Consonno

Consonno is north-east from the centre of the Lombardy capital city of Milan, is part of the Brianza cross-province geographical, historical and cultural area, and at the southern end of the Lombard Pre-Alps. It covers an area of about , much of it woodland. At above sea level, Consonno is one of the highest points in the area with views of the settlements of Olginate, Valgreghentino, Garlate and Airuno, the Adda river, Monte Resegone, and the lakes Annone and Garlate. Access is by a winding through-road from the provincial (Strada provinciale), SP59 road at Olginate in the east, to the SP58 between Ravelinno and Villa Vergano in the west. The municipality area is assessed as being under hydrogeological risk from excessive rainfall, the City of Toys development itself having had an adverse effect on the natural environment and geomorphology. ==History==

Political Cosonno from the 10th century was part of the Lombard Leagues, which set up Medieval communes. By the 15th century it fell under the Duchy of Milan, until the duchy was defeated in 1525 by the Hapsburgs. In 1706 the Austrians took and began to control the area as Austrian-Lombardy. This lasted until between 1797 and 1802 when it became part of the Cisalpine Republic, a French Empire sister republic, then until 1805 Bonaparte's Italian Republic, finally Bonaparte's Kingdom of Italy, all three French puppet states. In 1815, Austrian rule was reinstated as the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia at the Congress of Vienna, which lasted until the Risorgimento and the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Consonno was historically in the parish of Garlate (Pieve di Garlate) in the municipality of Monte di Brianza. The name Cosonno was attested in a document of 1085, describing an Albenga, daughter to Alberto "de loco Cussonno' (man from Cusonno), who was married to Andrea Giovanni, who owned vineyards in Vimaggiore, then under the jurisdiction of the parish of Decimo. In 1162 Consonno was a possession of the Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Civate, north-west from Cosonno on Lake Annone, which, under the authority of Frederick I, had an autonomy which included statutory rights over roads and watercourses within countryside near Milan, and a church at Consonno (or Sansono). By 1412, Consonno was itself a municipality, but still in the ecclesiastical parish of Garlate, which through legal representation took an oath of loyalty to Filippo Maria Visconti, 3rd duke of Milan, by which there was to be no interference or outside jurisdiction over the property of the abbey and its inhabitants. Garlate was the ecclesiastical capital of the Archdiocese of Milan, and also a civil district. The duke had acknowledged earlier tax exemptions to the "Martesana Superiore" (an area covered by today's Brianza), made in 1373 by Bernabò Visconti (Lord of Milan), and in 1385 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, 1st duke of Milan to the places and settlements of Brianza. Consonno in 1572 was part of those lands in the Duchy of Milan which fell under the salt tax. ==City of Toys==

Città dei Balocchi, translated as "City/Town of Toys", "Toy City/Town", "City of Youth", or "City of Novelties", was the brainchild of Count Mario Bagno. Mario Bagno (born in Vercelli, 24 February 1901 – died 22 October, 1995), was a commercial entrepreneur whose company constructed buildings, neighbourhoods, roads and airport runways. He spent 22,500,000 lire (£9,900) in 1962 to appropriate and become the sole owner of the village of Consonno. The motivation for the acquisition was to exploit Consonno's panoramic position and easy access from Milan. Bagno gained authorization to build an asphalt road suitable for motor traffic to replace the ancient mule track to Olginate. He told inhabitants that he was intending to increase tourism in Brianza by building a few hotels, and would leave the old village intact. However, after bulldozers and trucks arrived, the village inhabitants were forced to abandon their homes. Five villagers, Vittorio Panzeri, Roberto Milani, Margherita Milani, Rosa Milani, and Carmen Milani stated: "The bulldozers attacked the houses with the inhabitants still inside or the animals in the stables - you had to run out quickly". Bagno razed all buildings, saving only the small church with the adjoining chaplain's house and the nearby cemetery. He used explosives to level mountainous reliefs to improve the panorama experienced from Consonno. In place of the small village, an ever-expanding complex quickly arose. On the road leading from Olginate, Bagno added arched structures over the road with banners proclaiming, variously: "In Consonno the sky is bluer", "In Consonno it's always a party", and "Consonno is the smallest but most beautiful town in the world"; these still stand today. He intended an "imposing medieval castle" gatehouse entrance, which today no longer exists, replaced by an unfinished concrete structure. ==References==