Embellished by numerous palaces and stately villas, including the eighteenth-century Villa Borromeo, Cassano, in the past, was defended by the Visconti Castle, which today Piazza Perucchetti dominates one side, and the Muzza canal, built by Ottone Visconti between 1261 and 1295 to guard the natural border of the Adda river between the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice, dominates the other. In the following centuries, the castle changed hands several times. It was gradually expanded by each invader who took possession of it, up to Francesco Sforza, who endo the imposing wall equipped with buttresses and casemates overlooking the canal. Subsequently transformed into a prison, in 1703, 4,500 Piedmontese soldiers under the command of Eugene of Savoy were locked up there and left to die of hunger. After decades of abandonment and decay, the castle was recently renovated, restoring the ancient splendor of the frescoes and decorations created in the Visconti era, and today houses a luxury hotel.

One of the most famous copies of the Holy Shroud of Turin is preserved in the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta. Donated in 1578 to San Carlo Borromeo, archbishop of Milan, at the time, on the occasion of his pilgrimage to Turin for the exposition of the Shroud, kept it in his private chapel after the saint had placed it in contact with the original so that it acquired the miraculous properties. In 1927, the Shroud of Inzago was exposed for popular veneration, and, on this occasion, it was cut into two parts, which immediately required several restoration interventions. The analyses on the colored traces and the fabrics carried out in 1991 certified tempera and rose madder-based dye for the wound marks. There are also numerous historic villas from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the characteristic tower of Villa Vitali is visible as you walk along the path.

It is in the so-called Martesana territory (a flat area located at the western end of the Po Valley), being bathed by the Martesana Naviglio and the Villoresi Canal.

It is a place with an ancient history, whose toponym could even refer to the name of the goddess Concordia (which would have been popularized as “Corcondiola” and then became “Gorgonzola”), but which subsequently linked its name to that of one of the most famous blue cheeses ever, one of the DOP products of the European Community in 1996 and born in this municipality in an identifiable period around the 15th century. A raw cheese made from pasteurized milk that owes its unmistakable appearance with green streaks to the formation of mold obtained by adding penicillium spores to milk. There are two types of Gorgonzola: sweet and spicy: the first is soft, while the second is firmer and crumbly. A product known worldwide, it is used for various typical dishes of the municipality and Lombardy: from risotto to pasta with four kinds of cheese, passing through scallops, and even some desserts.

The municipality of Gorgonzola has a lot to offer beyond cheese: it is a town born as a humble horse-changing station in Roman times and then grew year after year around fundamental local architecture. The most famous and representative of the place is, in all probability, the Church of Saints Gervasio and Protasio, of whose original structure, unfortunately, tiny remains: the new parish complex dates back to the beginning of the 19th century and is composed of the sacred building mentioned above, which is flanked by two symmetrical bodies, the Oratory of Holy Trinity on the right and on the left the Serbelloni Mausoleum. The church’s bell tower is 46 meters high, and inside the structure, it is divided into a single Latin cross nave with a large transept covered by a dome and apse. The Church of Saints Gervasio and Protasio is also known for its various works of art, including the sculptures by Benedetto Cacciatori and the two magnificent organs by Giovanni Bressani and Antonio Brunelli.

Having said this, among the other religious architecture of Gorgonzola, the Serbelloni Mausoleum deserves a separate discussion; it was created, as it is easy to imagine, to house the tombs of the famous local family. The building is known for the large mural painting by Domenico Pozzi depicting the vision of the prophet Ezekiel and for four other biblical scenes painted on the walls, which need to be seen today. Also worthy of mention and a visit is the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Aiuto, which in ancient times was part of a convent of the Humiliati (the period during which it was dedicated to Saint Peter): it is the oldest sacred structure in the city. It is known for the presence inside a canvas by an unknown artist depicting Job in prayer and for a reproduction of the Madonna venerated in the Marian sanctuary of Bobbio.