According to archeological studies made near the church of San Desiderio, the remains of a wall and various objects of Roman origin were found, indicating the existence of a
roman villa built in the 1st century CE. These remains were used, during the
High Middle Ages, for
burial site. Assago is first referenced in a document dated to 1153: in the description of a trial, between the testimonies, a reference is made to someone called
Azo de Axago. Modern age During the 18th century, all of the territory controlled by the
Duchy of Milan, including Assago, was assessed and recorded. In 1722, Assago's territory was made up of four towns: Assago, Bazzana Sant'Ilario, Bazzanella con Monte Gaudio and Pontirolo. • The land and agricultural buildings were the property of the
marquises Corbella and Calderari. Bazzana Sant'Ilario was property of count Nicolò Maria Visconti and the marquises Gerolamo Ferreri and Giovanni Battista Resta. • Bazzanella was the property of the church and some
bourgeois. • Pontirolo was the property of the marquis Corbella. In 1771 Assago was inhabited by 730 people. Under the control of the
First French Empire there were some short-term changes: in 1809 Bazzana and Bazzanella were united for the first time, while in 1811 all of these, Assago too, were put under the control of
Corsico. In 1816, Austria reverted these changes. The territory belonged mainly to five owners: Count Luigi Confalonieri, nobles Luigi and Benedetta Peluso, the parish and Luigi Simonetta. In 1881, the territory was divided between the families Galloni, Monfrini, Olginati, the municipality of Assago and the parish. On 20 January 1900, the municipality bought a plot of land from the Olginati family at a cost of 14,500
lire for a
town hall and primary school, the construction of which cost 17,300 lire. On 16 October 1906 construction of an electrical line was started, and on 1 October 1908 those for the construction of a telephone line. On 17 January 1915, the city council approved an expenditure of 15,500 lire (subsequently increased) for the construction of a
kindergarten that would accommodate 70 children. During the
First World War, 167 inhabitants left for the front; of these 28 did not return. The municipal administration decided to support the most needy families with special compensation, with a 20-year payment plan of 116 lire for war orphans. On 13 August 1926 the mayor, Ernesto Moro, approved the construction of an electric cabin. In 1929 the prefecture of Milan started a project to merge the municipalities of Assago, Rozzano and Basiglio; the merger failed through lack of time. In 1940, Assago had 100 inhabitants. On the night between 18 and 19 November 1940, five
Vickers Wellington military bombers of
RAF Bomber Command, headed for the Pirelli factories, mistakenly hit the Cavallazza farm. On 10 August 1944 two Assago
partisans, Giuseppe de Vecchi and Mario Idiomi, lost their lives in a military clash at
Noviglio. In 1946 the consequences of the
war and the anti-fascist struggle were reported: 84 survivors returned, 25 still abroad, 13 missing and 2 partisans killed.
Symbols The coat of arms and banner of the were granted by decree of the Italian President on 26 June 1973. "Of blue, to the
gear of gold, to three ears of grain to the natural, interlaced in the gear, tied of silver. External ornaments for Comune." The gear recalls the presence of factories and industries in the area, while the ears of wheat symbolize the abundant cereal fields in the municipality. The banner is a yellow drape.
Honours Since 2012, Assago has granted
honorary citizenship to notable people:
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th
Dalai Lama;
Rafael Correa, president of
Ecuador;
Giusy Versace,
paralympic athlete. == Sport ==