Casalzuigno
Casalzuigno: a Lombardian town to discover
Hi everyone! Today, I want to talk to you about one of the most characteristic municipalities in Lombardy: Casalzuigno. Located along the Valcuvia, this town has about 1344 inhabitants and is crossed by the state road that connects Cittiglio with Luino. One of the most spectacular places in the municipality is Villa Della Porta Bozzolo, a 16th-century country villa belonging to the Italian Environmental Fund. But let's discover more about the history of this place!
History
The Valcuvia is a region inhabited since prehistoric times by Ligurian populations, probably coming from the pile-dwelling settlements of Lake Varese. The settlement of the Ligurians in Valcuvia gave rise to the so-called civilization of the "Man of Valcuvia", testified by the discovery of a prehistoric axe in the fraction of Arcumeggia, part of the current municipality of Casalzuigno.
The Insubri, a Celtic tribe, also settled in the valley, but there are no specific traces of them in Casalzuigno. The oldest nucleus of the municipality, Zuigno, has Roman origins. Following the Romans' conquest of the areas inhabited by the Insubri, the territories of Valcuvia were entrusted to settlers (in many cases, military veterans) who often gave them their name.
During the Middle Ages, Zuigno continued to exist as a municipality during the Longobard domination. In particular, a document from 852, reported in the Diplomaticus Longobardie Codex, attests that a Longobard woman named Adelburga had entrusted her lands owned in Zuigno (Sovino) to the administration of a priest named Lupone.
During the Frankish domination, which succeeded that of the Longobards, Zuigno became part of one of the rural counties established by Charlemagne: the County of Seprio. In the early 1100s, Zuigno also became part of the Pieve of Val Cuvia, and with the peace of 1196, following Frederick Barbarossa's defeat in the Battle of Legnano, the municipality, like the entire Valcuvia, passed into the hands of the Milanese and became part of the Province of the Duchy of Milan, subject to the Bishop of Como regarding spiritual administration.
Curiosities
During the construction of the Cittiglio-Luino provincial road in 1903, a plaque was discovered, which bore the inscription: "Pico Filio Ciamicio Atepo Patri" (To the son Pico and the father Ciampicio Atepo). The plaque, in lower imperial characters, testifies to the Roman origin of the municipality, as well as the 12 tombs always found during the construction of the same road.
The municipality of Casalzuigno today
Despite its millenary history, Casalzuigno is a modern and lively municipality. It's part of the Valli del Verbano Mountain Community and the Union of municipalities of the Medio Verbano, offering many opportunities for those who want to spend some time immersed in the beauty of the Lombardian landscapes. Among the activities you can take part in, there are: trekking, birdwatching, mountain biking, and sports fishing.
Conclusions
We have come to the end of our visit to Casalzuigno. I hope that the information provided has been useful in appreciating the beauty and history of this Lombardian municipality. If you have the opportunity, don't miss out on visiting Villa Della Porta Bozzolo, one of the jewels of Casalzuigno and Lombardy. And if you like outdoor activities, you will surely find many here that satisfy your interests!
