This is the first article for 'Loving my Fatherland' section. The need to explore my native town, and tell it to readers, is due to the fact that this personal blog is not only consecrated to politics, energy and self promotion, but also to unknown and beautiful pages of culture I want to share with others.
Is it possible for a post industrial town to recover an old strong relationship with water and nature? The answer is yeah, and Milan gives an example of it.
Vettabbia Park (Parco Vettabbia) is a 1500 hectares park in the southern-eastern periphery of Milan.
The park is composed by a cycling and a fitness track, a little lake, the river Vettabbia and Nosedo purifier, which was realized to purify Vettabbia's high polluted waters.
Although the purifier was realized in the early 90s, Vettabbia park was opened in 2012, thanks to a joint intervention of Lombardy Region, Milan City Council, and Cariplo Foundation.
Vettabbia Park is a unexpected site in a crowded town full of cement as Milan, the economic capital of Italy, is.
The Park is the best place you can run by bike, walking with the dog, read a book in a quite atmosphere, astonish your girlfriend spending with her some time close to a romantic lake.
Once in the Park, you are frapped by the green and the blue: the colors of nature and water, two elements that are present everywhere in this place.
In Vettabbia Park there is also the time for culture. The Park is close to Chiaravalle monastic complex: a gothic style abbey realized in 1135 by Cistercian monastic order.
In addition to Chiaravalle Abbey, an important historical aspect of the Park is filed with Vettabbia River.
This artificial river was realized by the Romans, in order to collect waters of several other rivers that crowded the town of Mediolanum.
According to Landolfo Seniore, a writer of the XI Century, at Romans' time it was even possible to ship wares through Vettabia from Milan to the river Po, and further to Venice and the Adriatic Sea.
With the pass of time, Vettabbia become a section of Milan's sewer. The maximum level of pollution in Vettabbia's waters was reached in Post War Period, due to the fast and uncontrolled development of Milan's industries.
Metaphorically, the recover of Vettabbia is a repetition of Cistercian monks' activity after the Barbaric Invasions, when they started cultivating the lands close to Milan.
Therefore, Cistercian Monks relaunched the rural economy of Milan after war and devastation. Nowadays, the recover of Vettabbia Basin could give to Milan a terrific place to visit during Expo 2015.
Despite of its beauty and comfortable position -it is possible to reach Vettabbia Park by bus or train in Milan's Rogoredo railway station- in Vettabbia Park there are not fountains, bar or places where to buy snacks and drinks.
If you want to spend your time in the Park during an extremely hot day, remind yourself to bring something to drink, in order to avoid to feel a strong desire of a fresh coke after a couple of minutes of permanence in the Park.
However, this negative aspect is not a reason to decline a visit in the Park. This is really an interesting and relaxing place where to stay in Milan, alone or in company.
Here a link where to read some news about Chiaravalle Abbey.
And here a couple of photos of Vettabbia Park.
Matteo Cazzulani
Free lance journalist and energy deals consultant m.cazzulani@gazeta.pl
2013-07-07
