomazzo
Lomazzo
Lomazzo is a town and comune in the province of Como, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is situated halfway between Como and Milan. The ancient historical center of the town was founded on the top of a hill situated in the valley on the right bank of Lura. The municipal territory contains a...
, Misinto
Misinto
Misinto is a comune in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 25 km northwest of Milan....
, Rovellasca
Rovellasca
Rovellasca is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 25 km northwest of Milan and about 15 km south of Como....
, Saronno
Saronno
Saronno is a comune of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960.The place is well known for its apricot kernel biscuits and is also a manufacturing town....
, Turate
Turate
Turate is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 40 km northeast of Milan and about 30 km southeast of Como...
.
Coat of arms
The municipal coat of arms reflects the crest of the PaganiMaghinardo Pagani
Maghinardo Pagani of Susinana was an Italian condottiero and statesman living in the 13th-14th centuries. He was seignior of Faenza and Imola, and attempted unsuccessfully to conquer also Forlì....
s, a family of Milanese patricians which owned several estates in Rovello as well as a villa that has been renovated over the centuries; its current residents are members of the Porro family. The coat of arms depicts a blindfolded Moor imprisoned during the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
within a fortress. The laurel
Laurel
-Botany:* Laurel family , a group of flowering plants** Azores laurel ** Bay Laurel , also called True Laurel** California Laurel ** Camphor Laurel...
branches extol the city while serving as a reminder of vast oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
forests which surrounded the village until the mid-19th century.
Early history
Various hypotheses have been advanced as to the meaning of the town's name. One explanation for the word "Rovello" is its derivation from the CelticCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
words rose (valley) and vel (fort); i.e. "valley fortress." If that interpretation is correct, it would point to a very early settlement, since groups of Celts settled in parts of northern Italy up to about 300 BCE. The area was definitely inhabited in Roman times, as confirmed by the 1977-78 discovery of some 40 tombs between Via Manzoni and Via Carducci. The tombs contained everyday objects related to daily life (mirrors, bracelets, lanterns and vases, etc., as well as coins dating from the 1st century BCE up to the 1st century CE.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the chaplain of the Rovello parish was Goffredo da Bussero, sometimes known as Gotifredo, a priest from 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 ,...
credited as the author of Notitiæ Mediolani Sanctorum, completed in the late 13th century, an important source for the diocesan history of the area. From this work it appears that four chapels were originally dedicated to St. Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
(not mentioned in later centuries); Saints Euphemia and Ursula
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
(recorded until the 15th century); Santa Maria della Lura; and St. Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, since the 12th century dedicated to St. Paul as well. Little or nothing is known of Rovello during the rest of the Middle Ages, except for a short-lived peace treaty signed in Rovello and Lomazzo
Lomazzo
Lomazzo is a town and comune in the province of Como, in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is situated halfway between Como and Milan. The ancient historical center of the town was founded on the top of a hill situated in the valley on the right bank of Lura. The municipal territory contains a...
between the Guelphs and Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
, warring factions from Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
and 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 ,...
.
In the countryside near Saronno
Saronno
Saronno is a comune of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960.The place is well known for its apricot kernel biscuits and is also a manufacturing town....
was the residence of Matteo II Visconti (c. 1319–1355). In 1519 the local council of heads of families decided to entrust two local churches to the Carmelites
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
, who occupied the Rovello convent till 1653, having pledged to celebrate a daily Mass and to teach reading and writing to local children. Early in the 17th century the monks began observing a feast day on the third Sunday in July with an annual procession and carrying a statue of the Madonna. In October 1652 Pope Innocent X decided to suppress all smaller monasteries, and Archbishop Alfonso Litta
Alfonso Litta
Alfonso Michele Litta was an Italian cardinal, an archbishop of Milan and Papal governor of the Marches.-See also:* Litta...
closed the Rovello monastery in 1653, ceding its building and property to the parish. In 1677, however, Marquis Cesare Pagani, a leading figure in Milan's public life, received permission to erect a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria del Carmine. He donated a wooden statue of the Madonna which is still revered today.
Later history
When Cesare Pagani died childless (1707) he had named as his heir his cousin Carlo Giuseppe Porro, a lawyer. Subsequently, several members of the Porro dynasty played significant roles in political, economic and cultural areas. Giovanni Pietro Porro (1773–1852) incorporated the Italian bank Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde in 1823 and served as the bank's president. Francesco Porro (1813–1848) was the village mayor and was a co-founder of Milan's Natural History Museum. Alessandro Porro (1814–1879) was a member of the provisional government of Milan during an uprisingFive Days of Milan
The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 and the start of the First Italian War of Independence. On March 18th, the city of Milan, rose, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his men from the city....
against the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. In 1926 Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's Gen. Carlo Porro (1854–1939) attached his family's name to the earlier town name of Rovello.
During the 19th century the Santa Maria church became a part of the parish of Appiano and was expanded twice, first from 1804 to 1808, then again in 1872-73. Between 1925 and 1929 the architect Ugo Zanchetta completely rebuilt the Carmelite monastery, and from 1935 and 1939 the parish church, which had already been rebuilt in the late 18th century, was expanded to accommodate the town's increasing population. Architect Paolo Mezzanotte presented plans for a church expansion to cost 800,000 lire
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
, and 12 granite columns, each 8.5m in height and 1m in diameter, were purchased from the municipality after the demolition of the atrium of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital (Azienda Ospedaliera Fatebenefratelli e Oftalmico). Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, O.S.B. was a Benedictine monk and Cardinal Archbishop of Milan during World War II...
laid the cornerstone on March 14, 1935 and consecrated the Pietro e Paolo church on September 30, 1939. The old church building remained beside the new and was not demolished until 1953, after two keystones broke and large cracks appeared in the wall, which were prohibitively expensive to repair.
Between 1928 and 1945 the painter Vanni Rossi adorned the church with a cycle of fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es. More recently the sculptor Giorgio Galletti added bronze doors, and Emiliano Viscardi produced frescoes by the two ovals of the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
. For the reconsecration of the church in July 1995, a new marble altar and mosaics were completed by sculptor Floriano Bodini, as well as stained-glass windows depicting Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun
Canticle of the Sun
The Canticle of the Sun, also known as the Laudes Creaturarum , is a religious song composed by Saint Francis of Assisi. It was written in the Umbrian dialect of Italian but has since been translated into many languages...
. In 2002 paintings by Valentino Vago were added to the church interior.
In recent decades, construction activity has intensified in Rovello with the completion of new homes and such public works as a city hall and civic centre, elementary and middle schools, and the Opera Pia Carcano, a senior citizens housing project.
Administration
In the latter part of the 16th century Rovello had between 500 and 600 people in at least 80 families living in more than 40 houses situated around the present Piazza of Porro. The majority of the population were tenant farmers and labourers, but there were also specialized artisans (tailors, carpenters, bakers) and an innkeeper.A census conducted in 1751 listed the feudal Count Giovanni della Porta along with about 700 residents. The town had a general council of citizens, which would assemble when summoned by a bell, and a mayor and elected councillors known as the Console. Included in the Parish of Appiano, the City appears in the Indice delle pievi e comunità dello Stato di Milano (Index of churches and communities of Milan) in 1753 as still belonging to the Duchy of Milan. The feudal system ended in 1763 with the death of the Count.
By 1771 the community had recorded a population of 1012. With the division of the Austrian province of Lombardy (September 26, 1786), Rovello was transferred to Gallarate
Gallarate
Gallarate is a city and comune of Lombardy, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 51,700....
province.
Following the 1797 subdivision into departments, as required by the Constitution of the Cisalpine Republic
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic was a French client republic in Northern Italy that lasted from 1797 to 1802.-Birth:After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states: one to the south of the Po River, the Cispadane Republic, and one to the north, the Transpadane...
(1797–1802), Rovello was added to the Verbano
Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest of Italy and largest of southern Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great prealpine lakes of Italy, it extends for about 70 km between Locarno and Arona.The climate is mild...
department, but it was transferred the following year to the Olona
Olona
The Olona is a 71 km long Italian river, which runs through the provinces of Varese and Milan.The Olona has more than one source; in fact it has six main springs...
department; a 1799 census showed 1065 inhabitants. In 1801 the town was transferred anew into District II of Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
and became a part of the Lario
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
department. In 1807 Rovello incorporated the surrounding district as the Comune di Rovellasca, but this was reversed in 1812. From 1816 under the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia was created at the Congress of Vienna, which recognised the House of Habsburg's rights to Lombardy and Venetia after the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1805, had collapsed...
the city of Rovello became a part of the Province of Como
Province of Como
The Province of Como is a province in the north of the Lombardy region of Italy and borders the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni to the North, the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the East, the Province of Milan to the south and the Province of Varese to the West...
, District XXIII Appiano
Appiano Gentile
Appiano Gentile is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 35 km northwest of Milan and about 12 km southwest of Como....
. After 1853 the city was assigned to District V of Appiano, now with a population of 1570.
Transportation
Rovello Porro is located on the LeNordLeNORD
' is the subsidiary of the FNM Group responsible for operating passenger train services in northern Italy....
railway which has trains running from Milan (Milano Cadorna) to Como (Nord) changing at Saronno for trains to Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
, to Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
,to Malpensa Airport
Malpensa Airport
Milano Malpensa Airport "City of Milan" , former "Aeroporto Città di Milano" is Milan's largest airport. It is located 39.97 km northwest of central Milan, Italy...
and Erba
Erba
-Places:China*Erba, Wuwei County , town in Wuwei County, Anhui*Erba, Harbin , town in Hulan District, HarbinItaly* Erba, Lombardy, a comune in the Province of Como* Caslino d'Erba, a comune in the Province of Como, Lombardy...
. There is also a limited bus service. The A9 motorway (Turate
Turate
Turate is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 40 km northeast of Milan and about 30 km southeast of Como...
junction) links Rovello to Milan (via A8), Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Industry and Commerce
Benefiting from its transport routes into MilanMilan
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 ,...
and Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
and excellent soil, Rovello has historically produced potatoes, corn and other fruits and vegetables. Agriculture has since wained in Rovello because of the heavy development experienced in the majority of the surrounding areas 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 ,...
. Many of the buildings in the centre and and surrounding areas are formerly farmhouses.
There is an annual potato festival in the town held in September.
The majority of the current working population commute into the 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 ,...
area via Rail and Motorway routes. Light industrial units are located in and around Rovello and provide work for some of the local residents. The area has also experienced a recent influx of North Africans seeking cheaper housing and taking advantage of the transport links to other larger towns.
Lura Park
The Lura River rises in the municipality of BizzaroneBizzarone
Bizzarone is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km northwest of Milan and about 11 km west of Como, on the border with Switzerland...
bordering the Swiss canton of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
. Running south for 35 km, it has its confluence at Rho
Rho (Italy)
Rho is a town and comune near Milan, Italy in the region of Lombardy, and has about 51,000 inhabitants.-History:Rho is first mentioned in a written document from 846 AD, referred to as simply a bunch of houses under the name of Vicus Raudus. According to a theory, the name derives from the Campi...
with the Olona
Olona
The Olona is a 71 km long Italian river, which runs through the provinces of Varese and Milan.The Olona has more than one source; in fact it has six main springs...
River, which in turn flows into the Lambro
Lambro
For the river in Cilento, see Lambro . For the genus, see Lambro .The Lambro is a river of Lombardy, northern Italy, a left tributary of the Po....
. The Lura River traverses the entire Lura Park (Parco del Lura), meandering through low-sloped hilly areas flanked by woods, and helps to green an area of a thousand hectares skirting nine municipalities. Partially wooded with oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and locust
Robinia
Robinia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, native to North America and northern Mexico. Commonly known as "locusts", they are deciduous trees and shrubs growing 4-25 m tall. The leaves are pinnate with 7-21 oval leaflets. The flowers are white or pink, in...
trees, scattered pine forest and riparian woodland, approximately half of the park is agricultural, planted in grass and a stable cycle of cereal grains.
In 1975 the nine municipalities established and funded a sanitation consortium, which constructed 30 km of sewer trunk lines to collect industrial and domestic wastewater and pipe it to a purification plant in Caronno Pertusella
Caronno Pertusella
Caronno Pertusella is a town and comune located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy....
. The directors of the water purification project conceived the idea of a regional park in the area.
In 1995 the Lombardy region officially recognized Lura Park. Several volunteer groups have helped to restore the area and to combat the environmental degradation that could have ruined many of the landscapes that Lura Park intends to preserve. Through the Lura Valley linking the provinces of Como and Varese
Province of Varese
The Province of Varese is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese but its largest city is Busto Arsizio....
there are forest groves and several old farmhouses, with a 1-km cycling path going from Saronno
Saronno
Saronno is a comune of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960.The place is well known for its apricot kernel biscuits and is also a manufacturing town....
to Rovello Porro. After 1997 the park has been managed by the city of Cadorago
Cadorago
Cadorago is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 30 km northwest of Milan and about 12 km southwest of Como...
, and in early 2000 a consortium with elected managers was established to operate the park.