https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1300-9023
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ABSTRACT
Historic irrigation systems are a significant environmental and cultural resource for contemporary society and can effectively respond to the problems contemporary cities have with climate changes, such as droughts and floods. Milan’s run-flow irrigation system, and particularly its flagship water meadows, have been under great admiration by scholars from all over the world since the eighteenth century. Today the traditional irrigation system is in crisis and the water meadows are in sharp decline. Protection is entrusted by the regional parks around Milan, which implement passive to pro-active protection. Some scientific research and empirical evidence show that the combination of these ancient techniques can ensure minimum water quantity in case of drought and water absorption in case of excess rain. Their benefits could potentially expand to large areas, as was the previous meadows extension, and could also be profitable for sustainable peri-urban areas.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. There are several Cistercian abbeys that reclaimed the land in the area of southern Milan: from the west Morimondo, on the edge of the Ticino River Terrace, to the southeast Mirasole and Chiaravalle and Viboldone, whose fields collect the waste waters of Milan city.
2. In 1486, Ludovico Sforza built the Sforzesca estate near Vigevano where he created an irrigation system that allowed the spread of the marcite. It was here that Leonardo da Vinci devised the system of water scales with the aim of regularising the velocity of water in the Vigevano area (Leonardo da Vinci, 1506 – 1510), as cited in Manuscript H, Institut de France.
3. We refer to the construction of the Naviglio Pavese canal that connect the waters of Milan to Pavia and the Ticino and the Bereguardo; then, Villoresi canals irrigate the fields north of Milan.
5. The first deed in which the ‘marcite’ are mentioned is a parchment dated 1188 in which the monks of Morimondo ceded plots of land called ‘in marcitis’ in the locality of Ozzero ‘super suprascriptam terram in marcitis’ (parchment preserved at the State Archives of Milan).
6. Libro de li Prati del Monasterio di Chiaravalle (Citation1578), edited by L.M. Chiappa Mauri e G.Fantoni, 2001.
7. Domenico Berra in (Citation1822) affirmed: ‘Those among the others who distinguished themselves in promoting irrigation and improving the method were the Monks of Chiaravalle or Cistercians, and those of Vicoboldone, or the Umiliati, who were the first to reduce a large expanse of marshy and uncultivated land into very fertile meadows, which are undoubtedly still the best in our surroundings’.
8. In Soresi (Citation1914) states that probably the first to water the meadows were the Umiliati of Viboldone, a little further south: ‘there are reasons to believe that the Umiliati of the Abbey of Vicoboldone, who until 1200 enjoyed the waters of the Vettabbia to water their meadows, preceded the Carthusians of Chiaravalle in the planting of the marcite, whose origins some date back to 1200’.
9. This information comes empirically from a verbal exchange of the author, as president of a Landscape Commission, with other regional parks Landscape Commissions, where an increasing number of pivot sprinkler practices have been submitted over the past two years.
10. It has been tested in the REC Rete Ecologica Ca’ Granda project. Results are under publication. https://www.fondazionepatrimoniocagranda.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/REC_presentazione-del-progetto-ok.pdf.
12. Wildlife monitoring has been carried out and is ongoing as part of the REC Rete Ecologica Ca’ Granda above mentioned.
13. Several sudden episodes of ‘water bombs’ occurred over the city of Milan in the summer 2023.
14. Conversely, summer 2022 was very dry in Milan.
15. Information was collected from official parks’ websites and supplemented by interviews done during 2023 with agricultural managers of the three parks; https://www.parcoticino.it/; https://www.cittametropolitana.mi.it/parco_agricolo_sud_milano; https://www.parcoaddasud.it/.
16. Ticino Park was established in 1974, South Agricultural Park in 1990, South Adda Park in 1983.
17. The survey was carried out by collecting information from the official websites of parks and supplemented by interviews with agricultural managers of the three Parks during 2023. Information on marcite extent was collected through censuses carried out over the years (if any), implemented, and ongoing projects in favour of traditional irrigation and reclamation of the marcite. Although the information was often incomplete and fragmentary, an attempt was made to summarise it.
18. To transform a marcita, an authorisation has to be requested to the Park authority. https://ente.parcoticino.it/procedimenti/trasformazione-marcite/.
19. The contribution is approximately 500€ per ha of winter meadow submerged.
21. Maintenance of water meadows, Biosource project: action 4.5, 60 ha of water meadows recovered in winter flooding https://ticinobiosource.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Buone-pratiche-Parco-Ticino_lr.pdf.
23. Resolution N°8/2022 for breaking up water meadows. https://www.parcoaddasud.it//documenti/leggiregolamenti/disciplina_interventi_rottura_marcite_e_prati_stabili.pdf.
24. Cascina Campazzo feeds dairy cows; Cascina Linterno low court animals and horses; Cascina San Gregorio feeds horses.
25. Chiaravalle and San Gregorio Vecchio water meadows.
26. Interest has already been shown by a study trip of Swiss farmers from the FAPPAC federation des associations pour la promotion des projets agricoles collectifs to the Ticino marcite, June 5–8, 2022
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Paola Branduini
Paola Branduini is Assistant Professor at Architecture, Built Environment and Costruction Engineering Department of Politecnico di Milano. Her researches focus on historic rural landscape preservation, enhancement and management.