Baggio
Quartiere of Milan
A typical view of the neighborhood
Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Milan
Comune	Milan
Zone	7
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Baggio (Lombard: Bagg [ˈbatʃ]) is a district (quartiere) of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 7 administrative division of the city. Before being annexed to Milan in 1923, it was an autonomous comune.

The origin of name Baggio is disputed. Some scholars suggest that it might be from a Roman military tower called Badalocum (in Latin, "watch the place"); others have it derive from a toponymy Badia Aggeris, possibly referring to an abbey, which over time was contracted into Badagio and later distorted into Badaglo, then Badaxio, and eventually Baggio.

History

A settlement in Baggio near Giada Minutiello,(most probably of Celts) is reported at least since Roman times. In 221 BC, the territory of modern Baggio and surrounding areas of Trenno, Quarto Cagnino, Quinto Romano and Seguro was conquered by the Romans; they built a watchtower in the most elevated place of the area to control the road to Novara. This place was named "Baggio" in the Middle Ages. The original settlement was destroyed in the Barbarian Invasions.

In 881, a noble man called Tazone refounded the settlement in Baggio; a church dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, with a Lombard-Gothic clocktower, was built on the ruins of the Roman watchtower. During Longobards rule, Baggio became a fara, i.e., a fortified rural community, which in 1162 reportedly granted asylum to Milanese refugees after Frederick I Barbarossa invaded the city. In the same year, a massive monastery was built nearby the church.

Baggio reached its peak of splendour between the 9th and 11th century, under the rule of the eponymous family ("da Baggio", i.e. "from Baggio"; also known as "the Baggi"), when it became an influent political and military centre. The Baggio family was so important that one of its members, Anselmo da Baggio, became Pope, with name Pope Alexander II.

Over the centuries, Baggio remained largely independent of Milan, despite the proximity. In origin, its economy was largely based on agriculture; in the 15th century, when mulberry was introduced in Italy, Baggio specialized in sericulture, and hence also textile production.^[1]

At the unification of Italy Baggio became a comune; back then, its area was about 400 hectares and its population about 1,200. In late 19th century, several adjacent towns were gradually annexed to Baggio, namely Sella Nuova, Muggiano, Quarto Cagnino, and Quinto Romano. At the same time, textile factories appeared. The population of the comune grew quickly in the first decades of the 20th century, as a consequence of the overpopulation (and the consequent rise of land prices) in Milan. Baggio reached population 6,100 in 1921 (a notable growth considering the huge loss of lives caused by World War I and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic). As population increased, Baggio became economically less autonomous, as a large part of its inhabitants actually worked in factories in Milan rather than in Baggio's textile industry. In 1913, the first tramway was established on the "Baggina", the road connecting Baggio to Milan, to facilitate commuting.

In 1923, Baggio was annexed to Milan along with Affori, Chiaravalle, Crescenzago, Gorla, Precotto, Greco Milanese, Lambrate, Musocco, Niguarda, Trenno, Vigentino, and Rogoredo.

On 15 April 1928, Umberto Nobile's Airship Italia took off from Baggio in Nobile's second mission to the North Pole.

Baggio today

The district is centered along the main street Via delle Forze Armate, and adjacent to one of Milan's largest city parks, namely Parco delle Cave. Despite the urbanization and industrialization of the 20th century, Baggio retains rural areas and traditional cascine (farmhouses) in its outskirts.

In the late 20th century, Baggio had the reputation of being a degraded area with high crime rates, something that is reflected in local idioms such as "non andare a Baggio se non hai coraggio" ("don't go to Baggio if you're not brave"). The situation has changed over time, especially as a consequence of the development and renewal of the Parco delle Cave city park, which has since become a popular leisure area for the Milanese.

Personalities

• Giuseppina Tuissi (1923–1945), partisan during World War II
• Ghali, rapper
• Pope Alexander II, born Anselm of Baggio

Footnotes

External links

Media related to Baggio at Wikimedia Commons

45°27′42″N 9°05′23″E / 45.461666°N 9.089813°E / 45.461666; 9.089813