Parco dei mulini, parco locale di interesse sovracomunale della Lombardia

Parco dei Mulini is a local park of supra-municipal interest recognised by the Province of Milan on 10 March 2008, covering about 500 hectares around the Olona river, the Villoresi canal and a short stretch of the Bozzente stream. It lies across Legnano, Canegrate, San Vittore Olona, Parabiago and, since 1 January 2011, Nerviano, in a densely built-up area. Its irrigated stable meadows are crossed by the Olona, and recent works have created wetland zones beside the river.

The park is rooted in a long history of water mills powered by the Olona river that ground grain for local communities for centuries. These mills formed the backbone of the regional economy and shaped the landscape that remains visible today.

The park reflects the historic importance of water mills to the local community, as the Olona river powered grain production and other work for centuries. Visitors today can see these old structures and understand how people in this area once organized their daily labor around water power.

The park can be explored on foot or by bicycle using trails with varying surfaces suited to different activities. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and be prepared for wet conditions in the wetland sections, particularly during damper months.

The park's mills gave their name to the Cinque Mulini, a well-known cross-country race whose course runs past the milling buildings of the protected area. The mill Star Qua in Nerviano takes its name from 1853, when a miller answered an order by Habsburg troops to clear the premises with "noi vogliamo star qua" — we want to stay here.