Giambellino-Lorenteggio

Giambellino-Lorenteggio
Quartiere of Milan
Apartment buildings in Giambellino
Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Milan
Comune	Milan
Zone	6
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Giambellino and Lorenteggio are two historical and populous residential blocks of Milan, Italy. Together, they form a district ("quartiere") which is variously called "Giambellino", "Lorenteggio", Giambellino-Lorenteggio or Lorenteggio-Giambellino; the district is part of the Zone 6 administrative division of Milan.

The district is centered along two parallel streets (more than 2 km long), Via Giambellino and Via Lorenteggio, that extend from the south-west of Milan outwards to the border of the comune of Corsico. These two main streets house a number of shops and stores, and together form a peripheral shopping district. The area is nevertheless mainly residential, with both high-income housing (especially in the area of Via Soderini, Via Arzaga, Via San Gimignano, and the innermost part of Via Lorenteggio) and low-income housing (especially in Via Giambellino and the peripheral part of the district).

The original, rural settlement from which the district evolved was a rural comune named "Lorenteggio e Uniti". The toponymy "Lorenteggio", in turn, comes from the diminutive "Laurentiglio" of proper noun "Laurente". In 1800, Lorenteggio had 143 inhabitants. In 1841, part of Lorenteggio was annexed to Corsico, while the rest became part of the Corpi Santi comune. The boundary between these two parts was a toll-gate. The toll-gate building has been completely renewed, but it still marks the boundary between Milan and Corsico and it is still referred to as "Il Dazio" ("the Toll-gate"); nowadays, it has been adapted as a restaurant (it was a McDonald's restaurant for several years).

Lorenteggio kept its rural character until the late 19th century, its territory being partitioned into several cascine (farmhouses), some of which existed well into the 20th century. In the 20th century, Lorenteggio was annexed to Milan, and a quick urbanization and industrialization process started. The industrial development of the area was boosted by the construction of the railway connecting Milan to the south-west of Lombardy, in the early 1900s; the San Cristoforo railway station, completed in 1909, is still in operation. One of the most famous factories that were established in Lorenteggio is that of the Osram lighting manufacturer.