Have you ever wondered how Milanese farmers lived? Here at Cascina Fiandra you can travel back in time. Cascina Fiandra represents a traditional rural building style. It is especially common in the Po Valley of northern Italy. These buildings are also known as cascine lombarde. They have been present in the Po Valley since the 16th century. They became very common in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The word cascina comes from the Middle Ages. It was often spelt capsina, caxina or cassina. The word may come from Vulgar Latin capsia. Capsia means corral or stockyard. Some people think the word comes from Old Italian cascio. Cacio means cheese and refers to dairy farms. The first farmhouses were called cassine and date back to the 13th century.
A typical cascina is a farm with a square courtyard. It is located in the middle of cultivated land. Brick buildings line the courtyard. These include houses for the families. There are also stables and barns. You can see fountains, ovens, stores, mills and dairies. Cascine were often isolated settlements. Some had up to one hundred people. Many included churches, inns or even schools. Some cascine were fortified with walls and towers. They sometimes even had moats and drawbridges.
Cascina Fiandra is in the High Po Valley. Cascine here were smaller. They housed about 4 to 6 families. Larger cascine in the Low Po Valley had 10 to 15 families. Some even had 20 to 25.
Peasants in the cascine had special jobs. Campari maintained the irrigation. Bergamini looked after the cattle. Casari worked in the dairy. Bifolchi used oxen for tillage. Cavallanti used horses. Contadini harvested hay for cattle. Some larger cascine also had carpenters and blacksmiths. They had workers not directly related to farming.
Cascina Fiandra produced wheat, maize, and rice. It also produced barley, milk and cheese. Trees like cottonwood, elm, and mulberry were common. Cascine near cities grew fresh vegetables. These were very profitable in urban markets.
Throughout the 20th century, cascine declined. They lost their old function in the Po Valley. Many cascine were torn down. Others are now vacant and decaying. Some cascine have been absorbed by cities. They have been converted into homes or schools. Some are now hotels or restaurants. Even airports have been built on cascine land.
However, some old-fashioned cascine still function today. They continue to produce milk in the Lombard countryside. The name cascina is found in many place names in Lombardy. These places started as cascine. Cascina Gobba and Cassina Triulza are neighborhoods of Milan.
Think of Ermanno Olmi’s “The Tree of Wooden Clogs”. Imagine Bernardo Bertolucci’s “1900”. These movies accurately show daily life in a cascina. As you stand here at Cascina Fiandra, remember its rich history. It is a testament to the ingenuity and hard work of Lombard farmers. It is a reminder of a way of life that has shaped this region for centuries.