Comune in Lombardy, Italy
Busto Arsizio
(
Italian:
[?busto
ar?sittsjo]
ⓘ
;
Bustocco
:
Busti Grandi
) is a
comune
(municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the
province of Varese
, in the
Italian
region of
Lombardy
, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of
Milan
. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the fifth municipality in the region by population and the first in the province.
History
[
edit
]
Despite some claims about a
Celtic
heritage, recent studies suggest that the "
Bustocchi
"
'
s ancestors were
Ligurians
, called "wild" by
Pliny
, "marauders and robbers" by
Livy
and "unshaven and hairy" by Pompeius Tragus. They were skilled ironworkers and much sought after as mercenary soldiers. A remote Ligurian influence is perceptible in the local dialect,
Bustocu
, slightly different from other
Western Lombard
varieties, according to a local expert and historian Luigi Giavini.
[3]
Traditionally these first inhabitants used to set fire to woods made of old and young oaks and black hornbeams, which at that time, covered the whole
Padan Plain
. This
slash-and-burn
practice, known as "debbio" in
Italian
, aimed to create fields where grapevines or cereals such as foxtail, millet and rye were grown, or just to create open spaces where stone huts with thatched roofs were built. By doing this, they created a
bustum
(burnt, in
Latin
), that is a new settlement which, in order to be distinguished from the other nearby settlements, was assigned a name:
arsicium
(again "burnt", or better "arid") for Busto Arsizio, whose name is actually a
tautology
;
carulfi
for nearby
Busto Garolfo
,
cava
for Busto Cava, later
Buscate
.
The slow increase in population was helped by the
Insubres
, a
Gaulish
tribe who arrived in successive waves by crossing the Alps
c.
500
BCE
. It is said that they defeated the
Etruscans
, who by then controlled the area, leaving some geographical names behind (Arno creek (not to be confused with Florence's river),
Castronno
, Caronno,
Biandronno
, etc.).
Busto Arsizio was created on the route between
Milan
and
Lake Maggiore
(called "Milan’s road", an alternative route to the existent
Sempione
), part of which, before the creation of the
Naviglio Grande
, made use of the navigational water of the
Ticino river
.
However, nothing is clearly known about Busto Arsizio's history before the 10th century, when the city's name was first discovered in documents, already with its present name:
loco Busti qui dicitur Arsizio
. A part of the powerful Contado of the Seprio, in 1176, its citizens likely participated (on both sides) in the famous
Battle of Legnano
, actually fought between Busto Arsizio's
frazione
of Borsano and nearby
Legnano
, when
Frederick Barbarossa
was defeated by the communal militia of the
Lombard League
. From the 13th century, the city became renowned for its production of textiles. Even its
feudalization
in later centuries under several lords, vassals of the masters of Milan, did not stop its slow but constant growth; nor did the
plague
, which hit hard in 1630, traditionally being stopped by the Virgin Mary after the
Bustocchi
, always a pious
Catholic
flock, prayed for respite from the deadly epidemic.
By the mid-19th century, modern industry began to take over strongly; in a few decades, Busto Arsizio became the so-called "
Manchester
of Italy".
[4]
In 1864, while the "Bustocco"
Eugenio Tosi
was the
Archbishop of Milan
, it was granted privileges by king
Victor Emmanuel II
of Italy. The Busto Arsizio continued to grow over the next century, absorbing the nearby communities of Borsano and Sacconago in 1927 in a major administrative reform implemented by the
Fascist regime
and was only marginally damaged even by
World War II
(a single
Allied
airdropped bomb is said to have hit the train station). This respite was given, actually, by the fact that the city hosted the important Allied liaison mission with the partisans, the
Mission Chrysler
, led by Lt. Aldo Icardi, later famous for his involvement in the
Holohan murder case
. During the conflict, Busto Arsizio was a major industrial centre for war production, and the occupying
Germans
moved the Italian national radio there. The
Italian resistance movement
resorted preferably to
strikes
and
sabotage
than to overt
guerrilla warfare
, since those willing to fight mostly took to the
Ossola
mountains, but strengthened in time, suffering grievous losses to arrests, tortures and deportation to the Nazi
lager
system. The names of
Mauthausen-Gusen
and
Flossenburg
concentration and extermination camps are sadly known to the
Bustocchi
, as dozens of their fellow citizens died there. On 25 April 1945, when the
partisans
took over, Busto Arsizio gave voice to the first free radio channel in northern Italy since the advent of
Fascism
.
After the war, Busto Arsizio turned increasingly on the right of the
political spectrum
as its bigger industries in the 1960s and 1970s decayed, to be replaced by many familiar small enterprises and a new service-based economy. Today, the city represents a major stronghold for both
Forza Italia
and
Lega Nord
right-wing political parties.
Busto Arsizio's districts
There are 9
districts
in Busto Arsizio, these are: Sant'Anna, San Michele, San Giovanni, Sant'Edoardo, Madonna Regina, Beata Giuliana, Santi Apostoli, Borsano and Sacconago.
Demographics
[
edit
]
Main sights
[
edit
]
The most important buildings of the city are the churches. There are several built in the last millennium, many of which are reconstructions of former churches.
The shrine of Santa Maria di Piazza
[
edit
]
The most remarkable building of the
Renaissance
period ? indeed the only remaining ? is the
shrine
of
Santa Maria di Piazza
("
Saint Mary
of the Square"), also called shrine of the Beata Vergine dell'Aiuto ("Blessed Virgin of the Help"). The building stands in the city centre. It was built between 1515 and 1522. The village of
Crespi d'Adda
, built up for
Cristoforo Benigno Crespi
, is home to a smaller version of the shrine.
The church of Saint John the Baptist
[
edit
]
The church of Saint
John the Baptist
, in the city centre, was built between 1609 and 1635 by
Francesco Maria Ricchini
, but the
bell tower
is older (between 1400 and 1418). The facade, finished in 1701 by
Domenico Valmagini
, has many statues and decorations. In the interior are numerous paintings by
Daniele Crespi
, a celebrated painter born at Busto Arsizio, such as
Cristo morto con San Domenico
and
Biagio Bellotti
. The square in front of this church was built over the ancient cemetery.
The church of Saint Michael the Archangel
[
edit
]
The third biggest church in the city is the Church of Saint Michael Archangel (
San Michele Arcangelo
). Its bell tower, built in the 10th century, is the oldest building in Busto Arsizio; originally it was part of a
Lombard
fortification. The present church was built by the architect
Francesco Maria Richini
. In the church there are some
relics
, the most important of which is the body of
San Felice Martire
.
The church of Saint Roch
[
edit
]
Built after the 1485
bubonic plague
and dedicated to
Saint Roch
, invoked against the plague, it was rebuilt from 1706 to 1713 thanks to donations by the lawyer
Carlo Visconti
. Inside the church, there are frescos by Salvatore and Francesco Maria Bianchi (1731) and Biagio Bellotti.
Museum of Textiles and Industry
[
edit
]
The
Museum of Textiles and Industry
was officially inaugurated in 1997 after years of restoration, and its collections are representative of Busto's economical history. They explain how the city developed from a small agricultural village to a thriving, industrial centre of manufacturing and commerce in a few decades.
Culture
[
edit
]
Traditions and festivals
[
edit
]
The patron saints of the city are
Saint John the Baptist
and
Saint Michael the Archangel
, whose feasts are traditionally celebrated on 24 June and 29 September.
In recent times the city council has given also civic relevance to celebrations that up to now were almost completely of a religious kind. In winter, the burning of the
Giobia
(historical spelling:
Gioeubia
) a (usually) female puppet, symbolizing the "chasing" out of winter and its troubles, and on a more sinister note, the change from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society in ancient times, is an established tradition since time immemorial. In the past each family prepared its simple puppet to be burnt, and then its ashes were dispersed to fertilize the fields as a good omen.
[5]
Now the celebration is more organized and publicly supported but still heartily felt by the populace. Busto Arsizio has two carnival masks, called
Tarlisu
and
Bumbasina
from the name of typical textiles.
Cuisine
[
edit
]
Originating from Busto Arsizio are
bruscitti
, which consist in a braised meat dish cut very thin and cooked in wine and
fennel seeds
, historically obtained by stripping leftover meat. Based on finely chopped
beef
and cooked for a long time, the other ingredients of the dish are
butter
,
lard
,
garlic
and
fennel
seeds.
[6]
At the end of cooking they are blended with well-structured
red wines
such as
Barbera
or
Barolo
.
[7]
In 1975 in Busto Arsizio the
Magistero dei Bruscitti
("Bruscitti Magisterium") was founded, an association with the aim of spreading knowledge of local rustic cuisine.
[8]
On 16 December 2012 the mayor of Busto Arsizio established "the day of
bruscitti
"
[9]
(
Ul di di bruscitt
in
Lombard
), which occurs every second Thursday in November.
[10]
In 2014 the municipality of Busto Arsizio recognized the
denominazione comunale d'origine
for
bruscitti
.
[8]
Music
[
edit
]
Mina
, an
Italian pop
star, was born in Busto Arsizio. Italian violinist and conductor
Uto Ughi
was also born and is currently living in the city.
Sport
[
edit
]
Busto Arsizio is the host for the Federazione Italiana Sport Croquet, the lawns being located at the Cascina del Lupo Sporting Centre just outside the city.
Pro Patria
football
club plays in Busto Arsizio at the
Stadio Carlo Speroni
.
The football team has qualified for access to the Serie B National Championship many times, but the team has not been part of the division since 1965?1966.
Pro Patria A.R.C. Busto Arsizio is the
athletic
society.
Yamamay Busto Arsizio
is the main
volleyball
society of the city and plays in the first national division.
One of the most important athletes of Busto Arsizio is
Umberto Pelizzari
, born on August 28, 1965, widely considered among the best
freedivers
of all time.
[
citation needed
]
Other important athletes are the former
twirling
world champion Chiara Stefanazzi and the former
footballers
Carlo Reguzzoni
,
Antonio Azimonti
,
Aldo Marelli
,
Egidio Calloni
,
Natale Masera
and
Michele Ferri
.
Busto Arsizio is also the city where the Italian volleyball player
Caterina Bosetti
is born.
Transport
[
edit
]
Busto Arsizio is served by two railway stations:
Busto Arsizio railway station
, managed by
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
, and
Busto Arsizio Nord railway station
, managed by
Ferrovienord
.
Initially, the Busto Arsizio area was selected for one specific reason: ease of transport ? the city is located exactly in the middle between
Varese
and
Milan
. Travel from Busto Arsizio to either city is approximately 30 minutes.
Economy
[
edit
]
Busto Arsizio's economic model has changed over the years: at the beginning, the most developed sectors were the primary and secondary sectors, but in the last decades also the tertiary sector has grown. According to
Fitch
, in 2009 GDP was 20% higher than the European average, while unemployment was at 4%.
[11]
Agriculture
The terrain of Busto Arsizio has never been particularly favourable for
agriculture
, for this reason from the very beginning the inhabitants of the city added to it other activities, such as
leather tanning
. Despite this, the primary sector remained the predominant one until the
16th century
. The most important crop was that of
cereals
.
Silkworm
breeding was also practised for a long time.
[12]
Craftsmanship
In the 16th century, Busto Arsizio was known for the production of
moleskin
.
Pewter
processing is also widespread in the city, aimed at the production of
trophies
,
trays
and plates.
Industry
Busto Arsizio has been one of the major textile centres of Italy for many years and well known abroad.
[13]
The city birthed a new class of entrepreneurs who started the first textile factors. Also, a new role in society was created: the worker-peasant, who found employment in these factories without completely neglecting agricultural activities. The city began to be called 'the Manchester of Italy' or 'the city of 100 chimneys'.
[14]
Services
In 1873 Eugenio Cantoni, Pasquale Pozzi and other entrepreneurs linked to the cotton industry founded the Banca of Busto Arsizio, which was transformed in 1911 into the Italian Provincial Credit Society, a forerunner of Italian Discount Bank, one of the main Italian credit institutions in the years of the First World War.
Neighbouring cities
[
edit
]
Among the surrounding municipalities to Busto Arsizio are:
Marnate
,
Castellanza
,
Olgiate Olona
,
Gorla Maggiore
,
Gorla Minore
,
Solbiate Olona
,
Fagnano Olona
.
International relations
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Busto Arsizio is
twinned
with:
People
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]
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