There is no certainty on the name's etymology. Some claim it is a derivation of pagus and anus which means "ancient village", whilst others believe it derives from the name of a Roman landowner, Pacatius. Pagazzano is mentioned in the edict for the compartment of the State of Milan of 10 June 1757, among the municipalities of the Pieve di Gera d'Adda.
History
Throughout the Middle Ages Pagazzano maintained its characteristics of a small agricultural village with limited strategic-military appeal, despite its central position along the axis of Crema-Bergamo. A fortification was built in the sixth century, according to some, or in the tenth, according to others, to defend against the raids of the Hungarians. In the eleventh century Pagazzano already gravitated in the Milanese political and military orbit to find itself in 1300 in the possession of the Viscounts who built a castle here between 1450 and 1475. Pagazzano and specifically its castle were the object of interest in the age-old opposition between the Visconti-Sforza and the Serenissima, passing repeatedly from one state to another, without however improving the socio-economic conditions of the inhabitants of the village. The controversial issue related to the border between the two powers was defined with the construction of the Bergamasque ditch, a channel that also bordered the territory of Pagazzano, delimiting it to the east and relegating it definitively under the influence of Milan. With the fall of the Sforza dynasty, Pagazzano entered, together with Milan, into the sphere of influence of the French until, in 1559, it passed under the Spanish. The Spanish period was the hardest for the community of Pagazzano, which - beyond the misgovernment of the new rulers - had to suffer abuses and robberies that blocked the economic and demographic development, possibly contributing to its regression. With the passage under Austrian domination in 1700, there was a significant improvement in the living conditions of the community, followed by a demographic increase and a general improvement in living conditions. After the Napoleonic period, Pagazzano returned, with the Congress of Vienna in 1818, under the Austrian domination. The improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the community during the Austrian period allowed the demographic development that had come to a halt as well as an increase in agricultural production. The development of Pagazzano increased after 1861 with the unification of Italy, however, a predominantly agricultural economy remained dominant.
Town
Pagazzano's historical center has maintained the same urban landscape that it had in the Middle Age.
Demographics
The age range from 36 to 53 years is the largest part of the municipal population, counting for 28.5% of the total, followed by the band 18 – 35 years old, which counts 25.1% of the residents. The industrial development of recent years and the intense building activity, have led to an increase of the inhabitants: comparing the increase in residents with the decrease in the birth rate shows that the increase in population is due to the positive net migration, mainly because of the foreign nationals immigration. The statistical data on immigration in the municipality showed a preponderance of African immigrants than those from Asian countries and EU citizens. In total the foreign population makes up around 5% of the population. Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray id:darkgrey value:gray id:sfondo value:rgb id:barra value:rgb ImageSize = width:455 height:303 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:3000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:200 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1861 from: 0 till:902 bar:1871 from: 0 till:987 bar:1881 from: 0 till:1072 bar:1901 from: 0 till:1092 bar:1911 from: 0 till:1378 bar:1921 from: 0 till:1459 bar:1931 from: 0 till:1649 bar:1936 from: 0 till:1496 bar:1951 from: 0 till:1547 bar:1961 from: 0 till:1472 bar:1971 from: 0 till:1366 bar:1981 from: 0 till:1576 bar:1991 from: 0 till:1654 bar:2001 from: 0 till:1859 PlotData= bar:1861 at:902 fontsize:XS text: 902 shift: bar:1871 at:987 fontsize:XS text: 987 shift: bar:1881 at:1072 fontsize:XS text: 1072 shift: bar:1901 at:1092 fontsize:XS text: 1092 shift: bar:1911 at:1378 fontsize:XS text: 1378 shift: bar:1921 at:1459 fontsize:XS text: 1459 shift: bar:1931 at:1649 fontsize:XS text: 1649 shift: bar:1936 at:1496 fontsize:XS text: 1496 shift: bar:1951 at:1547 fontsize:XS text: 1547 shift: bar:1961 at:1472 fontsize:XS text: 1472 shift: bar:1971 at:1366 fontsize:XS text: 1366 shift: bar:1981 at:1576 fontsize:XS text: 1576 shift: bar:1991 at:1654 fontsize:XS text: 1654 shift: bar:2001 at:1859 fontsize:XS text: 1859 shift: TextData= fontsize:S pos: text:Data from ISTAT
