The history of Turro Milanese: the Trotter Park and beyond

The territory of Turro has undergone an evolution over time that has been expressed through a number of emblematic places.

The church of Santa Maria Assunta, completely renovated at the end of the 19th century in place of the pre-existing one and enlarged in the mid-20th century, has a neoclassical appearance and contains mosaics by the painter Luigi Filocamo.

With the construction of the Naviglio Martesana at the end of the 15th century, the land became more productive, attracting several noble families who built large estates there. To this period dates Cascina Turro, which gained importance during the revolutionary uprisings of 1848 by welcoming members of the Provisional Government of Lombardy.

In 1906, the racecourse Ippodromo del trotto was built in Turro, which in the meantime had taken the name of Turro Milanese. Suppressed in 1919 following its relocation to the San Siro district, the racecourse was transformed into an educational area surrounded by greenery and intended for outdoor teaching: it still exists today and is called Trotter Park.

The urban development of Turro Milanese in the early 20th century was concentrated near the railway belt and along viale Monza. The unstoppable increase in population in a small area and the resulting sanitation problems prompted Turro Milanese to join Milan in 1918, five years before the other eleven municipalities.