Remember those old maps with dragons marking the unknown? Today we are at Castellazzo de’ Stampi. Once it was on the edge of what was known. Now it is a charming frazione of Corbetta.
Castellazzo de’ Stampi whispers tales from Celtic times. Romans grazed their cattle here. It was a simple vicus of Corbetta. The noble Borri family then shaped its destiny.
Castellazzo experienced an economic and military boom. The Borri family erected a defensive structure here. It was like the Corte Grande of today. Bonacossa Borri was from these lands. She was the wife of Matteo I Visconti. He was the Lord of Milan. She ensured Castellazzo was a personal provision for her heirs.
In the 1400s, dense woods thrived here. Corbetta used the timber. It boosted the local wood industry. Wine production also increased.
In 1525, the plague struck Castellazzo. French troops brought it. They aimed to oust the Spanish from Milan. Massimiliano Stampa became the owner that year. His holdings included the village. Castellazzo was near his Cusago castle. Until 1558, the Stampa family directly controlled the town. Then Castellazzo became a free commune. Consuls governed it until the 18th century.
San Carlo Borromeo visited Castellazzo on November 22 1577. He made another visit on June 17 1581. Fear of the plague returned with the decline of Spanish rule. It struck Castellazzo and Corbetta in 1629. Many died. Others joined Spanish troops in Flanders to escape the danger.
Castellazzo de’ Stampi was primarily agricultural in 1558. It was part of the Pieve di Corbetta. By 1751, the town had 45 inhabitants. Cascina Pobbia was also united for fiscal reasons. A communal consul regulated public order. He managed community affairs. A ducal official tracked annual expenses. He collected taxes.
The vicario of the Seprio oversaw Castellazzo. His base was in Gallarate. The Podestà of Milan also had jurisdiction. The consul had to swear an oath to him annually.
In 1757 Castellazzo de Stampi was annexed to Cascina Pobbia. Cascina Pobbia was included in Corbetta in 1880.
Aristocratic Milanese families dominated in the 1700s. The Borri, Archinto, Carcano, Frisiani, and Stampa families were landowners. The Stampa family formally secured the fiefdom. They paid a sum to the Regia Camera of Milan. Thus, the village became known as “de’ Stampi”.
Castellazzo de’ Stampi entered the Kingdom of Italy. The Villoresi Canal arrived in 1886. It was a major 19th-century irrigation innovation. The Milan-Magenta/Castano Primo steam tramway was built nearby between 1879 and 1880.
The local Circolìn club opened a new headquarters in the new century. It was once the only meeting spot. The 18th-century oven in the Corte Grande courtyard was also active.
Castellazzo pushed agriculture in the 1920s and 1930s. The Fascist party promoted this for rural areas. An Enel station for electricity dispatching was built. A private telephone line ran to the Enel plant in Magenta. Other family-run businesses emerged.
In 1948, the old club moved to Via Fiume. It remained there until 1991. It had over 80 members at its peak.
The Church of Saints Giuseppe and Alfonso was founded in 1953. It became the town’s place of worship.
Today Castellazzo de’ Stampi retains its charm. It is a living testament to centuries of history. It stands as a reminder of the families and events. They shaped this small corner of Lombardy.