Furthermore, the little adjacent farmstead gives it a unique touch… Cut the cackle! We want to tell you something more about this area and the origin of its name. Monluè park is located in an area that – more than 1000 years ago – was called Monte dei Lupi (Wolves Mountain)… Mont di Loff in Lombard dialect, thus becoming Mont Lovee and then Monluè….
What does it mean? Are there any wolves here? Definitely not now, but once upon a time you could easily find some! It is said that the area was quite beautiful up to 40 years ago, before the ring road was built. It is now trapped by a river, the airport and the ring road, thus losing its peculiarity of being a farm small village.
Besides the park, you can find a big farmstead (Grangia Monluè): even though is completely disused now, until a few years ago it represented a rare example of a Lombard grange… Grange? What a strange word… Actually, it is a French word (from granche) originally meaning granary… Later on, the word was used to denote a place to store wheat and seeds and finally – in jargon – a monastic farm!
Sure, why haven’t we told you that yet? Carthusian monks lived here! And that beautiful little church (Chiesa di San Lorenzo – St. Lawrence Church) is the proof of it! All around the red-brick church you will surely spot the monastery area: even though it is semi-abandoned or closed you can have a look at the big courtyard, the old windmills and what is left of the farm!
As for the park, there are wide lawns, poplars and shady trees rows. Furthermore, even you may not see it immediately, you can watch the river Lambro flowing rapidly… Go close to the prominent river bank and – paying attention not to fall down – look at it from above!
Here you can cycle, run around with your friends or your dog, play football or simply lie down and enjoy a nice picnic… Unfortunately you will not find a food booth or a bar… Mission impossible! At least on Saturdays you can have a bite at Trattoria Monluè (Monluè Tavern). A very nice place with a nice courtyard that, alas, is closed on Sundays… What a pity!
If you want to have a walk and see another park – a more famous one – nearby, in about 20 minutes on foot, you will reach Parco Forlanini… Go to Via dell’Aviazione – paying attention to the sidewalks and walking in single file – and once in Viale Forlanini (that takes you straight to Linate airport) you will see a pedestrian bridge that will allow you to cross this big road and end up in the park…
If you have arrived to Monluè with your bicycle, no problem, there is a cycle path to Forlanini park!
Remember that if you go to Via dell’Aviazione in the opposite direction of Forlanini park, you will end up really close to the airport strip! Have you ever seen the airplane paunch so closely? Here you can… Every day at any time, lots of airplanes land and take off from here… Just pay attention to the din!
USEFUL INFORMATION
via Monlué, Milan
via Gaudenzio Fantoli, Milan
via dell’Aviazione, Milan
Opening times:
Since the park isn’t fenced, it is always open
how to get there:
bus line 88
