A PROVINCE TO BE EXPLORED - Visita Milano

Eastern
Brianza
Villa S. Maria Molgora Paveri Fontana
Archivio Plebano
Archivio Plebano di Vimercate
is an ecclesial archive
that has religious and historical
documents from the
late 16th to the 20th centuries
that came into the
possession of the parish
church of S. Stefano and
Sanctuary of the Beata
Vergine del Rosario. It is
an excellent source for reconstructing
what life was
like in the V imercate area
in the past and it is also
one o f t he m ost i mpressive
a rchives s till i n e xistence
in the Milan Diocese.
One of the highlights
is the musical section,
which has around 700
compositions and manuscripts
for religious music,
some dating back to the
16th century.
Crispi, home to the V icario della Martes ana, and
Casa Corio, which was redone in the 19th century
and once hosted Francesco Sforza (1450).
Villa Sottocasa overlooks via Vittorio Emanuele
II. This 17th-century building, with a horseshoe layout,
was transformed in the early 19th century into
a grand Neoclassical mansion, with a façade adorned
by a tympanum and a large f light of steps decorated
with copies of classical statues. It has various 19thcentury
paintings by Mosè Bianchi and Eleuterio
Pagliano. A part of the Italian garden, set behind the
villa, has survived, complete with fake caves, statues
and water features. It also has a large park that extends
down to the banks of the Molgora River and
encompasses a large lemon grove, a small tower and
some neo-Gothic stables. It was b ought in 2001 by
the Vimercate municipality to house MUST -Museo
del Territorio (see p. 116).
The church of S. Francesco is located quite near
Palazzo Trotti as are the ruins of an old convent
(Casa Banfi). These were founded in the 13th century
by Franciscans from Oreno, but suppressed in
1798, which is when the Banfi family (current owners)
took possession. T he complex has been refurbished
on various occasions, but still b ears traces of
Monza and its province
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