Pian di Spagna – Historical background

The history of Pian di Spagna begins at the end of the last Ice Age, when waters subseded and, as a consequence, a lacustrian pond formed.
Along its banks some inhabitants settled,  already since the Prehistoric Age. As the time elapsed  rivers and, in particular River Adda,  continued to transport a lot of sediments.

As a result the depth lake increased and emerged clearly during a great alluvion in the XVI century. The Pian di Spagna was obviously very marshy, inappropriate to human life but strategic for the armies, which competed for the control of its territories.

The toponym “Pian di Spagna” refers to some fortresses built by the Spanish Army during the XVII century. The numerous attempts, to reclaim the Pian di Spagna  and to transform it in a cultivable land succedeed finally during the XIX century.These efforts were made during the Austrian dominacy and the result was led by making a dam and a rectification of the River Adda, displacing its mouth from Ponte del Passo to the existent position.