Patronal Feasts of Cornate d'Adda (Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Saint Joseph, Saint Alexander)

Three hamlets, three patronal feasts

Cornate d'Adda, a municipality in the province of Monza and Brianza overlooking the bends of the Adda river, holds a peculiarity that tells its history: its territory was born from the union of three once distinct communities, aggregated in 1870, and each still preserves its own patron saint and its own feast. For this reason, between September and October, the town experiences not one but three patronal feasts, which follow one another from hamlet to hamlet and accompany the entire autumn season.

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga in Cornate

The main town celebrates Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, to whom the parish church is dedicated, on the second Sunday of September. The anniversary combines religious services, with the solemn Mass and procession through the streets of the centre, with civil events promoted by the municipal administration and the Pro Loco: food stalls, entertainment, and initiatives that attract families. On the occasion of the patronal feasts, the exhibition of "lost courtyards" is also set up, retracing the memory of the town's rural courtyards.

Saint Joseph in Porto d'Adda

On the third Sunday of September, it is the turn of Porto d'Adda, the hamlet that owes its name to the ancient river crossing, to celebrate its patron Saint Joseph. Here too, the programme intertwines liturgical celebrations and popular events, in a highly evocative landscape context, a short walk from the Adda river and the historic hydroelectric power plants that dot this stretch of the river.

Saint Alexander in Colnago

Closing the cycle is Colnago, which on the first weekend of October pays homage to Saint Alexander the Martyr. The patron saint's feast features the town's musical band, alongside religious services and civil celebrations involving the oratory and local associations.

A tradition of community

The patronal feasts of Cornate d'Adda are much more than a religious anniversary: they represent the moment when each hamlet rediscovers its identity and the entire town gathers around its roots. Organised by the Pro Loco of Cornate d'Adda, Colnago, and Porto d'Adda together with the parishes and the municipal administration, they are an authentic opportunity to discover the community life of Lombardy's Brianza region along the Adda river.