Daily Weather: Lombardy
Population: 9,032,554
Area: 23,863 km²
Provinces: Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua, Milano, Pavia, Sondrio, Varese, Monza and Brianza (effective in 2009)
Capital City: Milan
Official web site: Lombardy
Wikipedia: Lombardy
Map: Lombardy

TERRITORY.

In the North of Italy along the border with Switzerland, with very high mountains such as Mount Bernina (4050m), Pizzo della Presolana, Adamello (3554m) the region is crossed by the Po river, the largest in Italy, in the South, and by many of its most important tributaries, the Ticino, Adda, Oglio, Mincio, that all form a number of lakes, making the region the richest of large lakes in Italy: Lago Maggiore, Lago di Varese, Lago di Lugano, Lago di Como, Lago d'Idro and Lago di Garda. The main crops, especially in the wide Pianura Padana, are wheat, rice, maize, barley, and the region is first in Italy for farming, with a considerable production of meat, milk and dairy products. It is also the region where industry and finance are most developed, and Milan is the seat of the Italian Stock Exchange (Piazza Affari). Tourism is also a remarkable activity in the mountain resorts, in the area of the lakes and in the art cities of Bergamo, Mantua, Como and Milan.

HISTORY.

Originally in habited by populations of Celtic stock, the region was occupied by the Gauls until the Roman conquest in the 3rd century BC, when the area was named Gallia Cisalpina and became an important base for the Romans, who founded the cities of Milano (=Mediolanum), Cremona, Como, Brescia, Lodi, Pavia, in their conquest of Europe. After the fall of the Roman empire the region was occupied first by the Goths and later by the Lombards, who established their capital at Pavia and gave their name to the region. In 774 the Lombards were defeated by the Franks, who introduced the feudal system. In the early 13th century the Visconti family of Milan rose in power and unified the whole region under the strong central authority of the family, who gave way after the death of Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1428 to the Sforza. The decadence for the Granducato of Milano began with the coming to Italy of Charls 5th of Spain, and a true revival only took place in the mid-18th century when the region was under the Austrians who, after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 established in Northern Italy the Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom, always under their influence. During the Second War of Italian Independence the region was among the first to be annexed to Italy, in 1859, when population of Milan rose against the Austrians in the glorious "Five Days" and saluted the coming of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy.

THE LAKE IN COMO.

Lake of Como or better known as lake Lario, is of glacial origin and occupies the cavity cut out by the glacier of the Adda that, in the quaternaries époque extended over the two southern branches of the lake before coming out in the Brianza leaving there morenic hills and other small lakes. Its passage is marked by erratic boulders which are frequently found especially on the central promontory of the lake. It is the third largest sub alpine lake but the deepest of all of them having a maximum depth of 410 metres. Its form of an overturned “Y” with two branches of Como and Lecco and with upper basin of Colico gives it its perimeter of 170 Km.

Linate(LIN) Airport, serves inter and intranational flights, located 15 km from Milan center.
Address: Tangenziale Est Linate MI Italy
Phone: +39 027 485 2200
Main web site and airport contact details - Click here
Buses leave regularly to and from the airport arriving at Central Station in Milan.
You can also use the underground - Metro, the journey takes 30 minutes and costs €2.
Taxi services are also available, the journey to the centre of Milan costs around €20.

Malpensa (MXP) Airport, located 45 km northwest of Milan center.
Address: SS 336 Varese MI Italy 21010
Phone: +39 027 486 7702
Main web site and airport contact details - Click here
Buses leave every 60 minutes to Porta Garibaldi Station and Stazione Centrale (the central rail station) the journey takes around an hour, and costs around €5. Trains run every 30 minutes from Terminal 1 to Milano Cardona Station, ticket costs €9, and the journey takes 50 minutes.
Taxis are also available outside Arrivals and cost about €70 to central Milan

Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY) Airport located 70 km outside the center of Milan.
Cheap Ryanair flights from here. Bergamo train station a 15 minute bus ride costing €2 with easy access to Milan.
Taxis readily available costing around up to €75 to Milan center.
Main web site and airport contact details - Click here