Cesana Brianza is a "municipality" of 2,393 inhabitants in the Province of Lecco in Lombardy, about north of Milan and southwest of Lecco.
The territory of Cesana Brianza is located near Lake Pusiano, located on the southern slope of Mount Cornizzolo, belonging to the so-called "Larian Triangle". It is part of the Mountain Community Lario Orientale – Valle San Martino.
Cesana Brianza borders the following municipalities: Annone di Brianza, Bosisio Parini, Canzo, Civate, Eupilio, Pusiano, Suello.
Territory.
The territory of Cesana Brianza extends between the lakes of Pusiano and Annone and is located on the southern slope of Mount Cornizzolo ("Cornizzola" or "Corniscioeula"), one of the many mountains belonging to the Larian Triangle and geologically to the Southern Alps. The municipal territory is the result of continuous geological transformations. In fact, the land is not equally uniform: stretches of land of marine origin are flanked by others of continental origin and others of glacial or morainic origin.
The Cesanese countryside presents a poor and permeable soil made fertile by the continuous works of human reclamation and therefore now productive of any crop. Until a few decades ago, the cutting of hay, the breeding of livestock, the cultivation of Vines and mulberry trees and, to a lesser extent, the harvesting of Cereals constituted the prevalent resources of the municipality, demonstrating the agricultural reality of Cesana Brianza. Today, however, maximum productivity comes from the industrial sector, while the agricultural crops of mulberry and vine have almost entirely disappeared, so that the extremely fractionated land ownership now serves only to ensure a little green.
Particularly well known is the Municipal Park "Roccolo" of Cesana Brianza, located in a hilly position with a splendid view of Lake Pusiano.
Name origin.
The toponym Cesana derives from Caesiana rura (or Caesiana Villa, domus, turris, colonia). It can be assumed, therefore, that the origin of the name would derive from a Latin adjective obtained by the application of the suffix -ianus, -iana to the Roman noble name Caesius, precisely Caesiana. The toponym Cesana is very common throughout Italy (Cesana Torinese, Cesana fraction of Varese Ligure, Cesana near Feltre, but also Cisano Bergamasco etc.).
In all these cases, the place names derive from various possessions of families of the people "Caesia", very numerous and powerful especially in imperial times.
The municipality changed its name from 1927 to 1955 when it was merged with the neighboring municipality of Suello, thus giving life to the municipality of Cesello Brianza. Today it is recognized as Cesana Brianza.
History.
The history of Cesana Brianza has ancient origins dating back to ancient Rome. The first documentation of this place dates back to the famous and ancient Tabula Peutingeriana. In fact, the development of the road network facilitated the process of Romanization of the Po Valley, and on the route of an ancient Roman road rose the village of Cesana. This road connected the great roads of Venice with the so-called "Via del Reno", which led to Germany in the region of the Upper Rhine and Upper Danube, passing through Como, Chiavenna, the Spluga Pass and finally Chur.
Cesana, in the Lombard age, from a simple and common military post became a real "castrum" or castle, with a guard tower and other annexed defense buildings.
During the disputes between Como and Milan, in 1162 the town saw the destruction of its defensive walls by Milan. At that time, the territory was a fief granted by Frederick Barbarossa to the abbot of San Pietro al Monte.
During the Duchy of Milan, under the Visconti-Sforza seigniory, the practice of feudalism returned in vogue. In fact, the territory was first feudalised to the Dal Verme, then to the Fregoso and finally to the Sfondrati during the Spanish domination.
From an ecclesiastical point of view, the town was for many centuries included in the Pieve d'Incino.
From 1927 to 1955 the municipality of Cesana Brianza was merged with Suello, giving birth to the municipality of Cesello Brianza, then belonging to the province of Como. In 1955 the municipality of Cesello Brianza was divided between the reconstituted municipalities of Cesana Brianza and Suello.
Coat of arms.
The coat of arms of Cesana Brianza was adopted in February 1895 on a project of the publisher Vallardi and describes the Roman origins and the medieval traditions of this town. In heraldic terms, it can be described as follows: ""silver to the Roman aqueduct in red planted on a green lawn, surmounted by the Visconti Biscione"." The presence of the "biscione visconteo" probably alludes to the fact that in Cesana the archbishop Visconti had established the seminary of San Fermo, then suppressed in 1596 by cardinal Borromeo.