Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Lecco

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Country
  
Italy

Province / Metropolitan city
  
Lecco (LC)

Demonym(s)
  
Lecchesi

Local time
  
Tuesday 5:08 PM

Region
  
Lombardy

Elevation
  
214 m (702 ft)

Province
  
Province of Lecco

Lecco wwwitalythiswaycomimagesleccojpg

Frazioni
  
Acquate, Belledo, Bonacina, Castello, Chiuso, Germanedo, Laorca, Lecco, Maggianico, Malavedo, Olate, Pescarenico, Rancio, San Giovanni, Santo Stefano

Weather
  
18°C, Wind SW at 11 km/h, 36% Humidity

Points of interest
  
Monte Resegone, Monte San Martino (Lecco), Corni di Canzo, Basilica di San Nicolò, Campanile San Nicolò

Lecco ([ˈlekko], [ˈlɛkko]; Lombard: Lecch [lɛk]) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Milan, the capital of the province of Lecco. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch named Lake of Lecco / Lago di Lecco). The Bergamo Alps rise to the north and east, cut through by the Valsassina of which Lecco marks the southern end.

Contents

Map of 23900 Lecco, Province of Lecco, Italy

The lake narrows to form the river Adda, so bridges were built to improve road communications with Como and Milan. There are four bridges crossing the river Adda in Lecco: the Azzone Visconti Bridge (1336–1338), the Kennedy Bridge (1956) and the Alessandro Manzoni Bridge (1985) and a railroad bridge.

Its economy used to be based on industry (iron manufacturers), but now it is mainly tertiary.

Lecco was also Alpine Town of the Year 2013.

History

Archaeological finds demonstrate the presence of Celtic settlement in the area before the arrival of the Romans. The latter built a castrum here and made it an important road hub. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Lombards captured the town in the 6th century; they were followed by the Franks, who made Lecco the seat of a countship and, later, of a frontier Mark.

Emperor Otto I spent a long time in Lecco, crushing the 964 AD revolt against the Holy Roman Empire led by Lecco's Count Attone. Later it became a possession of the Milanese monastery of St. Ambrose. Conrad II also stayed in Lecco, in the attempt to free it from the church, but as the result of the ensuing wars the city was subjected by Milan. It subsequently followed the history of the Duchy of Milan and of Lombardy. In the early 16th century it was briefly ruled by the condottiere Gian Giacomo Medici.

Religious architecture

  • Minor Basilica of San Nicolò
  • Santa Marta, Lecco
  • San Giovanni Battista
  • Santi Materno e Lucia
  • San Francesco d'Assisi
  • Santi Gervasio e Protasio
  • Chiesa di Castello
  • San Giuseppe
  • Madonna della Rovinata
  • Santuario di Nostra Signora della Vittoria
  • Santa Maria Gloriosa
  • Secular architecture

  • Palazzo delle Paure
  • Ponte Azzone Visconti (noto semplicemente come Ponte Vecchio)
  • Villa Manzoni
  • Memoriale ai Caduti
  • Statua del Manzoni
  • Monuments to Mario Cermenati and to Giuseppe Garibaldi
  • Sport

    The town's football team Calcio Lecco 1912 currently play in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. Their traditional rivalry with the team of the city of Como is marked by the so-called Derby del Lario which last took place in the 2009–2010 season when both teams were competing in Lega Pro Prima Divisione.

    The main sports facility of the city is the Rigamonti-Ceppi Stadium, where the soccer team trains and plays. It was built in 1922 in honor of the football player Mario Rigamonti and the ex president of the team Mario Ceppi. It can contain almost 5000 people.

    Lecco is the finish of the Giro di Lombardia cycling classic which includes the famous Madonna del Ghisallo hill.

    Notable people

  • Alessandro Manzoni (1785–1873), poet and novelist, author of I promessi sposi, belonged to an old family of Lecco.
  • Antonio Stoppani (1824–1891), geologist and palaeontologist.
  • Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824–1893), journalist, poet, and novelist; he wrote many librettos for Verdi, including La forza del destino and Aida.
  • Carlo Mauri (1930–1982), climber and explorer.
  • Roberto Castelli (born 1946), Senator, former Minister of Justice during the government of Silvio Berlusconi 2001–2006.
  • Roberto Formigoni (born 1947), a Catholic conservative politician; President of Lombardy since 1995.
  • Antonio Rossi (born 1968) a canoeist and five-time Olympic medalist in kayak flatwater canoeing.
  • Sandro Salsano (born 1979) a businessman and philanthropist, chairman and president of Salsano Group.
  • Twin towns – Sister cities

    Lecco is twinned with:

  • Mâcon, France since 1973
  • Overijse, Belgium since 1981
  • Igualada, Spain since 1990
  • Szombathely, Hungary since 1995
  • Mytishchi, Russia since 2005
  • Ethnic groups

    The main ethnic group in Lecco is the Italian one, but there are also many other groups from Europe, Asia, South Asia, Northern America, South America and Africa. In total, ethnic groups in Lecco represent 97 countries. The following demographic counting is made by ISTAT and it is from December 2009:

    References

    Lecco Wikipedia


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