Vigentino
Encyclopedia
Vigentino is a district ("quartiere
") of Milan
, Italy
, part of the Zone 5 administrative division, located south of the city centre. Before 1923, Vigentino was an autonomous, rural comune
. By the mid 20th century, agricultural activities were dismissed, and the area was largely urbanized, with the construction of large apartment blocks.
The name "Vigentino" comes from viginti, the Latin word for "twenty"; this is because Vigentino lies on the road from Milan to Pavia
, 20 miles before Pavia. The road has been a major thoroughfare in Lombardy
since the middle ages
; the walls of Milan
had a city gate on that road, Porta Vigentina
, which was named after Vigentino.
The main historic centre of Vigentino is at the crossing of Via Ripamonti, Via Quaranta and Via Solaroli. A sort of secondary centre (which is sometimes considered a district in its own, and in that case is referred to as Quartiere Fatima) is located between Via Broni and Via Chopin. The district is connected to Milan by tramway and bus
es. The Tangenziale ring road
has en exit leading to Vigentino.
As many ex-rural, ex-industrial districts of the southern periphery of Milan, Vigentino is relatively degraded, affected by environmental problems (such as infestations of rat
s and illegal rubbish dumps
) as well as social problems, such as slum
s of immigrants and Romani nomads.
A major landmark of Vigentino are the "Cortili di Via Matera" ("courtyards of Via Matera"), a neighborhood that has been realized in the place where an old industrial depot used to be, and that includes houses, offices, and a theatre, called "Teatro del Vigentino". This place was included in a list of the 100 most important courtyards of Milan by Milan's Tourism Office.
of San Donato Milanese
. Under Napoleonic rule, it was briefly annexed to Milan, but regained its autonomy with the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. At the unification of Italy, its population was 797. In 1869, the nearby comunes of Quintosole
and Vaiano Valle
were annexed to Vigentino; in turn, Vigentino became part of Milan in 1923. In the first decades of the 20th century, partly of a consequence of the construction of the nearby Porta Romana
railway station, the Vigentino district became an industrial area, the main commercial activities being a naphtha
depot and a foundry
; later on, the transition to a fully industrial context was further boosted when Officine Meccaniche
(a car manufacturer) and Centrale del Latte di Milano (a dairy factory) established facilities in the area. Industrial activities were dismissed in the last decades of the 20th century, and Vigentino became a mostly residential district.
, football player and manager, lived in Vigentino for several years, and his funeral was held there, in the church of "Santa Maria al Paradiso".
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 5 administrative division, located south of the city centre. Before 1923, Vigentino was an autonomous, rural 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:...
. By the mid 20th century, agricultural activities were dismissed, and the area was largely urbanized, with the construction of large apartment blocks.
The name "Vigentino" comes from viginti, the Latin word for "twenty"; this is because Vigentino lies on the road from Milan to Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, 20 miles before Pavia. The road has been a major thoroughfare in 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...
since 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 walls of Milan
Walls of Milan
The city Milan, Italy, has had three different systems of defending walls. The oldest, Roman walls were developed in two stages, the first in the Republican and the second in the Imperial era. The second wall system was realized in the Middle Ages , after the destruction of the city by Frederick...
had a city gate on that road, Porta Vigentina
Porta Vigentina
Porta Vigentina was one of the city gates in the Spanish walls of Milan, Italy. The gate has been demolished, but the phrase "Porta Vigentina" is still used to refer to the district where the gate used to be, part of the Zone 5 administrative division of Milan.The gate controlled access to Milan...
, which was named after Vigentino.
The main historic centre of Vigentino is at the crossing of Via Ripamonti, Via Quaranta and Via Solaroli. A sort of secondary centre (which is sometimes considered a district in its own, and in that case is referred to as Quartiere Fatima) is located between Via Broni and Via Chopin. The district is connected to Milan by tramway and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es. The Tangenziale ring road
Ring road
A ring road, orbital motorway, beltway, circumferential highway, or loop highway is a road that encircles a town or city...
has en exit leading to Vigentino.
As many ex-rural, ex-industrial districts of the southern periphery of Milan, Vigentino is relatively degraded, affected by environmental problems (such as infestations of rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s and illegal rubbish dumps
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
) as well as social problems, such as slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s of immigrants and Romani nomads.
A major landmark of Vigentino are the "Cortili di Via Matera" ("courtyards of Via Matera"), a neighborhood that has been realized in the place where an old industrial depot used to be, and that includes houses, offices, and a theatre, called "Teatro del Vigentino". This place was included in a list of the 100 most important courtyards of Milan by Milan's Tourism Office.
History
Vigentino used to belong to the pievePieve
In the Middle Ages, a pieve was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.The Italian word pieve is descended from Latin plebs which, after the expansion of Christianity in Italy, was applied to the community of baptized people...
of San Donato Milanese
San Donato Milanese
San Donato Milanese is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 10 km southeast of Milan.-History:...
. Under Napoleonic rule, it was briefly annexed to Milan, but regained its autonomy with the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. At the unification of Italy, its population was 797. In 1869, the nearby comunes of Quintosole
Quintosole
Quintosole is a district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 5 administrative division. It is a rural district, located within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano nature reserve, south of Milan's urban area. Before 1869, it was an autonomous comune....
and Vaiano Valle
Vaiano Valle
Vaiano Valle is a rural district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 5 administrative division. It is located south of the city's urban area, within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano nature reserve. Before 1869, it was an autonomous comune....
were annexed to Vigentino; in turn, Vigentino became part of Milan in 1923. In the first decades of the 20th century, partly of a consequence of the construction of the nearby Porta Romana
Porta Romana
Porta Romana is a common toponymy in Italy, most often associated to those city gates that controlled the main route connecting a given city to Rome. Places named "Porta Romana" in Italy include:...
railway station, the Vigentino district became an industrial area, the main commercial activities being a naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
depot and a foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
; later on, the transition to a fully industrial context was further boosted when Officine Meccaniche
Officine Meccaniche
Officine Meccaniche or OM was an Italian car and truck manufacturing company, founded in 1899 in Milan as Societa Anonima Officine Meccaniche...
(a car manufacturer) and Centrale del Latte di Milano (a dairy factory) established facilities in the area. Industrial activities were dismissed in the last decades of the 20th century, and Vigentino became a mostly residential district.
Notable people
Enzo BearzotEnzo Bearzot
Vincenzo "Enzo" Bearzot was an Italian association football player and manager. He is best known for having led the Italian national football team to a triumph in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.-Playing career:...
, football player and manager, lived in Vigentino for several years, and his funeral was held there, in the church of "Santa Maria al Paradiso".