Seregno

A Brianzola pearl 

A tour to discover Brianza and its treasures can not fail to include a stop in Seregno, one of the most populated cities in the area, a short distance from the first morainic hills and the Brianza plains. Close to Milan, Monza, Como and Switzerland, it is a destination full of surprises and curiosities. From the origin of its name, on which there is a theory: it seems to derive from the name of Serena, nephew of the Roman emperor Theodosius, wife of General Stilicho. 

Cited for the first time in a document of 1087, Seregno has an ancient past as an agricultural settlement that developed first in the village and then in the manufacturing city. You can breathe the history by walking through its center dotted with monuments. Starting from the collegiate Basilica of San Giuseppe, the most important church in the city dating back to the 18th century. It was built when the government ordered the demolition of the two existing churches and the construction of a single parish church dedicated to St. Joseph. 

Also unmissable is the Torre del Barbarossa, a bell tower that, according to legend, was built for defensive purposes by Emperor Frederick I, but in reality it was only the bell tower of the church of San Vittore, the oldest in Seregno.