Mornago
Mornago is a fairly important industrial centre located on the trunk road travelling from Vergiate to Varese (approximately 15 km from the latter).
Mornago: origins
The origin of the Municipality of Mornago is rather recent, and is found in the Royal Decree dated 24 February 1869 promulgated by Victor Emanuel II, which reads: “We have decreed and decree: starting 1 May 1869, the municipalities of Vinago, Crugnola and Montonate are suppressed and united with that of Mornago”. In the official census taken almost 70 years later, the municipality had a total of 1820 inhabitants.
Mornago’s coat of arms
Despites its recent establishment, the town’s coat of arms is quite prestigious and closely connected with the origins of its name, which is believed to came from the proper name Maurinus or Maurenus, an individual from the Roman period who owned large plots of land in the area currently known as Mornago. His name was in turn probably linked with names the likes of Moro, Morelli and Mornati. This is the basis for the main element in the coat of arms: the head of a Moor in a natural profile, blindfolded with a silver thread. The name was later changed (Morenago, 13th century) until it became what it is today. The background of the coat of arms includes a blue shield reminiscing of the local crystal-clear. The shield also has a “silver lying deer”, that kind of inverted "V" which according to heraldry, means the cohesion and development of the population. The two intertwined, evergreen branches located on the bottom of the shield indicate belonging to the Republic, while the crown in the top section directly refers to the town’s political nature.
Mornago today
The Municipality of Mornago currently has just under 5,000 inhabitants and is an important industrial centre located halfway between Gallarate and Varese. It’s in a flourishing business area, a kind of triangle (Varese-Gallarate-Vergiate) whose communications with Milan are facilitated by the presence of the Milano-Laghi motorway, which branches further off from Gallarate towards Varese on the one hand, and towards Lake Maggiore on the other. The Malpensa International Airport has further boosted local development.
