The municipality of Cernusco sul Naviglio has a total area of 13.33 km2 (5 square miles) with a median altitude of 133 metres above sea level. The municipality includes the main urban area of Cernusco and thefrazione of Ronco at the eastern border of the municipal area, as well as some traditional farmhouses (cassin in Lombard) still not contiguous to other urbanized parts of the municipality.[3]
TheNaviglio della Martesana, an artificial canal built in the 15th century in order to link theAdda river to the city of Milan, is the only significant waterway in the municipality.
The etymology of the toponym Cernusco (LatinCixinusculum) is uncertain: anEtruscan origin like for nearbyMelzo (Melpum) is sometimes proposed, but the most commonly accepted hypothesis proposes a Roman origin. This latter etymology is supported by archaeological discoveries and by the fact that, until the mid-19th century, the municipality bore the nameCernusco Asinario afterCaius Asinius, a Roman functionary who lived in the late 1st Century BC and whose tomb was discovered in 1849 near Cascina Lupa. Today the burial urn of Caius Asinius features in the municipal coat of arms and a street in the central part of the city is named after him.
Cernusco sul Naviglio is first mentioned in as a Romanvicus near the military road fromMediolanum (Milan) toAquileia. InLombard times the area was at first a feud of QueenTheodelinda; later KingBerengar I of Italy gave control of those lands to the bishops ofMonza; later it was acquired by thePieve ofGorgonzola.
In the 13th century it became a fief of theTorriani family and, after the former's defeat, of theVisconti. Both families' control of the area is still reflected in the names of many farmhouses, like Cascina Torriana or Cascina Visconta. In the 15th century the area became a feud of theSforza which ordered, during the latter half of the century, the construction of the Naviglio Martesana, whose completion increased Cernusco's economic importance. Cernusco was then given to the Visconti Marliani family and, in 1499, to the Trivulzio family.
After two centuries of continuous changes of property due to lack of heirs in the reigning families, in 1689 Cernusco became a property of the Spanish Duke Gabriele Serbelloni of Gorgonzola, under whose domination the town endured a difficult period characterized by power abuse. In the 19th century, like the rest of Lombardy, the area was annexed to theKingdom of Italy; around that time the name was changed fromCernusco Asinario to the current form.[4] In 1866 Cernusco sul Naviglio's current borders were fixed after the hamlet ofIncrea was transferred to Brugherio. Cernusco sul Naviglio received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on March 18, 1985.
Cernusco sul Naviglio, lying in theMilan metropolitan area, has a functional road network which connects it to all the surrounding areas and beyond. The most important roads serving Cernusco are theAutostrada A51 (Milan's eastern bypass road, Tangenziale Est), with exit number 13 (Cernusco s.N. - Brugherio) lying in the municipal area and the exit number 14 (Carugate) very close to its northern border, theA4 Turin-Trieste motorway, which lies just 4 km north of Cernusco, and the A58 (Milan's outer eastern bypass road) about 6 km to the east. The SS11 Padana Superiore, formerly one of the most important roads in today’s Northern Italy, is another important link which passes through the southern part of the municipality.
