Walker - 1967 - A geography of Italy

PART I I I : REGION A L GEOGRAPHY
the interfluves began in 1177 with the digging o f the Ticinello from the Ticino
to Abbiategrasso; its continuation to Milan as the Naviglio di Gaggiano (part of
the Naviglio Grande) was only completed in 1271 (flg. 28). In the meantime the
diversion o f the Adda into the Muzza canal had begun (1220); it now irrigates
some 42,000 hectares, nearly as much as the Naviglio Grande. Many o f the early
canals were built with barge trafiflc as well as irrigation in mind; the Naviglio
Grande was used to ferry marble from Lake Maggiore for the construction of
Milan cathedral and the Naviglio di Pavia was intended to provide a navigable
link with the Po. In fact, this canal, which was not completed until 1819, has
never been o f any navigational significance. Although canal building was most
common near Milan there was considerable activity during the Middle Ages on
the upper plain further east. The Naviglio Grande of Brescia, diverted from the
Chiese in the thirteenth century, serves a sizeable area to the south o f that city,
and elsewhere the Adda, the Serio and the Oglio have been put to similar use.
Before the Spanish stagnation enveloped the area the Naviglio di Bereguardo and
the Martesana were begun (1457). Thereafter progress was slow until the nineteenth
century when the Cavour canal and the Villoresi canal (completed 1891
and serving 46,000 hectares) brought much o f the upper plain under irrigation.
At the moment about 60% o f Lombardy’s farm land is irrigated; o f this about
40% relies on fontanili and another 40% on the contributions of the Adda and
Ticino. Not all this area can be perennially irrigated; except in the risaie and the
marcite the crops are watered for short periods which may total from one to
three weeks. The main ‘dry’ areas today are to be foimd on the upper Milan
plain and in the provinces o f Mantova and Cremona. Further progress will involve
greater utilization o f the waters o f the Alpine lakes. Unlike so many modern
schemes the irrigation system o f Lombardy has stood the test of time; salinity
presents no problem but to prevent waterlogging careful attention has always
been given to drainage. The circulation o f water in the land may be compared
with that o f blood in the body; the feeders or arteries (known as rogge) provide
the water which seeps into the drainage canals leading like veins back to the
natural rivers.
Paramotmt as irrigation has been in the evolution o f Lombard agriculture
there have been other beneficial influences which deserve passing mention. At a
time when most o f a city’s food had to come from a limited radius the precocious
urbanization o f Lombardy was a powerful stimulus to intensification and specialization.
I f the noble was enticed into the city in the hope o f commercial gain the
merchant was no less disposed to invest in the land; thus the low standards
generally associated with feudalism were abandoned in favour of a more commercialized
agriculture more ready to adopt new techniques^ and new crops.““ In
recent times the growth o f industry, besides providing a market, has reduced the
* For example, in the Middle Ages the use of green manuring and urban sewerage, and
more recently rotations, artificial fertilizers and mechanization.
* Notably mulberries, rice, maize, potatoes and tomatoes.
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