Standing here before Cascina Grandi, can’t you almost smell the sweet scent of ripening rice? This isn’t just another farmhouse. Cascina Grandi tells a tale of agricultural innovation and transformation.
Cascina Grandi was built in 1881. Marquis Zanoletti, one of the area’s biggest landowners, wanted it. This area sat near Rozzano on the Naviglio Pavese. It’s only 12 kilometers from Milan.
Its V shape is unique. Most Lombard farms were squares or rectangles. Stables and barns frame the manor house. This house sits at the end of a long avenue of linden trees. A mill, a granary, and farmhouses completed the structure.
For decades, the farm thrived. It became a major rice production center. The owners chose special materials. Lombard granite and terracotta decorations showed its wealth.
But times changed. In the late 1950s, Rozzano grew. Factories and settlements replaced farms. Cascina Grandi’s production slowed. By the early 1970s, it stopped completely.
The local government bought the property. They began to renovate it. The first phase restored stables and farmhouses. From 1979 to 1983, workers toiled. The second phase focused on the mill. They kept its original machinery. The old stables became new ones. They kept the pillars.
Some buildings were lost. The carpentry shop vanished. So did the blacksmith’s workshop. Also gone were lodgings for seasonal workers. The granary also disappeared.
Mayor Giovanni Foglia led the restoration. He faced some doubters. Yet, he restored the main wing. Workers repaired the roof’s wooden frame. They reinforced the ground floor. They cleaned the bricks and facades. This revealed its original beauty.
A decade later, a second restoration began. The Lombardy Region helped. They rebuilt the stables. The original pillars and walls remained. A new steel frame supported the roof. They reused the original tiles. The mill was in good shape. Workers restored its walls and roof. They saved the water wheel, gears, and dryer.
Around 1997, a new exhibition space opened. The town’s video library moved to the mill temporarily. Then, workers restored the main wing again. It became the new home of the Public Library.
In 2006, they covered the library’s portico. This expanded the space. It created a large playroom.
Today, Cascina Grandi stands as a testament to Rozzano’s history. It shows the area’s shift from agriculture to a modern community. Its walls whisper stories of rice fields and rural life.