Highlights & Landmarks

HISTORIC CENTER

Located in Piazza Risorgimento, in the heart of Assago’s historic center, is the current Town Hall, created in the early 2000s through the redevelopment of the “Villa Borromeo.”
Villa Borromeo is one of the oldest buildings in Assago’s historic center, along with the Church of San Desiderio and the surrounding farmhouse. Hidden by centuries-old trees in Piazza Risorgimento, it dates back to the 18th century and was the manor house of a large agricultural settlement. The estate included both the Castello farmhouse, located in the historic center of town where the Municipal Library and the New Civic Center now stand, and the
Cortegrande farmhouse, which has been inactive since the 1970s, when construction of the “La Grande” residential complex on Via Matteotti began on its land. The “Villa Borromeo.”

The documents in the Theresian Land Registry reveal that it was initially a “Casa da Massaro” (farmer’s house) belonging to the Calderara family. During the 19th century, it passed to the Peluso, Martignoni, Bollardi, and Santagostino families. Over time, it underwent expansions, most notably in 1871 with the construction of the current coach houses and in 1903 with the addition of the terraced portico.
In the 20th century, the property passed to the Busca Arconati Visconti families and, later, to the Borromeo family. In 1949, it was sold to Immobiliare Canopo. The villa was inhabited until the 1980s.

CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA

In the 1980s, the Diocese of Milan included Assago in the Montini Plan for the construction of new churches. The design of the future church of Santa Maria was entrusted to architect Liliana Grassi, who had already been involved in the restoration of San Desiderio. Grassi developed an innovative and symbolic idea, convincing parish priest Don Enrico Vago to create a scale model. Her death in 1984 interrupted the work, but the model was paraded in procession during the patron saint’s day, dubbed “the most beautiful church of the century.”
Between 1986 and 1987, her student Maria Antonietta Crippa, with architect Gabriele Schiatti, resumed the project, maintaining its symbolic value but adopting more essential forms. The building is on two levels: community spaces on the ground floor and a liturgical hall with a raised plaza on the upper floor. From the outside, the church appears as a compact and monumental volume.
Cardinal Martini blessed the cornerstone in 1988. Work began in 1989, and the first service was held in the oratory at Christmas. The domes were installed in 1990, and the bells were blessed in 1991. The inauguration took place in September 1992, with the installation of the 17th-century statue of Our Lady of the Rosary.
After the church, the sports fields were built, and then the project for the new parish house began. Don Caporali requested more adequate space, and a new building connected to the church was developed, designed by Schiatti under the supervision of Crippa, and built between 1994 and 1997.
In the early 2000s, the interior was completed with stained glass windows, marble furnishings, benches, confessionals, and new flooring. In 2002, the statue of the Madonna was relocated. On September 20, 2003, Cardinal Tettamanzi solemnly consecrated the church.
The structure is based on symbolic geometric shapes: triangle, square, circle, and above all the eight-pointed star, derived from the superposition of two rotated squares. The octagon recalls the eighth day of the Resurrection; the star evokes Mary’s crown, the Star of the Sea, and Christ, the Morning Star. The three domes arranged in an equilateral triangle recall the Trinity, while the circle refers to divine communion

CHURCH OF SAN DESIDERIO

The history of San Desiderio is rooted in the ancient rural parishes that arose between the 5th and 6th centuries, when populations, following the barbarian invasions, moved from the cities to the countryside. The Parish Church of Cesano Boscone spiritually governed a territory rich in water, irrigation ditches, and fields, where Assago was a collection of agricultural settlements with its first chapels.

Beneath the current church, excavations have revealed the original medieval building: a simple rectangular hall with an apse to the east, built with reclaimed Roman materials and surrounded by tombs oriented according to ritual. Tombs with glass rosaries, wooden coffins, and the remains of frescoes were discovered, providing precious evidence of the religious life of the time.

Between the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the church was expanded: the ancient apse was demolished, a new presbytery with granite columns was built, the nave was extended to the west, and the bell tower was added. Inside, vaulted tombs for benefactors and parish priests appeared. The first written documents date back to the late 15th century: the parish priest Filippo Guascone (1493) claimed tithes and leased land, leaving traces of his name in the frescoes of the choir.

The 16th century was marked by plagues and hardships, but also by the reforms of Saint Charles Borromeo, who ordered structural and liturgical works: a new sacristy, flooring, and the remodeling of the altars. In 1604, Cardinal Federico Borromeo ordered further work, while confraternities and the faithful supported the costs.

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the church underwent further changes: the walls were raised, new chapels were added, three bells were added, a portico was added to the façade, and a painted ossuary was painted. Pastoral visits described a well-kept building and an active community. The parish’s assets, consisting of fields, vineyards, rice paddies, and houses, also grew.

In the 20th century, four parish priests led a season of restorations: Father Malberti renovated the structures and built the oratory and theater; Father Bassignani brought to light Renaissance frescoes; Father Vago modernized the rooms and recovered new paintings; Father Caporali initiated a comprehensive restoration that led to the discovery of the medieval foundations and ancient tombs.

San Desiderio thus enters the 21st century as a vibrant place, where history, faith, and the community’s memory continue to intertwine.