Castiglione Olona

The village of Castiglione Olona, also known as the "Island of Tuscany in Lombardy", has ancient origins. It was a Roman military camp, then a village fought over by the Viscontis and the Torrianis, who, for a long time, sought to dominate this territory along the banks of the River Olona. The Renaissance was the period of greatest splendour for this place, due to the presence of Cardinal Branda Castiglioni and his extremely enlightened initiatives. The cultural and artistic history of this quaint village is actually intertwined with that of this great benefactor, Apostolic Legate, politician and traveller, who chose to devote the last years of his long life to his birthplace. All that can be seen was built over a twenty-year period, between January 7, 1422 (when a Papal bull by Pope Martin V authorised Cardinal Branda Castiglioni to build the church, which is now known as "Collegiata") and February 3, 1443 (when the Cardinal died, one day before his 93rd birthday, given that he was born on 4 February 1350). In those twenty years, artists, such as Masolino da Panicale and Lorenzo di Pietro (also known as "Vecchietta") worked in Castiglione Olona, producing outstanding frescos.

The "Palio dei Castelli" T he Palio dei Castelli began in 1972, and is the most important historical event in Castiglione Olona. Extremely popular throughout the province and the region, this historical-cultural re-enactment is full of minor figures and actors in costume, and is characterised by an exciting barrel race, when the eight historical neighbourhoods of the ancient village compete for the prize, the "palio".

The Museum of Plastic, in Castiglione Olona I n June 2004, the Museum of Plastic Art was opened in the Castiglioni di Monteruzzo Palace (Court of Doro). It collects works by world-famous artists, which have been made with plastic.