Massagno

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• Onex

History

An Upper Paleolithic Ax made out of serpentinite, and some cremation graves from the Iron Age are the only prehistoric traces discovered in Massagno. The village of Massagno is first mentioned in 1146 as Masagnio. In 1198 it was mentioned as Maxanio. The Vicinanza of Massagno emerged from the villages of Massagno and Gerso, and during the Middle Ages it was part of the Pieve of Lugano. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Cathedral of S. Lorenzo in Lugano seems to have owned individual farms and houses in the village, and in 1198 it was the main landholder. At the same time, the Kastlanei Sonvico owned some estates. In 1262 the hospital of St. Mary of Lugano acquired some estates as well, which were sold in 1739 to the Luvini family in Massagno. In 1329, the provost of the Humiliati monastery of S . Antonio in Lugano bought land in the village. Then, in the 14th century, the Bishop of Como acquired the right to tithe in Massagno and land in Gerso. Historically, Massagno was part of the Lugano parish. Between 1920 and 1927, together with Rovello, it formed one of Luganos five rettorati. The Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua in Gerso is from 1655 to 1670 and was restored in 1983. It was built by a member of the Solari family from Gerso, who had made his fortune in the wool trade in Venice. Between 1815 and 1830, the main road into the village was built. Between 1879 and 1880 an excavation for a railway line led to strong population growth as workers (especially from Italy) migrated to Massagno for work. In 2000, about three quarters commuted out of town for work. The school complex was built in 1970–71.

Geography

Massagno has an area, , of . Of this area, or 98.6% is buildings or roads, while or 1.4% is forested. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 59.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 24.3%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 8.1%. The municipality is located in the Lugano District, in the north-western agglomeration of Lugano. It consists of the village of Massagno the settlement of Gerso and, since 1804, part of the former municipality of Rovello.