View source for Lombardy

{{Short description|Region of Italy}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name               = Lombardy
| official_name      = 
| native_name        = {{native name|it|Lombardia}}<br />{{native name|lmo|Lombardia}}{{efn|name=orth}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| settlement_type    = [[Regions of Italy|Region]]
| image_skyline      = 
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Lombardy.svg
| flag_alt           = 
| image_blank_emblem = 
| blank_emblem_type  = 
| anthem             = 
| shield_size        = 60px
| shield_alt         = 
| blank_emblem_alt   = 
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| image_map          = Lombardy in Italy.svg
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|45|35|N|9|55|E|display=title,inline}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]]
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| founder            = 
| named_for          = 
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Milan]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Semi-presidential system|President–council<br />government]]
| governing_body     = [[Politics of Lombardy#Executive branch|Regional Cabinet]]
| leader_party       = [[Lega Nord|LN]]
| leader_title       = President
| leader_name        = [[Attilio Fontana]]
| leader_title2      = Legislature
| leader_name2       = [[Regional Council of Lombardy|Regional Council]]
| total_type         = 
| unit_pref          = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 23844
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_m    = 
| elevation_min_m    = 
| population_footnotes = <ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Monthly Demographic Balance|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?l=en&a=2025&i=D7B|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| population_total   = 10,035,481
| population_as_of   = 2025
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = {{Langx|en|Lombard}}<br />{{langx|it|lombardo|links=no}} (man), {{lang|it|lombarda}} (woman)<br />{{langx|lmo|lombard|links=no}} (man), {{lang|lmo|lombarda}} (woman)
| population_note    = 
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="GDP">{{cite web |  url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023|website=Ec.europa.eu}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = €440 billion (2022)
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = €44,000 (2022)
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +1
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +2
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = [[ISO 3166 code]]
| area_code          = IT-25
| blank2_name_sec1   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank2_info_sec1   = 0.920<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/ITA/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0&years=2019|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of Italian regions by Human Development Index|4th of 21]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[First-level NUTS of the European Union#Italy|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2    = ITC
| website            = {{URL|www.regione.lombardia.it}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

The '''Lombardy Region'''{{efn|name=pron|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɒ|m|b|əɹ|d|i|,_|ˈ|l|ʌ|m|-}} {{respell|LOM|bər|dee|,_|LUM|-}}<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Lombardy|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/lombardy|title=Lombardy|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>}} ({{langx|it|Regione Lombardia}};{{efn|{{IPA|it|lombarˈdiːa|}}}} {{langx|lmo|Lombardia}}){{efn|name=orth|[[Classical Milanese orthography]], some [[Eastern Lombard|Eastern]] orthographies, {{ill|Scriver Lombard|lmo}} and {{ill|Noeuva Ortografia Lombarda|lmo}}. [[Ticinese dialect|Ticinese]] and Modern [[Western Lombard|Western]] orthographies use the spelling {{lang|lmo|Lumbardia}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vocabolario dei dialetti della Svizzera italiana - CDE (DECS) - Repubblica e Cantone Ticino |trans-title=Vocabulary of Swiss Italian dialects |url=https://www4.ti.ch/decs/dcsu/cde/pubblicazioni/vocabolario-dei-dialetti-della-svizzera-italiana/ |access-date=8 November 2022|website=4.ti.ch|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Marzatico |first1=Angelo |title=Vucabui Dialet Ludesan |year=2012 |publisher=Edizioni Simple|isbn=978-8862596282 |page=152|language=lmo}}</ref> Other Eastern orthographies use the spelling {{lang|lmo|Lombardéa}}.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Sergio|last=Gigante |title=Vocabolario italiano-bergamasco |trans-title=Italian-Bergamasque Dictionary |section-url=http://teradesanmarc.altervista.org/alterpages/files/TeradeSanMarc-Vocabolarioitaliano-bergamasco-LetteraJ-K-L-n.08del200608.pdf |access-date=15 February 2023|year=2020 |edition=8th |publisher=Societas Cremonensis |section=J-K-L |page=946|language=it}}</ref>}}{{efn|{{IPA|lmo|lũbarˈdiːa|label=Western Lombard:}}, {{IPA|lmo|lombarˈdi.a, -ˈde.a|label=Eastern Lombard:}}; {{langx|rm|Lumbardia}}.}} is an administrative [[regions of Italy|region of Italy]] that covers {{cvt|23844|km2}}; it is located in [[northern Italy]] and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is located between the [[Alps]] mountain range and tributaries of the river [[Po (river)|Po]], and includes [[Milan]], its capital, the largest [[metropolitan area]] in the country, and among the largest in the EU.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do#|title=Eurostat – Functional urban areas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416165655/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |archive-date=16 April 2010|language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}.</ref>

Its territory is divided into 1,502 ''[[comuni]]'' (the region with the largest number of ''comuni'' in the entire national territory),<ref name="comuni">{{cite web|url=https://www.ancilab.it/bilanciosociale/index-3.htm|title=I Comuni in Lombardia|date=4 June 2018 |access-date=4 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> distributed among 12 administrative subdivisions (11 [[Provinces of Italy|provinces]] plus the [[Metropolitan City of Milan]]). The region ranks first in Italy in terms of population, population density, and number of local authorities, while it is fourth in terms of surface area, after [[Sicily]], [[Piedmont]], and [[Sardinia]].<ref name="tuttitalia"/>

It is the second-most populous [[Region (Europe)|region of the European Union]] (EU),<ref name="pop">{{citation|title=Population on 1 January by age, sex and NUTS 2 region|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DEMO_R_D2JAN/default/table?lang=en|website=Ec.europa.eu|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref> and the [[List of European Union regions by GDP|second region of the European Union]] by nominal GDP.<ref name="GDP"/> Lombardy is the leading<ref name="first">{{cite web|url=http://www.infodata.ilsole24ore.com/2017/04/14/scopri-nella-mappa-le-regioni-europee-piu-ricche-piu-povere/|title=Scopri le regioni europee più ricche (e più povere)|website=Infodata.ilsole24ore.com|access-date=27 May 2017|date=14 April 2017|language=it}}</ref> region of Italy in terms of economic importance,<ref name="huffingtonpost">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.it/2013/03/21/eurostat-la-regione-piu-ricca-deuropa-e-londra-la-piu-in-alto-delle-italiane-e-bolzano_n_2922920.html|title=Eurostat: la regione più ricca d'Europa? È Londra. La più in alto delle italiane è Bolzano. La Lombardia non è tra le prime venti|website=Huffingtonpost.it|date=21 March 2013 |access-date=27 May 2017|language=it}}</ref> contributing to approximately one-fifth of the national [[gross domestic product]] (GDP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=STAT/09/23&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en |title=EUROPA Press Releases – Regional GDP per inhabitant in the EU27, GDP per inhabitant in 2006 ranged from 25% of the EU27 average in Nord-Est in Romania to 336% in Inner London |work=Europa (web portal) |date=19 February 2009 |access-date=10 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cittametropolitana.mi.it/export/sites/default/sviluppo_economico/documenti/Archivi-Progetti-EU/OCSE/Estratti_OECD_TerrirorialReview.pdf|format=PDF|title=OECD Data Synthesis|website=Cittametropolitana.mi.it|access-date=21 March 2024}}</ref> It is also a member of the [[Four Motors for Europe]], an international economic organization whose other members are [[Baden-Württemberg]] in Germany, [[Catalonia]] in Spain, and [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] in France. Milan is the economic capital of Italy<ref name="prologis">{{cite web|url=https://www.prologis.it/en/industrial-logistics-warehouse-space/europe/italy/milan-italys-industrial-and-financial-capital|title=Milan, Italy's Industrial and Financial Capital|website=Prologis.it|date=18 May 2018 |access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref> and is a global [[financial centre]].

Of the 58 [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]s in Italy, 11 are in Lombardy, tying it with [[Castile and León]] in northwest-central Spain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/|title=UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List|website=Whc.unesco.org}}</ref> [[Virgil]], [[Pliny the Elder]], [[Ambrose]], [[Gerolamo Cardano]], [[Caravaggio]], [[Claudio Monteverdi]], [[Antonio Stradivari]], [[Cesare Beccaria]], [[Alessandro Volta]], [[Alessandro Manzoni]], and popes [[Pope John XXIII|John XXIII]] and [[Pope Paul VI|Paul VI]] originated in the area of modern-day Lombardy.
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==Etymology==
{{see also|Lombardy (historical region)}}
[[File:Map of Historical Lombardy.png|thumb|Map of [[Lombardy (historical region)|Historical Lombardy]]]]

The [[Lombardy (historical region)|name ''Lombardy'']] comes from ''Lombard'', which is derived from [[Late Latin]] ''{{lang|la|Longobardus, Langobardus}}'' ("a Lombard"), which derived from the [[Proto-Germanic]] elements {{lang|mis|*langaz}} + {{lang|mis|*bardaz}}; equivalent to ''long beard''. According to some scholars, the second element derives from [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] ''*bardǭ'', ''*barduz'' ("axe"), related to German ''{{lang|de|Barte}}''.<ref name="Partridge 2009">{{cite book|last=Partridge|first=Eric|title=Origins: an etymological dictionary of modern English|year=2009|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0415474337|edition=[Paperback ed.]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Online Etymology Dictionary |title=Lombard |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Lombardy |website=etymonline.com |access-date=12 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italianafondata da Giovanni Treccani |title=Lombardia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/lombardia/ |website=treccani.it |publisher=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italianafondata da Giovanni Treccani |access-date=12 July 2024 |language=it}}</ref>

The name of the region derives from the name of the people of the [[Lombards]] who arrived in Italy in 568 and made [[Pavia]] their capital. During the [[Early Middle Ages]], "Lombardy" referred to the [[Kingdom of the Lombards]] ({{langx|la|Regnum Langobardorum}}). It was ruled by the Germanic Lombard raiders, who controlled most of early Christian Italy since the [[Lombard invasion of Italy]] of [[Praetorian prefecture of Italy|Byzantine Italy]] in 568, until the fall of Pavia, in 774 by [[Charlemagne]] on the Pope's behalf. As such, "Lombardy" and "Italy" were nearly interchangeable; by the mid-8th century, the Lombards ruled everywhere except the [[Papal States|Papal possessions around Rome]]—roughly modern [[Lazio]] and northern [[Umbria]]—[[Republic of Venice|Venice]] and some [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] possessions in the south—southern [[Apulia]] and [[Calabria]]; some coastal settlements including [[Duchy of Amalfi|Amalfi]], [[Duchy of Gaeta|Gaeta]], [[Duchy of Naples|Naples]] and [[Duchy of Sorrento|Sorrento]]; [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]]; their culture is foundational to [[Italy in the Middle Ages]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mondimedievali.net/Barbar/longobardi02.htm|title=I Longobardi: i 'barbari' che fondarono il Medioevo italiano, II: Una civiltà da riscoprire, di Lawrence M.F. Sudbury, BarBar|website=Mondimedievali.net}}</ref> The term was also used until around 965 in the form {{lang|el|Λογγοβαρδία}} (''{{transliteration|el|Longobardia}}'') as the name for [[Longobardia|the territory]] roughly covering modern Apulia, which the Byzantines had recovered from the Lombard [[rump state]] [[Duchy of Benevento]].

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Lombardy}}
Lombardy has a surface area of {{cvt|23861|km2|0}}, and is the fourth-largest [[Regions of Italy|region of Italy]], after [[Sicily]], [[Piedmont]], and [[Sardinia]].<ref name="tuttitalia">{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttitalia.it/regioni/superficie/|title=Regioni d'Italia in ordine di superficie.|archive-date=15 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215125411/https://www.tuttitalia.it/regioni/superficie/|language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> It is bordered by [[Canton Ticino]] and [[Grisons|Canton Grisons]] of [[Switzerland]] to the north, and by the Italian regions of [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]] and [[Veneto]] to the east, [[Emilia-Romagna]] to the south and [[Piedmont]] to the west. 

Lombardy's northern border lies between the [[Valtellina]] and the valleys of the [[Rhine]] and the [[Inn (river)|Inn]]. To the east, [[Lake Garda]] and the [[Mincio]] separate Lombardy from the other Italian regions, as does the Po River in the south, with the exception of the [[province of Mantua]] and [[Oltrepò Pavese]]. The western boundary is formed by the [[Lake Maggiore]] and the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] river, except for [[Lomellina]]. Lombardy has three natural zones: mountains, hills and plains—the last being divided into ''Alta'' (high plains) and ''Bassa'' (low plains).

===Soils===
[[File:Passo Manina e Coca.JPG|thumbnail|[[Pizzo Coca]] is the highest peak in the [[Bergamasque Alps|Orobic Alps]] ({{cvt|3050|m|ft}}).]]

The surface area of Lombardy is divided almost equally between the plains (which represent approximately 47% of the territory) and the mountainous areas (which represent 41%). The remaining 12% of the region is hilly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalgeografia.com/italia/lombardia.htm|title=Globalgeografia|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref>

The [[orography]] of Lombardy is characterised by three distinct belts; a northern mountainous belt constituted by the Alpine relief, a central piedmont area of mostly alluvial pebbly soils, and the Lombard section of the [[Padan Plain]] in the south of the region. The main valleys are [[Val Camonica]], [[Val Trompia]], [[Valle Sabbia]], [[Valtellina]], [[Val Seriana]], [[Val Brembana]], [[Valsassina]], and [[Valassina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/DettaglioRedazionale/scopri-la-lombardia/territorio-e-popolazione/territorio+e+popolazione|title=Territorio e popolazione|access-date=4 November 2020|language=it}}</ref>

The most important mountainous area is the [[Alps|Alpine]] zone, which includes the [[Lepontine Alps|Lepontine]] and [[Rhaetian Alps]] ({{cvt|4020|m|ft}}), which derive their name, respectively, from the [[Rhaetian people|Raeti]], a population of [[Etruscans|Etruscan]] origin who took refuge in the Central Alps during the Celtic invasion of the Italian peninsula, and from the [[Ligures|Ligurian]] population of the [[Lepontii]], who were settled in this area and then subjugated by the Roman emperor [[Augustus]],<ref name=".montagnadilombardia">{{cite web|url=http://www.montagnadilombardia.com/alpi.html|title=Origine del nome delle Alpi lombarde|access-date=30 March 2013|language=it}}</ref> the [[Bergamasque Alps|Orobic Alps]] ({{cvt|3050|m|ft}}) which derive their name from the [[Orobii]], population of Ligurian or perhaps Celtic origin,<ref name=".montagnadilombardia"/> the [[Ortler Alps]] and the [[Adamello]] massif. It is followed by the Alpine foothills zone [[Prealps]], which are followed by hills that smooth the transition from the mountain to the [[Po Valley]], the main peaks of which are the [[Grigna]] Group ({{cvt|2410|m|ft}}), [[Resegone]] {{cvt|1875|m|ft}}, and [[Presolana]] ({{cvt|2521|m|ft}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lombardy Mountains |url=https://peakvisor.com/adm/lombardy.html |access-date=19 June 2022|website=PeakVisor}}</ref>

The plains of Lombardy, which are formed by alluvial deposits, can be divided into the ''Alta''—an upper, permeable ground zone in the north—and the ''Bassa'', a lower zone dotted by the line of ''fontanili'', where spring waters rise from impermeable ground. Inconsistent with the three distinctions above is the small sub-region of [[Oltrepò Pavese]], which is formed by the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennine]] foothills beyond the [[Po (river)|Po]], <ref name="oltresentieri">{{Cite web |title=Oltrepò Pavese, Geologia |url=http://www.oltresentieri.com/Cultura/DaVedere/OltrepoPaveseGeologia.html |access-date=31 January 2024|language=it}}</ref> and [[Lomellina]], an area particularly renowned for its [[rice paddies]].

===Hydrography===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = 20160807-Pavia-002.jpg
| width1            = 190
| alt1              =
| caption1          = [[Ponte Coperto]] in [[Pavia]] over the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] river
| image2            = Navigli di Milano Naviglio Grande a Gaggiano01.jpg
| width2            = 190
| alt2              =
| caption2          = [[Naviglio Grande]] in [[Gaggiano]]
| footer            =
}}
[[File:Sentiero del Viandante DSC 6340 (14020554463).jpg|thumb|Panoramic view of [[Lake Como]] with the [[Alps]] and [[Bellagio, Lombardy|Bellagio]]]]

The Po marks the southern border of the region for approximately {{cvt|210|km|0}}; its major tributaries are the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]], which rises in the Val Bedretto in [[Switzerland]] and joins the Po near Pavia,<ref>{{cite book|author1=Rodolfo Soncini-Sessa|author2=Enrico Weber|author3=Francesca Cellina|author4=Francesca Pianosi|title=Integrated and Participatory Water Resources Management - Practice|publisher=Elsevier Science|year=2007|isbn=9780080551425|page=40}}</ref> the [[Olona]], the [[Lambro]], the [[Adda (river)|Adda]], the [[Oglio]] and the [[Mincio]].

The numerous lakes of Lombardy are all of glacial origin and are located in the northern highlands. From west to east, these lakes are: [[Lake Maggiore]], [[Lake Lugano]] (both shared with Switzerland), [[Lake Como]], [[Lake Iseo]], [[Lake Idro]], and [[Lake Garda]] (the largest lake in Italy).<ref>[[Gabriel Faure (writer)|Gabriel Faure]] (1923). ''The Italian Lakes: Maggiore, Como, Orta, Varese, Lugano, Iseo, Garda''</ref> South of the Alps lies a succession of low hills of [[Moraine|morainic]] origin that were formed during the [[Last Glacial Period]],as well as small, barely fertile plateaux with typical heaths and conifer woods. A minor mountainous area, the [[Oltrepò Pavese]] lies in the [[Apennines]] range south of the Po.<ref name="oltresentieri"/>

The [[navigli]] are a system of interconnected [[canal]]s in and around [[Milan]], dating back as far as the Middle Ages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Florensa |first=Lídia |title=Navigli: guía para visitar los canales de Milán |url=https://www.viajarmilan.com/visitar-los-canales-navigli.php |access-date=7 February 2023|website=Viajar Milán |language=es}}</ref> The system consists of five canals: [[Naviglio Grande]], [[Naviglio Pavese]], [[Naviglio Martesana]], [[Naviglio di Paderno]], and [[Naviglio di Bereguardo]]. The first three were connected through Milan via the ''Fossa Interna'', also known as the Inner Ring. The urban section of the [[Naviglio Martesana]] was covered over at the beginning of the 1930s, together with the entire Inner Ring, thus sounding the death knell for the northeastern canals.

===Alpine passes===
[[File:Splügenpass Nordseite.jpg|thumb|The northern side of the [[Splügen Pass]]]]

The Lombard Alpine valleys are wider than those found in the [[Alps]] in [[Piedmont]] and [[Aosta Valley]]. Most of them are crossed by streams that descend towards the [[Po Valley]], forming rivers that then flow into the Po on the hydrographic left. Thanks to the width of their valleys, the Lombard Alpine passes, although they are at a high altitude, are easily accessible.

The most important international passes found in the Lombard Alps, which connect the region with [[Switzerland]] are the [[Splügen Pass]] ({{cvt|2118|m|ft}}), the [[Maloja Pass]] ({{cvt|1,815|m|ft}}) and the [[Bernina Pass]] ({{cvt|2323|m|ft}}), with the latter two which are located in Swiss territory. The most important national passes are the [[Stelvio Pass]] ({{cvt|2759|m|ft}}) and the [[Tonale Pass]] ({{cvt|1,883|m|ft}}), which connect Lombardy with [[Trentino-Alto Adige]]. These Alpine passes are also of great importance from a historical point of view, given that they have always allowed easy communication between Lombardy and its bordering territories. This has resulted in constant commercial traffic, which contributed to the development of the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lebellezzeditalia.it/lombardia/lombardia_it/lombardia.htm|title=Lombardia|access-date=27 November 2017|language=it}}</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Aree protette della Lombardia.svg|thumb|The protected areas of Lombardy]]

The plains have been intensively cultivated for centuries, and little of the original environment remains. The most common trees are [[elm]], [[alder]], [[sycamore]], [[Populus|poplar]], [[willow]], and [[hornbeam]]. In the area of the foothills lakes, however, [[olive]], [[cypress]]es, and [[larch]]es grow, as do varieties of subtropical flora such as [[magnolia]], [[azalea]] and [[acacia]]. Numerous species of endemic flora in the Prealpine area include some species of [[saxifrage]], [[Allium insubricum|Lombardy garlic]],<ref name = RHSPF>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Search-Results?form-mode=false&query=allium%20insubricum
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Allium insubricum''
| publisher=Royal Horticultural Society | date=1993 | access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref> [[groundsel]], and [[campanula isophylla|bellflowers]].

The highlands are characterised by the typical vegetation of the [[Italian Alps]]. At and below approximately {{cvt|1100|m|ft}}, oaks or broadleaf trees grow; on the mountain slopes between {{cvt|2000|and|2100|m|ft}}, beech trees grow at the lowest limits, with conifer woods higher up. Shrubs such as [[rhododendron]], dwarf pine, and [[juniper]] are native to the summit zone beyond {{cvt|2200|m|ft}}.

Lombardy includes many protected areas. The most important is [[Stelvio National Park]], established in 1935<ref>Law no. 740 on the Constitution of the Stelvio National Park, published in ''Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia'' on June 3, [[1935]]. For the history of this institution see F. Pedrotti, ''Notizie storiche sul Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio'', Temi, Trento 2005.</ref>—the fourth-largest Italian natural park, with typically alpine wildlife such as [[red deer]], [[roe deer]], [[ibex]], [[chamois]], foxes, [[Stoat|ermine]], and [[golden eagle]]s; and the [[Parco naturale lombardo della Valle del Ticino]], which was instituted in 1974 on the Lombard side of the River [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] to protect one of the last major examples of fluvial forest in northern Italy. There have also been efforts to protect the endangered [[Italian agile frog]]. The [[Parco naturale lombardo della Valle del Ticino]] is the first [[List of regional parks of Italy|Italian regional park]] to be established<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parcoticino.it/istituzionale/p/1_ente-parco.html|title=Parco del Ticino|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606033455/http://www.parcoticino.it/istituzionale/p/1_ente-parco.html |archive-date=6 June 2010|language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> as well as the first European river park.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=1 August 2012|title=Sito ufficiale del Parco Lombardo del Ticino|url=http://www.parcoticino.it/|language=it}}</ref> In 2022, the two parks were included by [[UNESCO]] in the [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Unesco |title=Ticino, Val Grande Verbano |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/ticino-val-grande-verbano |website=unesco.org |publisher=Unesco |access-date=7 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

Other parks in the region are the [[Campo dei Fiori di Varese|Campo dei Fiori]] and the [[Cinque Vette Park]], both of which are located in the [[Province of Varese]]. The system of protected areas in Lombardy consists of one national park, 24 regional parks, 65 [[natural reserve]]s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parks.it/indice/RR/index.php?reg=3|title=Parchi Naturali Regione Lombardia|access-date=8 September 2016|language=it}}</ref> and 30 [[natural monument]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parks.it/indice/PR/index.php?reg=3|title=Parchi Naturali Regione Lombardia|access-date=8 September 2016|language=it}}</ref> In total, protected areas cover more than 27% of the regional territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/DettaglioRedazionale/servizi-e-informazioni/Enti-e-Operatori/ambiente-ed-energia/Parchi-e-aree-protette/sistema-aree-protette-lombarde/sistema-aree-protette-lombarde|title=Il sistema delle Aree Protette lombarde|access-date=9 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{multiple image
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| caption1          = Fog at the [[Visconti Castle (Legnano)|Visconti Castle of Legnano]]
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| caption2          = An [[olive tree]] on the shores of [[Lake Garda]]. On Lake Garda, there is a "Mediterranean" microclimate which allows the cultivation of olive trees and the production of olive oil.
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Lombardy has a wide array of climates due to variations in elevation, proximity to inland water basins, and large metropolitan areas. The climate is mainly [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] Cfa), especially in the plains, though with significant variations from the Köppen model, especially in the normally long, damp, and cold winters. There is high seasonal temperature variation; in Milan, the average temperature is {{cvt|2.5|°C}} in January and {{cvt|24|°C}} in July. The plains are often subject to fog during the coldest months.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate and average monthly weather in Lombardy, Italy |url=https://weather-and-climate.com:80/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine-region-lombardy-it,Italy |access-date=19 June 2022|website=World Weather & Climate Information}}</ref>

In the Alpine foothills with an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] Cfb), numerous lakes have a mitigating influence, allowing typically Mediterranean crops (such as olive and [[citrus fruit]]) to grow. In the hills and mountains, the climate is [[Humid continental climate|humid continental]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] Dfb). In the valleys, it is relatively mild, while it can be severely cold with copious snowfalls above {{cvt|1500|m|ft}}.

Precipitation is more intense in the [[Prealpi Orobiche|Prealpine]] zone, with up to {{cvt|1500|to|2000|mm|1}} annually, but it is also abundant in the plains and alpine zones, with an average of {{cvt|600|to|850|mm|1}} annually. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|827|mm|in}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regional Statistical Yearbook: average rainfall, yearly and ten-year average, Lombardy and its provinces.|url=http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR/lombardia-e-province/ambiente-e-territorio/clima-e-inquinamento/tavole/100157/|publisher=Regione Lombardia|access-date=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923175433/http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR/lombardia-e-province/ambiente-e-territorio/clima-e-inquinamento/tavole/100157/|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lake Garda, thanks to its size and position, mitigates the climate of its coasts,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.giovannipagano.eu/ipertesti/geografia/lombardia_2/geografia/clima/climalago.htm|title=Il clima dei laghi|access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> creating a "[[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]" [[microclimate]] that makes the cultivation of olive trees and the production of [[olive oil]] possible; the so-called "Lombard oil" is also produced in other Lombard lake areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oliofelice.com/il-lago/no.html|title=Il lago di Garda e il suo microclima|access-date=9 May 2013|language=it|archive-date=27 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027132134/http://www.oliofelice.com/il-lago/no.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Geology===
[[File:Val Brembana - Laghi Gemelli.jpg|thumb|[[Val Brembana]]]]
[[File:Origgio, campi e boschi.JPG|thumb|[[Po Valley]] in [[Origgio]], in the [[Alto Milanese]]. In the background [[Mount Rosa]]]]

The geological structure of Lombardy derives from the [[orogeny]] of the [[Alps]], resulting from the collision between the [[African Plate|African]] and [[Eurasian Plate|Eurasian]] plates, which generated the Alpine chain from the [[Upper Cretaceous]] to the [[Miocene]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Cesare|last=Perotti|chapter=Assetto tettonico ed evoluzione strutturale delle Prealpi bresciane dalla fine dell'orogenesi varisica ad oggi|title=Atti del "Convegno Una nuova geologia per la Lombardia|location=Milan|year=2008|publisher=LED|isbn=978-8879164528|language=it}}</ref>

The [[Po Valley]], on the other hand, is of more recent origin, formed by the deposit of detrital material on the continental shelf, coming from the erosion caused by surface waters that accompanied the lifting of the Alpine chain, which rose to the west and north of the plain, and of the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennine]] chain to the south, filling the marine gulf that existed in the [[Pliocene]], created by the uplift of the two mountain chains.<ref>{{cite book|first=Michele|last=Adorni|title=Raccontare la terra. 14 itinerari geologici in Emilia-Romagna|publisher=Pendragon|year=2006|isbn=978-8883424984|language=it}}</ref>

===Pollution===
Lombardy is one of the most air-polluted areas of Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Air pollution exposure, cause-specific deaths and hospitalizations in a highly polluted Italian region|year=2016|doi=10.1016/j.envres.2016.03.003|last1=Carugno|first1=Michele|last2=Consonni|first2=Dario|last3=Randi|first3=Giorgia|last4=Catelan|first4=Dolores|last5=Grisotto|first5=Laura|last6=Bertazzi|first6=Pier Alberto|last7=Biggeri|first7=Annibale|last8=Baccini|first8=Michela|journal=Environmental Research|volume=147|pages=415–424|pmid=26969808|bibcode=2016ER....147..415C|s2cid=22664973 |doi-access=free|hdl=2434/504866|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Because of high levels of industrialisation and the lack of wind due to the region being enclosed between mountain ranges, air pollution remains a severe problem in Lombardy and northern Italy.

In March 2019, the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2019/05/Nitrogen_dioxide_over_northern_Italy|title=Nitrogen dioxide over northern Italy|access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> published images taken from its satellites, showing a large stain composed of [[nitrogen dioxide]] and fine particles above the Po Valley area. Lombardy is the geographic and economic centre of this area, with more than 10 million residents and the highest GRP per inhabitant in the country. Most of its major cities are located in the Po River  basin, which crosses the region. The stain analysed by ESA is the main reason Po Valley air pollution levels are so high. Milan also has high levels of [[ozone]] and [[nitrogen oxides]], which are mainly produced by diesel and petrol engines in cars.

According to the [[Chicago Energy Policy Institute]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/news/air-pollution-hotspots-in-europe/|title=Air pollution hotspots in Europe|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> which has recently developed the [[Air Quality Life Index]] (AQLI), Po Valley air pollution reduces life expectancy by approximately six months. Air pollution in the Po Valley is linked to livestock and factories. The use of [[NPK fertilizer]]s, composed of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, along with manure emissions from intensive breeding and high levels of nitrogen dioxide released by diesel and petrol engines are all contributing factors to pollution in Northern Italy. Lombardy also produces vast amounts of animal waste, a significant contributor to pollution. Lombardy produces more than 40% of Italy's milk, and over half of the Italian pig production is located in the Po Valley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2019-02-italy-polluted-po-valley-gasps.html|title=Italy's polluted Po Valley gasps for fresh air|access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref>

According to research published in [[The Lancet Planetary Health]],<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Premature mortality due to air pollution in European cities: a health impact assessment|year=2021 |pmid=33482109 |last1=Khomenko |first1=S. |last2=Cirach |first2=M. |last3=Pereira-Barboza |first3=E. |last4=Mueller |first4=N. |last5=Barrera-Gómez |first5=J. |last6=Rojas-Rueda |first6=D. |last7=De Hoogh |first7=K. |last8=Hoek |first8=G. |last9=Nieuwenhuijsen |first9=M. |journal=The Lancet. Planetary Health |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=e121–e134 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30272-2 |s2cid=231687871 |doi-access=free |hdl=10230/53387 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> in January 2021, Brescia and Bergamo had the highest death rate from [[fine particulate matter]] (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) in Europe.

The data show that many cities in Lombardy and the Po Valley suffer from the most serious impact of poor air quality in Europe, primarily the metropolitan area of Milan, which ranks 13th in terms of fine particulate impact, with an annual premature death rate of 3,967, accounting for approximately 9% of the total.

==History==

===Prehistory and antiquity===
{{Further|Cisalpine Gaul}}
[[File:Scena di duello R6 - Foppe - Nadro (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|thumb|A couple in duel with a "symbol" in the middle depicted in the [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]]. The Rock Drawings in Valcamonica are the largest collections of prehistoric [[petroglyph]]s in the world.<ref name="unesco2"/>]]

From archaeological findings of ceramics, arrows, axes, and carved stones, the area of current-day Lombardy has been settled at least since the second millennium BC. Well-preserved [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica|rock drawings]] left by ancient [[Camuni]] in the [[Valcamonica]] depicting animals, people, and symbols were made over 8,000 years before the [[Iron Age]],<ref name="adorno">{{cite book|last= Adorno|first= Piero|title=L'arte italiana|year= 1992|publisher= D'Anna|location= Firenze|volume=1|chapter=Mesolitico e Neolitico|page=16|language=it}} {{No ISBN}}</ref> based on about 300,000 records.<ref name=archeointro>{{cite web|url=http://www.archeocamuni.it/arte_rupestre.html|title=Introduzione all'arte rupestre della Valcamonica |website=Archeocamuni.it|access-date=11 May 2009|language=it}}</ref>

The many artefacts found in a [[necropolis]] near [[Lake Maggiore]] and the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] demonstrate the presence of the [[Golasecca]] [[Bronze Age]] culture that prospered in western Lombardy between the ninth and the 4th centuries BC. In the following centuries, Lombardy was inhabited by different peoples; the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]] founded the city of [[Mantua]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Fagles|first=Robert|title=The Aeneid|year=2006|publisher=Penguin Group|isbn=0-670-03803-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Lucchini|first=Daniele|title=Rise and fall of a capital. The history of Mantua in the words of who wrote about it|year=2013|publisher=Finisterrae|isbn=978-1-291-78388-9}}</ref> and spread the use of writing. It was the seat of the Celtic [[Canegrate culture]] starting from the 13th century BC, and later of the Celtic [[Golasecca culture]]. From the 5th century BC, the area was invaded by more [[Celts|Celtic]] [[Gauls|Gallic]] tribes coming from north of the Alps. These people settled in several cities including Milan and extended their rule to the [[Adriatic Sea]]. Celtic development was halted by the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] expansion in the Po Valley from the 3rd century BC. After centuries of struggle, at the end of the 2nd century B.C.,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.capiate.org/SitoEN/comata.htm|title=The Gallia Comata |access-date=31 January 2024|language=it}}</ref> the entirety of modern-day Lombardy became a Roman province called [[Gallia Cisalpina]]—"[[Gaul]] on the inner side (with respect to Rome) of the [[Alps]]".

The Roman culture and language overwhelmed the former civilisation in the following years, and Lombardy became one of the most developed and richest areas of Italy with the construction of roads and the development of agriculture and trade. Important figures were born here, such as [[Pliny the Elder]] (in [[Como]]) and [[Virgil]] (in Mantua). In [[late antiquity]] the strategic role of Lombardy was emphasised by the move of the capital of the [[Western Roman Empire|Western Empire]] to [[Mediolanum]] (Milan). Here, in 313 AD, Roman Emperor [[Constantine I|Constantine]] issued the famous ''[[Edict of Milan]]'', which gave freedom of confession to all religions within the Roman Empire.

===Kingdom of the Lombards===
{{Further|Lombards|Kingdom of the Lombards}}

[[File:Kingdom of Italy (HRE) - 962.png|thumbnail|The [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|Kingdom of Italy]] within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 962,]]

During and after the fall of the Western Empire, Lombardy heavily suffered from destruction brought about by a series of invasions by tribal peoples. After 540, [[Pavia]] became the permanent capital of the [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]], the fixed site of the court and the royal treasury.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.monasteriimperialipavia.it/pavia-citta-regia/?lang=en|title=Pavia Royal town|work=Monasteri Imperiali Pavia|access-date=29 July 2022|language=it}}</ref> The last and most effective invasion was that of the Germanic [[Lombards]] or Longobards, whose nation migrated to the region from the [[Carpathian basin]] in fear of the conquering [[Pannonian Avars]] in 568. The Lombards' long-lasting reign, with its capital in [[Pavia]], gave the current name to the region. There was a close relationship between the [[Franks|Frankish]], [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavarian]] and Lombard nobility for many centuries.

After the initial struggles, relationships between the Lombard people and the [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman peoples]]<ref>[[#Pellegrini|Pellegrini]]: "L'Italia settentrionale nei secoli del tardo impero ed in quelli successivi sino al 1000 (forse anche dopo) risulta strettamente collegata con la Gallia sul piano politico e linguistico; si può parlare senza tema di errore di un'ampia 'Galloromania' che include non soltanto la Rezia ma anche la Cisalpina con buona parte del Veneto." [Northern Italy in the centuries of the Late Empire and in the following ones up to 1000 (maybe even later) is closely connected with Gaul on a political and linguistic level; one can speak without fear of error of a broad 'Galloromania' which includes not only Rhaetia but also the Cisalpine with a good part of Veneto.]</ref> improved. The Lombard language and culture was integrated with the Latin culture, leaving evidence in many names, the legal code and laws. The Lombards became intermixed with the [[Roman people|Roman population]] owing to their relatively smaller number.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eupedia.com/genetics/italian_dna.shtml |title=Genetic History of the Italians |work=Eupedia |author =Maciamo Hay|date=July 2013 |access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref> The end of Lombard rule came in 774, when the Frankish king [[Charlemagne]] [[Siege of Pavia (773–774)|conquered Pavia]], deposed [[Desiderius]] the last Lombard king, and annexed the [[The Kingdom of the Lombards|Kingdom of Italy]]—mostly northern and central present-day Italy—to his newly established [[Holy Roman Empire]]. [[Charlemagne]] was crowned by the Pope on 25 December 800. The former Lombard dukes and nobles were replaced by other German vassals, prince-bishops and marquises. The entire northern part of the Italian peninsula continued to be called "Lombardy" and its population "Lombards" throughout the following centuries.

===Communes and the Empire===
[[File:San michele maggiore.JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[San Michele Maggiore, Pavia]], where almost all the [[King of Italy|kings of Italy]] were crowned up to [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]]]]

In the 10th century, Lombardy, although formally under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, was included in the [[Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)|kingdom of Italy]], of which [[Pavia]] remained the capital until 1024.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/regno-italico_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)|title=ITALICO, REGNO in "Enciclopedia Italiana"|language=it|access-date=14 February 2023}}</ref> Starting gradually in the late-11th century, Lombardy became divided into many small, autonomous city-states, the [[medieval communes]]. Also in the 11th century, the region's economy underwent a significant boom due to improved trading, sartorial manufacturing of silk and wool, and agricultural conditions; arms manufacturing for the purpose of defensive army development, by the German imperial divisions of ''Guelphs'' (''Welfen'') defending the Pope and ''Ghibellins'' (''Wibellingen'') defending the Emperor, became a significant factor. As in other areas of Italy, this led to a growing self-acknowledgement of the cities, whose increasing wealth made them able to defy the traditional feudal supreme power that was represented by the German emperors and their local legates. 
[[File:Member Cities of the Lombard Leagues.png|thumbnail|Member cities of the first and second [[Lombard League]]]]

This process peaked in the 12th and 13th centuries, when [[Lombard League]]s formed by allied cities of Lombardy, usually led by Milan, defeated the [[Hohenstaufen]] Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa|Frederick I]], at [[Battle of Legnano|Legnano]] but not his grandson [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] at [[Battle of Cortenuova]]. Although having the military purpose as preponderant, the Lombard League also had its own stable government, considered one of the first examples of [[confederation]] in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/lega-lombarda_(Federiciana)/|title=Lega Lombarda|publisher=[[Treccani]]|access-date=31 August 2023|language=it}}</ref> Subsequently, among the local city-states, a process of consolidation took place, and by the end of the 14th century, two ''[[signoria]]'' emerged as rival [[hegemon]]s in Lombardy; [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]] and [[Duchy of Mantua|Mantua]].

===Renaissance duchies of Milan and Mantua===
{{Further|Duchy of Milan|Duchy of Mantua}}
[[File:Visconti XIV century.svg|thumb|The [[Visconti of Milan|Viscontis']] dominions in the 14th century, before the foundation of the [[Duchy of Milan]]]]

In the 15th century, the [[Duchy of Milan]] was one of the wealthiest states during the [[Renaissance]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Milan – History|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Milan-Italy|access-date=17 December 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> Milan and Mantua became centres of the [[Renaissance]], whose culture with people such as [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and [[Andrea Mantegna]], and works of art such as da Vinci's ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'' were highly regarded. The enterprising class of the communes extended its trade and banking activities well into northern Europe; the metonym "Lombard" designated a merchant or banker from northern Italy, for example [[Lombard Street, London]]. 

The name "Lombardy" came to denote the whole of northern Italy until the 15th century and sometimes later.<ref>{{cite book|first=Leandro|last=Alberti|title=Descrittione di tutta Italia di F. Leandro Alberti bolognese, nella quale si contiene il sito di essa, l'origine & le signorie delle città & de i castelli...|publisher=Giouan Maria Bonelli|location=Venice|year=1553|language=it}} {{No ISBN}}</ref> From the 14th century onward, the instability created by the internal and external struggles ended in the creation of noble ''seigniories'', the most significant of whom were the [[Visconti of Milan|Viscontis]] (later [[House of Sforza|Sforzas]]) in Milan and of the [[House of Gonzaga|Gonzagas]] in Mantua. This wealth, however, attracted the now-more-organised armies of national powers such as France and Austria, which waged a lengthy battle for Lombardy in the late 15th to early 16th centuries.

===Late-Middle Ages, Renaissance and Enlightenment===
[[Image:1807KingdomItaly.jpg|thumb|The [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy]] in 1807, having Milan as its capital, with [[Istria]] and [[Dalmatia]], shown in yellow]]

After the [[Battle of Pavia]], the Duchy of Milan became a possession of the [[Habsburgs]] of Spain; the new rulers did little to improve the economy of Lombardy, instead imposing a growing series of taxes to support their lengthy series of European wars. The eastern part of modern-day Lombardy, including the cities [[Bergamo]] and [[Brescia]], was controlled by the [[Republic of Venice]], which had begun to extend its influence in the area from the 14th century onwards. Between the mid-15th century and the [[battle of Marignano]] in 1515, the northern part of east Lombardy from [[Airolo]] to [[Chiasso]] (modern [[Ticino]]), and the [[Valtellina]] valley came under possession of the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]].

[[1629–1631 Italian plague|Pestilence]]s like that of 1628–1630,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.storiadimilano.it/Personaggi/Milanesi%20illustri/mora.htm|title=Storia di Milano - Gian Giacomo Mora|website=Storiadimilano.it|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> which [[Alessandro Manzoni]] described in his ''[[The Betrothed (Manzoni novel)|I Promessi Sposi]]'', and the general decline of Italy's economy in the 17th and 18th centuries halted further development of Lombardy. In 1706 the [[Austrian Empire]] came to power, and introduced some economic and social measures that allowed a degree of recovery to occur.

Austrian rule was interrupted in the late-18th century by the French; under [[Napoleon]], Lombardy became the centre of the [[Cisalpine Republic]] and of the [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Kingdom of Italy]], both of which were [[puppet state]]s of France's [[First French Empire|First Empire]], with Milan as capital and Napoleon as head of state. During this period, Lombardy regained Valtellina from Switzerland.

===Modern era===
{{Further|Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia|Unification of Italy}}
[[File:5giornatemilano.jpg|thumbnail|The [[Five Days of Milan]], 1848]]

The restoration of Austrian rule in 1815 as the [[Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia]] was characterised by a struggle with the new ideals introduced by the Napoleonic era. Lombardy was then an important centre of the ''[[Risorgimento]]'', with the [[Five Days of Milan]] in March 1848, the [[Ten Days of Brescia]] in 1849, the [[Belfiore martyrs]] in Mantua in the years between 1851 and 1853. The annexation of Lombardy to the [[Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia]] occurred following the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] in 1859, a war during which Lombardy was the main theatre of battle (battles of [[Battle of Montebello (1859)|Montebello]], [[Battle of Palestro|Palestro]], [[Battle of Magenta|Magenta]], [[Battle of Solferino|Solferino]] and [[Battle of San Fermo|San Fermo]]). 

In 1861, with the [[proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy]], Lombardy became part of the modern Italian state, except for the central-eastern part of the [[province of Mantua]] which was [[Plebiscite of Veneto of 1866|annexed in 1866]] after the [[Third Italian War of Independence]].<ref>Royal Decree 4 November 1866 no. 3300 and Law 18 July 1867 no. 3841</ref> Regarding the battle of Solferino, it was during this conflict that [[Henry Dunant]] took the initiative to create the [[Red Cross]]. After the annexation of Mantua, Lombardy achieved its present-day territorial shape by adding the [[Oltrepò Pavese]], formerly the southern part of the [[Province of Novara]], to the [[Province of Pavia]].

===Contemporary era===
[[File:01 partigiani a milano1.jpg|thumb|[[Italian resistance movement|Italian partisans]] in Milan during the [[liberation of Italy]], April 1945]]
[[File:Milano, Centro Direzionale 01.jpg|thumb|Skyscrapers and large buildings in the 1960s, such as that of the [[Centro Direzionale di Milano]], iconographically represent the [[Italian economic miracle]].]]

The Alpine front of [[World War I]] crossed the eastern Lombardy Alpine side, and in the post-war period Milan was the centre of the [[Fasci Italiani di Combattimento|Italian Fasces of Combat]]. Milan then became the [[Gold Medal of Military Valor]] for the [[Italian resistance movement]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fondazionefeltrinelli.it/scopri/una-medaglia-una-lapide-e-quattro-atti-di-eroismo-per-la-memoria-pubblica-di-milano/|title=Una medaglia, una lapide e quattro atti di eroismo per la memoria pubblica di Milano|access-date=1 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> during the [[Italian Civil War]] after its liberation from fascism during the [[World War II]], while the partisan resistance spread across the valleys and provinces.

Following the historical borders, in 1948 the administrative region of Lombardy was prefigured as part of the newly formed [[Italian Republic]]. In the years of the [[Italian economic miracle]], Milan was one of the poles of the "industrial triangle" of northern Italy formed by the cities of [[Turin]]-[[Milan]]-[[Genoa]]. The [[Years of Lead (Italy)|Years of Lead]] had wide relevance in Lombardy, with the [[Piazza Fontana bombing]] in Milan in 1969 and the [[Piazza della Loggia bombing]] in [[Brescia]] in 1974.

In the 1980s, Milan became a symbol of the country's economic growth, and a symbol of the economic-financial rampantism of the so-called ''"Milano da bere"'', literally "Milan to be drunk",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cultura/200804articoli/31497girata.asp |title=L'uomo che inventò la Milano da bere |publisher=Lastampa.It |date=4 January 2008 |access-date=25 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914065500/http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cultura/200804articoli/31497girata.asp |archive-date=14 September 2009|language=it}}</ref> while the Milanese socialist group of [[Bettino Craxi]] was in the national government. The city of Milan, in the early 1990s, was the origin of the series of scandals known as ''Tangentopoli'' which emerged from the judicial investigations of the Milanese prosecutor's office known as [[Mani pulite]], which then spread to the rest of the country.

In early 2020, Lombardy was severely affected by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], in which [[COVID-19 pandemic in Italy|Italy was one of the worst-affected countries]] in Europe. Several towns were quarantined from 22 February after community transmission was documented in Lombardy and [[Veneto]] the previous day. The entirety of Lombardy was placed under lockdown on 8 March,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/08/italy-announces-quarantine-affecting-quarter-of-population.html|title=Italy announces quarantine affecting quarter of population|date=8 March 2020|website=CNBC}}</ref> followed by all of Italy the following day,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/business/italy-lockdown-recession/index.html|title=Italy just locked down the world's 8th biggest economy. A deep recession looms|first=Hanna |last=Ziady|publisher=CNN|date=10 March 2020|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> making Italy the first country to implement a nationwide lockdown in response to the epidemic, which the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) declared a [[pandemic]] on 11 March. The lockdown was extended twice, and the region toughened restrictions on 22 March, banning outdoor exercise and the use of vending machines,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51991972|title=Italy's worst-hit region introduces stricter measures|publisher=BBC News|date=22 March 2020|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> but from the beginning of May, following a reported decrease in the number of active cases, restrictions were gradually relaxed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/anger-as-italy-slowly-emerges-from-long-covid-19-lockdown|title=Anger as Italy slowly emerges from long Covid-19 lockdown &#124; Italy |website=The Guardian|access-date=6 February 2024 }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{see also|List of European Union regions by GDP}}
[[File:Milan skyline skyscrapers of Porta Nuova business district.jpg|thumb|[[Milan]] is the economic capital of Italy,<ref name="prologis"/> and is a global [[financial centre]] and a [[fashion capital]] of the world.]]

Lombardy is the first<ref name="first"/> region of Italy in terms of economic importance.<ref name="huffingtonpost"/> {{As of|2021}}, the [[gross regional product]] (GRP) of Lombardy was equal to over €366&nbsp;billion and accounted for about 22% of Italy's total GDP. Lombardy's 2021 GRP was €36,500 per person, more than 25% higher than the national average of €25,729.<ref name="Regional Statistical Yearbook 2014"/> Lombardy is the [[List of European Union regions by GDP|second region of the European Union]] by nominal GDP.<ref name="GDP"/>

Lombardy's [[services sector]] has grown since the 1980s, led by innovative activities in business services, credit and financial services. Lombardy also remains the main industrial area of Italy. Milan, its capital, is the economic capital of Italy,<ref name="prologis"/> is a global [[financial centre]] and is widely regarded as a global capital in industrial design, fashion and architecture.<ref>{{cite book|last=Knox|first=Paul L.|title=Cities and design |year=2010 |publisher=Routledge |location=London|isbn=978-0-203-84855-5|pages=228–235}}</ref>

Lombardy has cultural and economic relationships with many foreign countries including [[Azerbaijan]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azernews.az/nation/142139.html|title=Italian official: Azerbaijan has obtained impressive achievements [PHOTO]|date=6 December 2018|website=AzerNews.az|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> Austria,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.giornalemetropolitano.it/design-in-lombardia-crescono-gli-scambi-con-laustria/|title=Design, in Lombardia crescono gli scambi con l'Austria|website=Giornalemetropolitano.it|access-date=27 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/lombardia-notizie/DettaglioNews/2018/05-maggio/7-13/ied-camera-commercio-vice-presidente/ied-camera-commercio-vice-presidente|title=Accordo IED-Camera Commercio Austriaca, vice presidente Regione: nuova opportunità di sviluppo|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ambvienna.esteri.it/ambasciata_vienna/it/ambasciata/news/dall-ambasciata/03022015.html|title=Expo Milano – Regione Lombardia|website=Ambvienna.esteri.it|access-date=27 October 2018|language=it}}</ref> France,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://milano.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/18_giugno_14/milano-attilio-fontana-incontra-l-ambasciatore-francese-distendere-animi-italia-francia-9ce46378-6fb2-11e8-b9b6-434f28412ff9.shtml|title=Milano, Attilio Fontana incontra l'ambasciatore francese: "Distendere gli animi tra Italia e Francia"|website=Corriere della Sera|access-date=27 October 2018|date=14 June 2018|language=it}}</ref> Hungary,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bresciatoday.it/politica/regione-lombardia-fontana-.html|title=Regione Lombardia, il presidente Fontana riceve il ministro degli affari esteri ungherese|website=BresciaToday|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.askanews.it/politica/2018/12/05/ungheria-fontana-riceve-ministro-esteri-a-palazzo-lombardia-pn_20181205_00291|title=Ungheria, Fontana riceve ministro Esteri a Palazzo Lombardia|date=5 December 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://milano.mfa.gov.hu/ita/news/a-lombardiai-tartomany-elnoeke-fogadta-a-milanoi-fokonzult|title=Il Console Generale è stato accolto dal Presidente della Regione di Lombardia – Consolato Generale di Ungheria Milano|website=Milano.mfa.gov.hu|access-date=27 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tecnologiedelfilo.it/lecco-cresce-lexport-sul-mercato-ungherese/|title=Lecco: cresce l'export sul mercato ungherese – Tecnologie del Filo|website=Tecnologiedelfilo.it|access-date=27 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909003412/http://www.tecnologiedelfilo.it/lecco-cresce-lexport-sul-mercato-ungherese/|archive-date=9 September 2018|url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ersaf.lombardia.it/servizi/notizie/notizie_fase02.aspx?ID=18900|title=Delegazione Ungherese in visita di studio in Italia – :. ERSAF – Ente Regionale per i Servizi all' Agricoltura e alle Foreste:Regione Lombardia .|website=Ersaf.lombardia.it|access-date=27 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909000438/http://www.ersaf.lombardia.it/servizi/notizie/notizie_fase02.aspx?ID=18900|archive-date=9 September 2018|url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref> Switzerland (especially the cantons of [[Canton of Ticino|Ticino]] and [[Canton of Grisons|Grisons]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regioni.it/dalleregioni/2018/07/31/lombardia-canton-ticino-fontana-e-assessori-incontrano-delegazione-svizzerasul-tavolo-infrastrutturetrasporti-e-ambiente-572830/|title=[Comunicato stampa Giunta regionale Lombardia] CANTON TICINO, FONTANA E ASSESSORI INCONTRANO DELEGAZIONE SVIZZERA:SUL TAVOLO INFRASTRUTTURE, TRASPORTI E AMBIENTE|date=31 July 2018|website=Regioni.it|access-date=27 October 2018|archive-date=2 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223633/http://www.regioni.it/dalleregioni/2018/07/31/lombardia-canton-ticino-fontana-e-assessori-incontrano-delegazione-svizzerasul-tavolo-infrastrutturetrasporti-e-ambiente-572830/|url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prealpina.it/pages/milano-lombardia-e-canton-ticino-piu-vicini-173165.html|title=Rivedere l'accordo fiscale|date=31 July 2018|website=Prealpina.it|access-date=27 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.varesenews.it/2018/04/fontana-rapporti-la-svizzera-vanno-intensificati/708796/|title=Fontana: "I rapporti con la Svizzera vanno intensificati"|date=16 April 2018|website=Varesenews.it|access-date=27 October 2018|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/tutte-le-notizie-in-breve/gr--milano--trasporto-transfrontaliero--incontro-grigioni-lombardia/44616234|title=GR: Milano, trasporto transfrontaliero, incontro Grigioni-Lombardia|first1=S. W. I.|last1=swissinfo.ch|first2=a branch of the Swiss Broadcasting|last2=Corporation|website=TVSvizzera|date=13 December 2018|language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.varesenews.it/2019/09/regione-lombardia-incontro-svizzera/856211/|title=Tra Lombardia e Grigioni massima collaborazione, anche per le Olimpiadi|date=24 September 2019|website=VareseNews|language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> Canada (the [[Quebec|Province of Quebec]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mrif.gouv.qc.ca/en/relations-du-quebec/europe/italie/relations-politiques|title=Political and institutional relations|website=MRIF – Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> Germany (the States of [[Bavaria]], [[Saxony]], and [[Saxony-Anhalt]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsfood.com/la-baviera-rinsalda-la-partnership-con-la-lombardia/|title=Baviera partner ship Lombardia|website=Newsfood.com|date=15 June 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mi-lorenteggio.com/news/17788 |title=MILANO LORENTEGGIO, IL PORTALE UFFICIALE DI MILANO OVEST, THE WHOLE WEST MILAN AREA e Tang.O GIORNALE ONLINE CON NEWS, NOTIZIE, AGENDA, FOTO, VIDEO, METEO, ANNUNCI, SPORT, LOMBARDIA |access-date=25 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826043836/http://www.mi-lorenteggio.com/news/17788 |archive-date=26 August 2018 |url-status=dead |language=it }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.giornalemetropolitano.it/incontro-del-consiglio-regionale-lombardo-con-delegazione-parlamentare-della-bassa-sassonia/|title=Incontro del Consiglio regionale lombardo con delegazione parlamentare della Bassa Sassonia|website=Giornalemetropolitano.it|access-date=27 October 2018|language=it}}</ref> [[Kuwait]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2736943&language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715040052/https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2736943&language=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 July 2018|title=KUNA : Kuwait works to boost cooperation with Italy's northern provinces, Lombardy - Politics - 13/07/2018|date=15 July 2018|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> the Netherlands ([[South Holland|Province of Zuid-Holland]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news/province-of-zuid-holland-intensifies-water-cooperation-with-lombardy-italy|title=Province of Zuid-Holland intensifies water cooperation with Lombardy, Italy &#124; Dutch Water Sector|website=dutchwatersector.com|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref> and Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bresciatoday.it/politica/tavola-rotonda-lombardia-russia-.html|title=Tavola rotonda Lombardia-Russia, Fontana: "Collaborazione importante per il nostro territorio"|website=BresciaToday|language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref>
<div align="left" style="overflow: auto">
{| class="wikitable" align="center" style="font-size:85%"
|+ [[GDP]] and [[GDP per capita]] in Lombardy (2000–2018)
|-
! || 2000 || 2001 || 2002 || 2003 || 2004 || 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 || 2010 || 2011 || 2012 || 2013 || 2014 || 2015 || 2016 || 2017
!2018
|-
| align=left |'''GDP'''<ref name="T5"/><br />(Euro) || 247.052 || 259.431 || 270.653 || 279.450 || 289.471 || 297.600 || 307.718 || 320.844 || 323.973 || 310.952
| 346.797
| 354.342
| 348.665
| 349.008
| 350.025
| 357.200
| 375.270
| 385.133
| 390.461
|-
| align=left | '''GDP per capita'''<ref name="T5">{{cite web|url=http://www.istat.it|title=Dati Istat|access-date=15 June 2016|language=it}}</ref><br />(Euro) || 27.488 || 28.766 || 29.837 || 30.449 || 31.060 || 31.545 || 32.356 || 33.443 || 33.425 || 31.743
| 35.713
| 36.220
| 35.367
| 35.127
| 35.044
| 35.700
| 37.474
| 38.407
| 38.858
|}</div>
[[File:EU NUTS 2 Four Motors 2016.svg|thumb|left|The [[Four Motors for Europe]] (in light blue) compared to the [[European Union]]: Lombardy, [[Baden-Württemberg]] in Germany, [[Catalonia]] in Spain, and [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] in France]]

Lombardy is a member of the [[Four Motors for Europe]], an international economical organization whose other members are [[Baden-Württemberg]] in Germany, [[Catalonia]] in Spain, and [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] in France.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://elpais.com/politica/2018/07/04/actualidad/1530703816_664496.html|title=Borrell ordena a todas las embajadas responder a las "lindezas" independentistas contra España|first=Javier|last=Casqueiro|date=4 July 2018|access-date=27 October 2018|website=El País|language=es}}</ref> The Lombardy region is also part of the [[EUSALP]], which promotes innovation, sustainability, and economy in the Alpine regions of Austria, France, Liechtenstein, Northern Italy, Southern Germany, Switzerland, and Slovenia,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alpine-region.eu/action-group-1|title=Action Group 1|date=17 November 2016|website=EUSALP|access-date=6 February 2024|archive-date=24 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724093445/https://www.alpine-region.eu/action-group-1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eusalp.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/site/eusalp|title=Presidenza Italiana EUSALP 2019|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilnordestquotidiano.it/2018/11/22/il-timone-di-eusalp-passa-dal-tirolo-alla-lombardia/|title=Il timone di Eusalp passa dal Tirolo alla Lombardia|date=22 November 2018|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> and [[Association of the Alpine States|ARGE ALP]], an economic forum of alpine regions of Austria, Northern Italy, Southern Germany, and Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://it.argealp.org/chi-siamo|title=Chi siamo – Arge Alp|website=it.argealp.org|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=5 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405233820/https://it.argealp.org/chi-siamo|url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref> Economical and cultural relationship are also strong with neighbouring Italian regions [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]], [[South Tyrol]], Trentino, and Veneto.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lavocedelnordest.eu/olimpiadi-2026-fondi-confine-si-rafforza-la-collaborazione-fra-trentino-lombardia/|title=Olimpiadi 2026 e Fondi di confine, si rafforza la collaborazione fra Trentino e Lombardia|date=2 May 2019|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lavocedeltrentino.it/2019/05/04/trentino-e-lombardia-si-rafforza-la-sinergia-per-le-olimpiadi-2026/|title=Trentino e Lombardia: si rafforza la sinergia per le Olimpiadi 2026|first=Redazione|last=Trento|date=4 May 2019|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ladigetto.it/interno/86892-trentino-e-lombardia-si-rafforza-la-collaborazione.html|title=ladigetto.it – Trentino e Lombardia: si rafforza la collaborazione|website=ladigetto.it|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agenziagiornalisticaopinione.it/lancio-dagenzia/pat-trentino-e-lombardia-incontro-a-milano-tra-i-presidenti-fugatti-e-fontana-si-rafforza-la-collaborazione/|title=PAT * Trentino e Lombardia: "Incontro a Milano tra i presidenti Fugatti e Fontana, si rafforza la collaborazione"|date=2 May 2019|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.askanews.it/cronaca/2019/05/02/fontana-incontra-fugatti-collaborazione-tra-lombardia-e-trentino-pn_20190502_00154/|title=Fontana incontra Fugatti: Collaborazione tra Lombardia e Trentino|date=2 May 2019|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.regione.veneto.it/|title=Regione del Veneto|website=Regione del Veneto|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lombardiaquotidiano.com/notizia/autonomia-consiglio-regionale-lombardo-udine-al-percorso-di-dialogo-comune|title=Lombardia Quotidiano|date=19 October 2018|website=Lombardia Quotidiano|access-date=12 June 2019|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803131202/http://www.lombardiaquotidiano.com/notizia/autonomia-consiglio-regionale-lombardo-udine-al-percorso-di-dialogo-comune|url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.valtellinanews.it/articoli/lombardia-e-friuli-venezia-giulia-20180925/|title=Lombardia e Friuli Venezia Giulia due regioni a confronto|website=valtellinanews.it|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.giornaletrentino.it/cronaca/parco-dello-stelvio-intesa-trentino-alto-adige-e-lombardia-sulla-biodiversit%C3%A0-1.1929338|title=Parco dello Stelvio, intesa Trentino, Alto Adige e Lombardia sulla biodiversità – Cronaca|website=Trentino|date=4 March 2019|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.provincia.bz.it/natura-ambiente/natura-territorio/news-media.asp?news_action=4&news_article_id=618530|title=News & Media &#124; Provincia autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige|department=Südtiroler Informatik AG &#124; Informatica Alto Adige SPA|publisher=Amministrazione provinciale|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ladige.it/territori/riva-arco/2019/04/04/lombardia-veneto-trentino-regole-comuni-pesca-tutto-lago-garda|title=Lombardia, Veneto e Trentino: "Regole comuni per la pesca su tutto il lago di Garda"|date=4 April 2019|publisher=l'Adige.it|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

Furthermore, Lombardy is part of the economic heart of Europe and of the so-called [[Blue Banana]]. Milan is, together with [[London]], [[Hamburg]], [[Frankfurt]], [[Munich]] and [[Paris]], one of the six European economic capitals.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Marco|last1=Astolfi|first2=Delia|last2=Romano|title=Geoatlas|volume=2|publisher=Atlas|location=Bergamo|year=2007|pages=56–57|isbn=978-88-268-1362-2|language=it}}</ref> The European Union has developed the Central Europe program in 2014–2020 to foster cooperation between Lombardy and other northern Italian regions and several countries in central Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cte.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/PROUE/CTE/central-europe-2014-2020/il-programma-central-europe-2014-2020|title=Il Programma Central Europe 2014-2020|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024|archive-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922195126/https://www.cte.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/PROUE/CTE/central-europe-2014-2020/il-programma-central-europe-2014-2020|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/discover/programme.html|title=Discover Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE|website=Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE|access-date=11 March 2020|archive-date=1 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501205654/http://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/discover/programme.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = Fieramilano Rho Pero improved version.jpg
| width1            = 190
| alt1              =
| caption1          = [[Fiera Milano]], the most important trade fair organiser in Italy and the world's fourth largest<ref name="Fiera"/>
| image2            = Milan Porta Nuova business district by night.jpg
| width2            = 210
| alt2              =
| caption2          = The skyscrapers of [[Porta Nuova (Milan)|Porta Nuova business district]] in Milan
| footer            =
}}
[[File:Palazzo mezzanotte Milan Stock Exchange.jpg|thumb|[[Palazzo Mezzanotte]] in Milan, the seat of the [[Borsa Italiana|Italian stock exchange]]]]

The region can be broadly divided into three economic areas: Milan, where the services sector comprises 65.3% of employment; the provinces of [[Varese]], Como, [[Lecco]], [[Province of Monza and Brianza|Monza and Brianza]], Bergamo and Brescia, the latter having the highest value added in industry in Europe,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brescia, the Capital of the European Industry|url=https://www.fierabie.com/brescia-the-capital-of-the-european-industry/|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> where there is a highly industrialised economy and a rich agricultural sector; and the provinces of [[Province of Sondrio|Sondrio]], [[Province of Pavia|Pavia]], [[Province of Cremona|Cremona]], [[Province of Mantua|Mantova]] and [[Province of Lodi|Lodi]], where there is consistent agricultural activity and an above-average development of the services sector.

In the tertiary sector, the weight of trade and finance is significant. The [[Italian Stock Exchange]] is based in Milan, one of the main European financial centres.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.borsaitaliana.it/borsa/indici/indici-in-continua/dettaglio.html?indexCode=FTSEMIB&lang=it|title=Sito ufficiale della Borsa di Milano|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref> In the early 21st century, two new business districts, [[Porta Nuova (Milan)|Porta Nuova]] and [[CityLife (Milan)|CityLife]], were built in Milan in the space of a decade, radically changing the skyline of the city. Banking, transport, communication and business services activities are also important. Milan is also a global hub for event management and trade fairs. [[Fiera Milano]] operates the most important trade fair organiser in Italy and the world's fourth largest<ref name="Fiera">{{cite web |title=Ranking of the world's largest exhibition halls in 2018, by gross hall capacity |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/264240/largest-exhibition-halls-in-the-world-by-hall-capacity/ |website=Statista |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203145736/https://www.statista.com/statistics/264240/largest-exhibition-halls-in-the-world-by-hall-capacity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> exhibition hall in [[Rho, Lombardy|Rho]], were international exhibitions like [[Milan Furniture Fair]], [[EICMA]], [[EMO (trade show)|EMO]] take place on 400,000 square metres of exhibition areas with more than 4&nbsp;million visitors in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Sustainability Report Consolidated disclosure of non-financial information pursuant to Legislative Decree 254/2016 |url=https://www.fieramilano.it/content/dam/fieramilano/documenti/lp-investor-relations/en/sustainability/FIERA_DNF_2018_ENG.pdf |publisher=[[Fiera Milano]] |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203162244/https://www.fieramilano.it/content/dam/fieramilano/documenti/lp-investor-relations/en/sustainability/FIERA_DNF_2018_ENG.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Milan hosted the [[World's fair|Universal Exposition]] in [[Milan International|1906]] and [[Expo 2015|2015]].

=== Agriculture ===
{{Main|Lombardia (wine)}}
[[File:Colline moreniche del Lago Garda.JPG|thumbnail|Cultivated fields in [[Upper Mantua]]]]

The productivity of agriculture is enhanced by the use of fertilisers and the traditional abundance of water, which has been boosted since the Middle Ages by the construction of irrigation systems that were partly designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Lower plains are used for fodder crops, cereals (rice, wheat and maize) and sugar beet. Lombardy is one of the main European regions for rice production and together with Piedmont, produces 93% of Italian rice. Cultivation is concentrated in the provinces of Pavia ({{cvt|84000|ha|acre}}, Milan ({{cvt|14000|ha|acre}}), Lodi {{cvt|2000|ha|acre}} and Mantua ({{cvt|1200|ha|acre}}).<ref name="Riso italiano, dove si coltiva">{{cite web |url=https://www.ricetteracconti.com/2020/11/14/riso-italiano-dove-si-coltiva/|title=Riso italiano, dove si coltiva|work=Ricette e racconti di riso|date=14 November 2020 |access-date=17 August 2022|language=it}}</ref> Produce of the higher plains includes cereals, vegetables, fruit trees and mulberries. Fruits and wine are produced in upland areas such as the [[Prealpi Orobiche|Prealps]] and [[Alps]] sectors in the north.

Lombardy is a centre of animal breeding, which includes dairy cows (36%) and pigs (50%). The region's dairy industry produces 30% of Italian milk,<ref name="milk"/> which is used to produce different types of cheese, totalling about 4,715,130 tonnes, 36% of Italian cheese production.<ref name="milk">{{cite web|url=https://www.asr-lombardia.it/asrlomb/it/9857produzione-industriale-di-latte-alimentare-di-burro-e-di-formaggio-regionale|title=Produzione industriale di latte alimentare, di burro e di formaggio|language=it|access-date=7 June 2021|archive-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607095918/https://www.asr-lombardia.it/asrlomb/it/9857produzione-industriale-di-latte-alimentare-di-burro-e-di-formaggio-regionale|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A variety of cured sausages is produced in Lombardy, like Salame Milano, Salame bergamasco, Salame mantovano, Salame di Varzi, Bastardei, Salam casalin, Salame Brianza, Salame pancettato.

<gallery widths=180>
Grana_Padano_at_Eataly_in_Stockholm.jpg|[[Grana Padano]] (granular cheese)
Mascarpone preparato in casa.jpg|[[Mascarpone]] (cream cheese)
Taleggio_vecchia_lavorazione_%283323694182%29.jpg|[[Taleggio cheese|Taleggio]] (semi-soft cheese)
Gorgonzola 1.jpg|[[Gorgonzola]] (blue-veined cheese)
Bitto DOP.jpg|Bitto (hard cheese)
Provola_delle_Moddonie.jpg|[[Provolone]] Valpadana (pasta filata cheese)
Campo di riso presso Pavia.jpg|A rice field near [[Pavia]].
Salame di Varzi.jpg|Salame di [[Varzi]]
Salame mantovano.jpg|Salame [[mantova]]no
</gallery>

Vineyards cover {{cvt|26951|ha|acre}}. The most important product is the sparkling wines [[Franciacorta]] and [[Oltrepò Pavese]], which are produced using the same [[Sparkling wine production#Traditional method|traditional method]] as [[Champagne]], unlike other Italian sparkling wines, which use the [[Sparkling wine production#Charmat method|charmat method]]. Lombardy ranks 9 of 20 in the production of DOC and DOCG wines with {{Convert|877351|hl|2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Feder">{{cite web|title=Weinbau in Zahlen 2019|periodical=V.Q.P.R.D. d'Italia 2019|publisher=federdoc.com|url=https://www.federdoc.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/vqprd-ed2019.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://www.federdoc.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/vqprd-ed2019.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022|url-status=|access-date=15 November 2020|language=it}}</ref> Lombardy also produces still red, white and [[rosé]] wines made from a variety of [[List of grape varieties|grapes]], including [[Nebbiolo]] wines in the [[Valtellina]] region and [[Trebbiano di Lugana]] white wines produced with the ''Chiaretto''-style rosé along the shores of [[Lake Garda]]. The [[List of wine-producing regions|wine region]] currently has 15 ''[[Denominazione di origine controllata]]'' (DOC), 3 ''[[List of Italian DOCG wines|Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita]]'' (DOCG) and 13 ''[[Indicazione Geografica Tipica]]'' (IGT) designations.<ref name="Dummies pg 89-99">{{cite book|first1=Mary|last1=Ewing-Mulligan|first2=Ed|last2=McCarthy|title=Italian Wines for Dummies|pages=89–99|publisher=For Dummies|year=2001|isbn=0-7645-5355-0}}</ref> The region annually produces around {{Convert|1.4|e6hl|2|abbr=out|spell=in}} of wine.<ref name="italianwinecentral.com">{{cite web|url=http://italianwinecentral.com/wine-production-in-italy-by-region/|title=Wine Production by Region|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>
<gallery widths=180>
Calice_di_Franciacorta_ros%C3%A9.jpg|Franciacorta Rose
Bottiglia_e_calice_di_franciacorta.JPG|Bottle of Franciacorta
Franciacorta_milledi.jpg|Franciacorta Ferghettina
</gallery>

Brescia is also the main production centre of Italian [[caviar]]. The world's largest sturgeon farm is located in [[Calvisano]], about {{cvt|30|km}} south of the city centre,<ref>{{cite news|first=Jane|last=Black|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/26/world/americas/26iht-caviar.2943297.html?pagewanted=all|title=Caviar from farms instead of the seas|newspaper=The New York Times |date=26 September 2006 |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> producing 25 tonnes of caviar annually, which is exported worldwide.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.quibrescia.it/cms/2015/03/26/e-brescia-la-capitale-mndiale-del-caviale/|title=E' Brescia la capitale mondiale del caviale|language=it|trans-title=Brescia is the world capital of caviar|website=quibrescia.it |date=26 March 2015 |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> The main activity in [[Canneto sull'Oglio]] is the nursery production of broad-leaved plants, for which much land is dedicated.

=== Aerospace and defence ===
Italy is a major exporter of heavy helicopters (over {{cvt|2000|kg|lb}}) with a market share of about 30%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/explore?country=undefined&product=9623&year=2018&productClass=HS&tradeFlow=Net&target=Product&partner=undefined&startYear=undefined|title=Who exported Helicopters >2,000kg in 2018?|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> The headquarters of [[Leonardo S.p.A.|Leonardo]] Helicopters Division (ex-[[AgustaWestland]]) is in Lombardy, and is responsible for about a third of the company's orders.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/investors/results-and-reports|title=Leonardo Reports 2020|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> The region also has a plant of Leonardo Aircraft Division (ex-[[Aermacchi]]).<ref name="Leo">{{cite web|url=https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/global/europe/italy|title=Leonardo Location|access-date=12 May 2021|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628055214/https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/global/europe/italy|url-status=dead}}</ref> The main helicopter design, production and training facilities are located in [[Samarate|Cascina Costa di Samarate]], [[Vergiate]] and [[Sesto Calende]]. The company's aircraft division manufactures [[Trainer aircraft|military training aircraft]] in [[Venegono Superiore]].<ref name="Leo"/>

<gallery widths=180>
RAF_A109.jpg|[[AgustaWestland AW109]]
Agusta_Westland_AW_169_%28solo%29.jpg|[[AgustaWestland AW169]]
AW189_-_Lydd_Airport_%28centered%29.jpg|[[AgustaWestland AW189]]
Italian_Helicopter_HH139%2C_Trident_Juncture_15_%28cropped%29.jpg|[[AgustaWestland AW139]]
M-345.jpg|[[Aermacchi M-345]]
Aermacchi_M-346_%28code_MT55219%29_arrives_RIAT_Fairford_13July2017.jpg|[[Aermacchi M-346]]
</gallery>

The world's oldest firearms manufacturer, [[Beretta]], is located in [[Gardone Val Trompia]]. Other firearms manufacturers in the region are [[Tanfoglio]] and [[Davide Pedersoli|Pedersoli]]. Ammunition is produced by [[Fiocchi Munizioni|Fiocchi]]. The former [[OTO Melara]], now part of Leonardo Electronics Division in Brescia, produces small-calibre naval and airborne weapons.<ref name="Leo"/>
<gallery widths=180>
Beretta_92FS_left.jpg|[[Beretta 92]]
Beretta_AR_with_thermal_sight_and_grenade_launcher.jpg|[[Beretta ARX160]]
Tanfoglio_Combat.JPG|Tanfoglio Combat
RSS_Valour_76mm_OTO_Melara.JPEG|OTO Melara RSS Valour 76mm
Remote_weapon_systems_light%2C_right_side%2C_OTO_Melara%2C_Madrid%2C_Spain%2C_2015_%28cropped%29.jpg|[[Hitrole|OTO Melara Hitrole]]
</gallery>

=== Automotive ===
There is no longer any car production in Lombardy; the factories of mass-market manufacturers [[Alfa Romeo]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fondazione25aprile.com/sito/?page_id=138|title=Lo Stabilimento di Arese|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> [[Autobianchi]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1995/10/29/ma-autobianchi-saluta-va-in-garage.html|title=MA L' AUTOBIANCHI SALUTA E VA IN GARAGE|date=29 October 1995 |access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> and [[Innocenti]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.artribune.com/progettazione/architettura/2020/12/teatro-alla-scala-rubattino-milano/|title=L'EX STABILIMENTO INNOCENTI: DALLA LAMBRETTA ALLA SCALA|date=29 December 2020|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> having been closed, abandoned or demolished. [[Iveco]] continues to manufacture [[light truck]]s [[Iveco Daily|Daily]] in [[Suzzara]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iveco.com/southafrica/company/pages/daily_tour_plant_suzzara.aspx|title=Daily tour plant Suzzara|access-date=7 June 2021|archive-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607094836/https://www.iveco.com/southafrica/company/pages/daily_tour_plant_suzzara.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> and makes [[Iveco EuroCargo|EuroCargo]] [[medium-duty truck|lorrie]]s in Brescia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iveco.com/it-it/sala-stampa/cartella/Pages/New-Eurocargo-Euro-VI-Dove-nasce-Eurocargo-lo-stabilimento-di-Brescia.aspx|title=Dove nasce Eurocargo|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> [[SDF Group|Same-Deutz Fahr]] manufactures tractors under the brands [[SAME (Tractors)|SAME]] and [[Lamborghini]] in [[Treviglio]], and [[BCS Group]] makes tractors in [[Abbiategrasso]].

The best-known automotive-parts suppliers are [[Brembo]], [[Bergamo]] (ceramic brake systems);<ref name="as"/> [[Pirelli]], [[Milan]] (tyres);<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marketresearchreports.com/blog/2018/07/05/worlds-15-largest-tire-manufacturers-revenue|title=The largest tyre manufacturers worldwide|date=5 July 2018|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> and [[Magneti Marelli]], [[Corbetta, Lombardy|Corbetta]] (electronic systems, powertrain).<ref name="Mar">{{cite web|url=https://www.magnetimarelli.com/company/locations|title=Magneti Marelli Location|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="as">{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1023415/leading-italian-automotive-component-manufacturers-by-revenues/|title=The biggest italian automotive component manufacturers|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

<gallery widths=180>
Iveco_Daily_Autohaus_Muz_Glatten_Nissan.jpg|[[Iveco Daily]] VII.Generation
Iveco_Eurocargo_2015.jpg|[[Iveco EuroCargo]] IV.Generation
Same_Iron_210.jpg|[[SAME (tractors)|Same Iron 210]]
LamborghiniR6-150.jpg|[[Lamborghini Trattori|Lamborghini R6.150]]
Valiant.JPG|BCS Valiant
Vivid.JPG|BCS Vivid
</gallery>

Motorcycles from Lombardy:

<gallery widths="180">
Moto_Guzzi_V85_Atacama_Gray.jpg|[[Moto Guzzi]] V85 TT ([[Piaggio]])
Paris_-_Salon_de_la_moto_2011_-_Moto_Guzzi_-_V7_-_001.jpg|[[Moto Guzzi]] V7 Classic (Piaggio)
MV_Agusta_Turismo_Veloce_800_HMT_2015.jpeg|[[MV Agusta Turismo Veloce]] 800
MV_Agusta_Brutale_1090_Special_Edition_%22Corse%22_%2810760160763%29.jpg|[[MV Agusta Brutale series|MV Agusta Brutale]] 1090
</gallery>

=== Electronics ===
The largest European semiconductor company [[STMicroelectronics]] employs 5,600 people at its plant in a suburb of Milan. Manufacturers of general-purpose integrated circuits (ICs) [[Agrate Brianza]], which employs 4,500, and [[Cornaredo]], which employs 1,100, have R&D and production facilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilgiorno.it/monza-brianza/economia/agrate-lavoro-assunzioni-1.3799050|title=Agrate lavoro|date=21 March 2018|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

[[SAES Getters]] in [[Lainate]] produce [[getter]]s, alkaline metal dispensers, cathodes and materials for thermal management. Their products are used in various devices such as X-ray tubes, microwave tubes, solid-state lasers, electron sources, photomultipliers, radio-frequency amplification systems, night-vision devices, pressure sensors, gyroscopes for navigation systems and MEMS devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gurufocus.com/news/190053/a-hidden-champion-of-the-21st-century-saes-getters|title=A hidden champion of the 21st century: SAES Getters|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

[[Magneti Marelli]] has headquarters and manufactures automotive electronics in [[Corbetta, Lombardy|Corbetta]].<ref name="Mar"/> Leonardo Electronics Division in [[Nerviano]] designs and develops airborne radar and computers, space equipment.<ref name="Leo"/> [[Candy (company)|Candy Hoover]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.furnishingidea.com/industry-news/the-chinese-group-haier-acquires-candy-for-475-million-euros-10260.php|title=The Chinese group Haier acquires Candy|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> and [[Whirlpool Corporation|Whirlpool]] (brands: Whirlpool, Indesit, Ariston, Hot Point, Ignis) make home appliances in Lombardy.

===Energy===
[[File:La diga di Robbiate .. Lecco.jpg|thumb|Semenza hydroelectric power station in [[Robbiate]], in the [[province of Lecco]], along the [[Adda river]]]]

In Lombardy, in 2015, electricity consumption per inhabitant amounted to 6,374 Wh. In the same year, gross energy production reached 41 GWh per 10,000 inhabitants and 26% of electricity consumption was covered by energy from [[Renewable energy|renewable sources]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR/|title=Energia - Annuario Statistico Regionale|access-date=15 June 2016|language=it|archive-date=19 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619034921/http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are 488 [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] plants, 1,056 [[Thermal energy|thermoelectric]] plants, 7 [[Wind power|wind]] plants and 94,202 [[Solar energy|photovoltaic]] plants.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.terna.it/archiviodocumenti.aspx|title=Terna – Dati statistici|access-date=15 June 2016|language=it|archive-date=19 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619154116/http://www.terna.it/archiviodocumenti.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> The length of power lines in the region in 2014 is {{convert|3867.8|km|mi|2|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|2190.8|km|mi|2|abbr=on}} are 220 kV and {{convert|1677|km|mi|2|abbr=on}} are 380 kV.<ref name="auto1"/>

=== Fashion ===
{{Main|Fashion in Milan}}
[[File:Prada milano.JPG|thumb|[[Prada]] shop at [[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]] in [[Milan]]]]

Milan is a [[fashion capital]] of the world. Lombardy has always been an important centre for silk and textile production, notably the cities of Pavia, [[Vigevano]] and [[Cremona]]. Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world; the city has approximately 12,000 companies, 800 showrooms and 6,000 sales outlets; the city hosts the headquarters of global fashion houses. The best-known high-class shopping district is [[Quadrilatero della moda]].

In 2009, Milan was regarded as the world fashion capital, surpassing New York, Paris and London.<ref name="languagemonitor.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.languagemonitor.com/popular-culture/fashion |title=The Global Language Monitor " Fashion |website=Languagemonitor.com |date=20 July 2009 |access-date=3 January 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101191133/http://www.languagemonitor.com/popular-culture/fashion |archive-date=1 November 2009 }}</ref> Most of the major Italian fashion brands, such as [[Luxottica]], [[Valentino SpA|Valentino]], [[Versace]], [[Prada]], [[Armani]], [[Dolce & Gabbana]] and [[Zegna]] are currently headquartered in Milan. Buttons are manufactured in the industrial districts of [[Grumello del Monte]] and [[Palosco]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bergamonews.it/2012/08/10/i-distretti-industrialidi-palosco-e-grumellosotto-la-lente-del-sole/163548/|title=I distretti industriali di Palosco e Grumello sotto la lente del "Sole"|date=10 August 2012 |access-date=31 January 2024|language=it}}</ref>

=== Furniture ===
Furniture is manufactured in the industrial district around [[Brianza]], which has an annual turnover of about €2 billion from 1,700 companies.<ref name=brianza>{{cite web|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-furniture-of-the-brianza-district-unioncamere/gQFVyy8C?hl=en|title=Brianza furniture district|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> The furniture factories, which have about 40,000 employees, are mainly concentrated in [[Lissone]], [[Meda, Lombardy|Meda]], [[Cantù]] and [[Mariano Comense]]. This district has close relations with Milan's design industry. A number of large furniture exhibitions take place in Milan, including "Salone del Mobile Milano".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.salonemilano.it/en|title=Salone del Mobile Milano|access-date=6 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{see also|Tourism in Milan}}
[[File:Italy - Sirmione - Scaligero Castle.jpg|thumb|[[Scaligero Castle (Sirmione)|Scaligero Castle]] in [[Sirmione]] on the shore of [[Lake Garda]]]]
[[File:Mantova - Piazza Sordello.jpg|thumb|[[Mantua]]]]

In the most dynamic and busiest of Italian regions it is not possible, on the basis of the figures, to distinguish tourists in the strict sense from those who travel for business.<ref name=:A>{{cite book|title=Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico, volume XII, Lombardia|publisher=UTET|location=Torino|year=1988|isbn=88-02-04229-2|language=it}}</ref> In 2019, 40,482,939 arrivals were recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statoregioni.it/media/6031/p-4-csr-all.pdf|title=Ripartizione risorse|access-date=3 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> Non-residents contributed to 51.8% of arrivals and 57.4% of presences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR/|title=Turismo - Annuario Statistico Regionale|access-date=15 June 2016|language=it|archive-date=19 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619034921/http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lombardy has a rich, diverse cultural heritage ranging from prehistory to the present day. Artefacts from the Roman period and the Renaissance can be found in museums and churches. Major tourist destinations in the region include (in order of arrivals {{As of|2013|lc=y}}):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asr-lombardia.it/RSY/tourism/flows-of-tourists/lombardia-and-provinces/tables/12193/|title=RSY Lombardia-Arrivals and nights spent by guests in accommodation establishments, by type of resort and by type of establishment. Total accommodation establishments. Part III Tourist resort. Year 2013|website=Asr-lombardia.it|access-date=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503201033/http://www.asr-lombardia.it/RSY/tourism/flows-of-tourists/lombardia-and-provinces/tables/12193/|archive-date=3 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Milan]] (4,527,889 arrivals)
* [[Lake Garda]] (429,376)
* [[Lake Como]] (322,585)
* [[Bergamo]] (242,942)
* [[Brescia]] (229,710)
* [[Como]] (215,320)
* [[Lake Iseo]] (123,337)
* [[Varese]] (107,442)
* [[Mantua]] (88,902)
* [[Monza]] (75,839)
* [[Lake Maggiore]] (71,055)
* [[Pavia]] (56,604)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asr-lombardia.it/asrlomb/it/442arrivi-e-presenze-di-clienti-italiani-e-stranieri-nel-complesso-degli-esercizi-ricettivi-italia|title=Arrivi e presenze di clienti italiani e stranieri nel complesso degli esercizi ricettivi. - Italia, Lombardia e province lombarde 2021|work=Istat|access-date=17 August 2022|language=it|archive-date=31 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171520/https://www.asr-lombardia.it/asrlomb/it/442arrivi-e-presenze-di-clienti-italiani-e-stranieri-nel-complesso-degli-esercizi-ricettivi-italia|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

Among the natural beauties, the pre-Alpine lakes on whose shores patrician villas, vegetable gardens, gardens, terraces and ancient villages alternate with dense clusters of second homes<ref name=:A/> must be ranked first. The coastal locations are connected by scheduled shipping routes. [[Villa d'Este (Cernobbio)|Villa d'Este in Cernobbio]] and other villas in the Como area host world-famous people: financial magnates, film stars, writers, heads of state, singers and stylists.<ref>{{cite book|title=Traveller, alla scoperta dei luoghi più belli del mondo, Lago di Como|page=124|publisher=Condé Nast|location=Milano|year=2004|language=it}}</ref>

Other important tourist flows concern the [[Alps|Alpine]] valleys (in particular [[Valtellina]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montagnalombardia.com/|title=Turismo montano in Lombardia|access-date=8 May 2013|language=it}}</ref> and the numerous historical-artistic cities, rich in monuments and testimonies of the [[Middle Ages]] and the [[Italian Renaissance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italia.it/it/scopri-litalia/lombardia.html#box_2|title=Turismo in Lombardia: città d'arte e siti UNESCO|access-date=8 May 2013|language=it|archive-date=13 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513205411/http://www.italia.it/it/scopri-litalia/lombardia.html#box_2|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Among the most visited places are the [[Pinacoteca di Brera]] (336,981 visitors), [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|Last Supper]]'' (330,071), the Archaeological Museum of [[Sirmione]] with the [[Grottoes of Catullus]] (216,612), the [[Scaligero Castle (Sirmione)|Scaligero Castle]] (202,066), [[Certosa di Pavia]] (approximately 200,000) and [[Villa Carlotta]] (170,260).<ref>{{cite book|title=Calendario Atlante De Agostini 2012|publisher=Istituto Geografico De Agostini|location=Novara|year=2011|isbn=978-88-511-1599-9|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://milano.corriere.it/milano/notizie/cronaca/13_gennaio_23/certosa-pavia-addio-ingresso-gratuito-ticket-biglietto-ingresso-pagamento-2113668369778.shtml|title=Capolavoro Certosa:«Pagare il biglietto per conservarne lo splendore»|author=Enrico Venni|language=it|access-date=19 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Francesco Angelini|url=https://www.laprovinciadicomo.it/stories/Homepage/139716_villa_carlotta_tra_i_dieci_parchi_pi_belli_ditalia/|title=Villa Carlotta tra i dieci parchi più belli d'Italia|date=22 June 2010 |access-date=11 November 2020|language=it}}</ref>

=== Unemployment ===
The unemployment rate of Lombardy stood at 4.3% in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unioncamerelombardia.it/media/tutte-le-notizie/dettaglio-notizia/accelera-loccupazione-in-lombardia-nel-primo-trimestre-2023|title=Accelera l'occupazione in Lombardia nel primo trimestre|date=10 July 2023 |access-date=1 March 2024}}</ref> In that year, regional unemployment was one of the lowest in Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=de&pcode=tgs00010&plugin=1|title=Regional Unemployment by NUTS2 Region|website=Eurostat|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!2006
!2007
!2008
!2009
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
!2015
!2016
!2017
!2018
!2019
!2020
!2021
!2022
!2023
|-
|'''unemployment rate'''<br />(in %)
|3.7%
|3.4%
|3.7%
|5.3%
|5.5%
|5.7%
|7.4%
|8.0%
|8.2%
|7.9%
|7.4%
|6.4%
|6.0%
|5.6%
|5.0%
|5.9%
|4.9%
|4.3%
|}

==Demographics==
[[File:Lombardia-Densita.jpg|thumb|left|Population density in Lombardy (2020)]]
{{Historical populations
|1861 |3160481|1871 |3529732|1881 |3729927|1901 |4313893|1911 |4889178
|1921 |5186288|1931 |5595915|1936 |5836342|1951 |6566154|1961 |7406152|1971 |8543387|1981 |8891652|1991 |8856074|2001 |9032554|2011 |9704151|2021 |9943004
|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente e presente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1971|trans-title=Resident and present population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1971|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/PUV0027177Pop_res_pres_cens_1861_1971_Tomo1.pdf|date=1971-10-24|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}

One-sixth of the Italian population, about 10 million people, live in Lombardy (16.2% of the national population; 2% of the [[European Union]] population). Lombardy is the second most populous [[Region (Europe)|region in the European Union]] (EU).<ref name="pop"/>

The population is highly concentrated in the Milan metropolitan area (2,029 inh./km<sup>2</sup>) and the Alpine foothills that compose the southern section of the provinces [[Province of Varese|Varese]], [[Province of Como|Como]], [[Province of Lecco|Lecco]], [[Province of Monza and Brianza|Monza and Brianza]] and [[Province of Bergamo|Bergamo]], (1,200 inh./km<sup>2</sup>). A lower average population density (250 inh./km<sup>2</sup>) is found in the [[Padan Plain|Po Valley]] and the lower Brescia valleys; much lower densities (fewer than 60 inh./km<sup>2</sup>) inhabit the northern mountain areas and the southern [[Oltrepò Pavese]] subregion.<ref name="Regional Statistical Yearbook 2014">{{cite web|title=Regional Statistical Yearbook 2014|url=http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR/pubblicazioni-scaricabili/p10_Volume_ASR_2014.pdf|publisher=Regione Lombardia|access-date=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923175443/http://www.asr-lombardia.it/ASR/pubblicazioni-scaricabili/p10_Volume_ASR_2014.pdf|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The growth of the regional population was particularly sustained during the 1950s–1960s, due to a prolonged economic boom, high birth rates and strong migration inflows—especially from southern Italy. Since the 1980s, Lombardy has become the destination of a large number of international migrants. {{As of|2021}}, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) estimated that 1,190,889 foreign-born people live in Lombardy, equal to 11.9% of the total population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuttitalia.it/lombardia/statistiche/cittadini-stranieri-2021/|title=Cittadini stranieri 2021 - Lombardia|access-date=1 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:3630MilanoArcivescovado.JPG|thumb|left|Palazzo Arcivescovile in Milan, the official residence of the [[Archbishop of Milan]]]]
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ The largest resident foreign-born groups on 31 December 2019<ref name="Stranieri">{{cite web|title=Foreign Citizens. Resident Population by sex and citizenship on 31st December 2019|url=http://demo.istat.it/str2019/query.php?lingua=eng&Rip=S1&Reg=R03&Pro=P000&Com=&paese=A9999&submit=Tavola|access-date=22 May 2021|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|National Institute of Statistics]]}}</ref>
|-
! Nationality ||Population
|-
| {{flagu|Romania}}||172,063
|-
| {{flagu|Morocco}} ||91,530
|-
| {{flagu|Albania}} ||87,859
|-
| {{flagu|Egypt}} ||87,262
|-
| {{flagdeco|PRC}} China ||67,332
|-
| {{flagu|Philippines}} ||55,558
|-
| {{flagu|Ukraine}} ||52,579
|-
| {{flagu|India}} ||46,321
|-
| {{flagu|Peru}} ||41,127
|-
|{{flagu|Pakistan}} ||40,221
|-
|{{flagu|Ecuador}} ||34,150
|-
|{{flagu|Senegal}} ||32,905
|-
|{{flagu|Sri Lanka}} ||32,548
|-
|{{flagu|Bangladesh}} ||22,930
|-
|{{flagu|Moldova}} ||19,828
|-
|{{flagu|Tunisia}} ||16,595
|-
|{{flagu|Nigeria}} ||15,498
|-
|{{flagu|Brazil}} ||14,392
|-
|{{flagu|El Salvador}} ||12,908
|-
|{{flagu|Ghana}} ||10,307
|}

The primary religion is [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]. Over the centuries, the Catholic [[diocese]]s of Lombardy have given birth to ten [[pope]]s: [[Pope John XIV]], [[Pope Alexander II]], [[Pope Urban III]], [[Pope Celestine IV]], [[Pope Pius IV]], [[Pope Gregory XIV]], [[Pope Innocent XI]], [[Pope Pius XI]], [[Pope John XXIII]] and [[Pope Paul VI]]. 

The structure of the Lombard Catholic dioceses is historical. Of the ten dioceses, eight date back to the [[Roman Empire]], only [[Crema, Lombardy|Crema]] and [[Vigevano]] were created in the 16th century to reflect political needs,{{efn|[[Crema, Lombardy|Crema]] belonged to the part of the territory of [[Cremona]] conquered for more than a century by the [[Republic of Venice]], whereas [[Vigevano]] reunified an area formerly from [[Novara]] which over the centuries had been fragmented due to the powerful influence of nearby [[Pavia]].}} and it does not appear that any diocesan seat was ever suppressed. The [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lugano|diocese of Lugano]] was created in the 19th century to separate the Swiss parishes which since ancient times had been dependent on the dioceses of [[Como]] and [[Milan]].

In Lombardy there are two main Catholic liturgical rites: the [[Ambrosian Rite]] (used in the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan|Milanese archdiocese]], but also used in the parishes of [[Val Taleggio]] in the [[province of Bergamo]]) and the [[Roman Rite]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chiesadimilano.it/chisiamo/la-scheda/2.675/rito-ambrosiano-la-centralit%C3%A0-dell-opera-br-di-sant-ambrogio-per-la-chiesa-di-milano-1.589|title=Rito ambrosiano in Lombardia|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref> The Milanese diocese, comprising approximately half of the faithful of the region, is the [[Ecclesiastical province|metropolitan see]], while the others are its [[Suffragan diocese|suffragans]].

Significant religious minorities in Lombardy include [[Evangelicalism|Evangelicals]], [[Eastern Christianity|Orthodox Christians]], as well as [[Jews]], [[Buddhist]]s, [[Sikh]]s and [[Islam|Muslims]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lastatalenews.unimi.it/immigrazione-pluralismo-religioso|title=Immigrazione e pluralismo religioso|date=October 2023 |access-date=1 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Lombardy}}

===Government===
[[File:Piazza Gae Aulenti with Palazzo Lombardia cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Palazzo Lombardia]] in [[Milan]], headquarters of the regional government of Lombardy]]

Lombardy has a system of [[representative democracy]] in which the President of the Region (''{{lang|it|Presidente della Regione}}'') is the [[head of government]] and of a pluriform [[multi-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is vested in the regional government (''{{lang|it|Giunta Regionale}}'') and [[legislative power]] is vested in the [[Regional Council of Lombardy|Regional Council]] (''{{lang|it|Consiglio Regionale}}'').

Like the other regions of Italy with ordinary statutes, the region has been provided for since 1948 by articles 114 and 115 of the [[Constitution of Italy]], but only with law no. 281 of 16 May 1970 having as its object "Financial measures for the implementation of the Regions with ordinary statute", did it implement its functions. The law, which aimed to implement the process of administrative decentralization envisaged by article 5 and article 118 of the Constitution, started the process.

The Council is elected for a five-year term, but, if the President suffers a vote of no confidence, resigns or dies, under the ''simul stabunt, simul cadent'' clause introduced in 1999 (literally ''they will stand together or they will fall together''), also the Council is dissolved and a snap election is called.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/c/portal/layout?p_l_id=PRI.1046.1&p_p_id=20&p_p_action=1&p_p_state=exclusive&p_p_col_id=null&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=3&_20_struts_action=%2Fdocument_library%2Fget_file&_20_folderId=69&_20_name=l+cost+199_PDF.pdf |title=Regional Council of Lombardy – 1999 Constitutional Law |access-date=6 March 2009|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090306051303/http://www.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/c/portal/layout?p_l_id=PRI.1046.1&p_p_id=20&p_p_action=1&p_p_state=exclusive&p_p_col_id=null&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=3&_20_struts_action=/document_library/get_file&_20_folderId=69&_20_name=l+cost+199_PDF.pdf |archive-date=6 March 2009|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/web/crl/AttivitaConsiliari/LavoriCommissioni/CommissioneStatuto/documenti |title=Concisglio regionale della Lombardia – Stututo dell'autonomia |access-date=9 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726092050/http://www.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/web/crl/AttivitaConsiliari/LavoriCommissioni/CommissioneStatuto/documenti |archive-date=26 July 2011 |url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref> The Regional Cabinet (''Giunta Regionale'') is presided by the President of the Region (''Presidente della Regione''), who is elected for a five-year term, and is currently composed by 17 members: the President and 16 regional [[Assessor (Italy)|Assessors]], including a Vice President (''Vice Presidente''), while 4 under-secretaries (''Sottosegretari'') help the President but have no voting rights in the cabinet meetings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/_s.155/606/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.link/.c/502/.ce/628/.p/408?PC_408_linkQuery=pagename=PortaleLombardia%2FGenDoc%2FPL_GenDoc_light,c=GenDoc,cid=1043797879469,dir_gen=off,fronte=off,ottica=off#628|title=Lombardy Region – Regional Cabinet|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

===Politics===
[[File:Piazza Lombardia della Regione Lombardia 1.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Internal view of Palazzo Lombardia]]

From 1945 to the early 1990s, the moderate [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democrats]] maintained a large majority of the popular support and control of the most important cities and provinces from the end of the Second World War. The opposition [[Italian Communist Party]] was a considerable presence only in southern Lombardy and in the working-class districts of Milan; their base, however, was increasingly eroded by the rival centrist [[Italian Socialist Party]] until the ''[[Mani Pulite]]'' corruption scandal, which spread from Milan to the whole of Italy, almost completely erased the old political class.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilpost.it/2022/02/18/tangentopoli-cause-conseguenze/|title=Tangentopoli trent'anni dopo|date=18 February 2022 |access-date=1 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

This, together with general disaffection for the central government, led to the sudden growth of the secessionist [[Lega Nord|Northern League]]. Since 2002, Lombardy has remained strongly conservative in six general elections. The regional capital Milan elected progressive [[Giuliano Pisapia]] at the 2011 municipal elections and the 2013 regional elections saw a narrow victory for the centre-right coalition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/wps/wcm/connect/4e4f04c2-cfe9-4ecf-87ce-039887cbb399/dossier_elezioni_regionali_2013_Lombardia.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-4e4f04c2-cfe9-4ecf-87ce-039887cbb399-mwJYt2I|title=Elezioni regionali del 24 e 25 febbraio 2013|page=5|access-date=1 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

On 22 October 2017, a non-binding [[Lombard autonomy referendum, 2017|autonomy referendum]] took place in Lombardy. The turnout was 38.3%, of which 95.3% voted in favour.

===Administrative divisions===
Lombardy is divided into 1,502 ''[[comuni]]'' (the region with the largest number of ''comuni'' in the entire national territory<ref name="comuni"/>), distributed in twelve administrative subdivisions (eleven [[Provinces of Italy|provinces]] plus the [[Metropolitan City of Milan]]). The largest province is that of [[Province of Brescia|Brescia]], the smallest that of [[Province of Monza and Brianza|Monza and Brianza]]. The [[exclave]] of [[Campione d'Italia]] also belongs to the region, a ''comune'' entirely surrounded by [[Switzerland|Swiss territory]] and part of the [[province of Como]].
[[File:Map of region of Lombardy, Italy, with provinces-en.svg|thumbnail|350px|The provinces/metropolitan cities of Lombardy]]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Province/Metropolitan city
! Area
! Population
! Density (inh./km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
| [[Province of Bergamo]]
| {{convert|2723|km2|abbr=on}}
| 1,108,853
| 407.2
|-
| [[Province of Brescia]]
| {{convert|4784|km2|abbr=on}}
| 1,265,077
| 264.4
|-
| [[Province of Como]]
| {{convert|1288|km2|abbr=on}}
| 599,905
| 465.7
|-
| [[Province of Cremona]]
| {{convert|1772|km2|abbr=on}}
| 361,610
| 204.4
|-
| [[Province of Lecco]]
| {{convert|816|km2|abbr=on}}
| 340,251
| 416.9
|-
| [[Province of Lodi]]
| {{convert|782|km2|abbr=on}}
| 229,576
| 293.5
|-
| [[Province of Mantova|Province of Mantua]]
| {{convert|2339|km2|abbr=on}}
| 414,919
| 177.3
|-
| [[Metropolitan City of Milan]]
| {{convert|1575|km2|abbr=on}}
| 3,259,835
| 2,029.7
|-
| [[Province of Monza and Brianza]]
| {{convert|405|km2|abbr=on}}
| 864,557
| 2,134.7
|-
| [[Province of Pavia]]
| {{convert|2965|km2|abbr=on}}
| 548,722
| 185.1
|-
| [[Province of Sondrio]]
| {{convert|3212|km2|abbr=on}}
| 182,086
| 56.6
|-
| [[Province of Varese]]
| {{convert|1211|km2|abbr=on}}
| 890,234
| 735.1
|}
<div style="width:85%;">
{{Largest cities
| country     = Lombardy
| stat_ref    = Source: [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]];<ref name="Istat">{{cite web |url=https://www.tuttitalia.it/lombardia/20-comuni/popolazione/|title=Comuni lombardi per popolazione|website=tuttitalia.it |publisher=Istat |access-date=25 September 2020|language=it}}</ref> estimates for 31 December 2019
| list_by_pop = 
| div_name    = 
| div_link    = Provinces of Italy{{!}}Province
| city_1      = Milan
| div_1       = Metropolitan City of Milan{{!}}Milan
| pop_1       = 1,396,059
| img_1       = Milano, Duomo with Milan Cathedral and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, 2016.jpg
| city_2      = Brescia
| div_2       = Province of Brescia{{!}}Brescia
| pop_2       = 199,597
| img_2       = Palazzo della Loggia e piazza Brescia.jpg
| city_3      = Monza
| div_3       = Province of Monza e Brianza{{!}}Monza
| pop_3       = 124,051
| img_3       = Monza Piazza Duomo.jpg
| city_4      = Bergamo
| div_4       = Province of Bergamo{{!}}Bergamo
| pop_4       = 121,178
| img_4       = Bergamo Campanone Blick auf die Cattedrale Sant'Alessandro in Colonna & Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore 1.jpg
| city_5      = Como
| div_5       = Province of Como{{!}}Como
| pop_5       = 85,915
| img_5       = 
| city_6      = Busto Arsizio
| div_6       = Province of Varese{{!}}Varese
| pop_6       = 83,909
| img_6       = 
| city_7      = Sesto San Giovanni
| div_7       = Metropolitan City of Milan{{!}}Milan
| pop_7       = 81,841
| img_7       = 
| city_8      = Varese
| div_8       = Province of Varese{{!}} Varese
| pop_8       = 80,645
| img_8       = 
| city_9      = Cinisello Balsamo
| div_9       = Metropolitan City of Milan{{!}}Milan
| pop_9       = 76,264
| img_9       = 
| city_10     = Pavia
| div_10      = Province of Pavia{{!}}Pavia
| pop_10      = 73,334
| img_10      = 
| city_11     = Cremona
| div_11      = Province of Cremona{{!}}Cremona
| pop_11      = 72,672
| img_11      = 
| city_12     = Vigevano
| div_12      = Province of Pavia{{!}}Pavia
| pop_12      = 63,623
| img_12      = 
| city_13     = Legnano
| div_13      = Metropolitan City of Milan {{!}}Milan
| pop_13      = 60,336
| img_13      = 
| city_14     = Gallarate
| div_14      = Province of Varese{{!}}Varese
| pop_14      = 53,934
| img_14      = 
| city_15     = Rho, Italy{{!}}Rho
| div_15      = Metropolitan City of Milan{{!}}Milan
| pop_15      = 51,323
| img_15      = 
| city_16     = Mantua
| div_16      = Province of Mantua{{!}}Mantua
| pop_16      = 49,440
| img_16      = 
| city_17     = Lecco
| div_17      = Province of Lecco{{!}}Lecco
| pop_17      = 48,173
| img_17      = 
| city_18     = Cologno Monzese
| div_18      = Metropolitan City of Milan{{!}}Milan
| pop_18      = 48,030
| img_18      = 
| city_19     = Paderno Dugnano
| div_19      = Metropolitan City of Milan{{!}}Milan
| pop_19      = 47,467
| img_19      = 
| city_20     = Lissone
| div_20      = Province of Monza e Brianza{{!}}Monza
| pop_20      = 46,445
| img_20      = 
}}</div>

===Symbols===
[[File:Flag of Lombardy.svg|thumb|The [[flag of Lombardy]]]]
[[File:Rosa camuna R24 - Foppe - Nadro (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|thumb|One of the [[Camunian rose]]s depicted in the [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]], in the [[province of Brescia]]]]

The symbols of Lombardy are, pursuant to the region's statute of autonomy, the flag, the coat of arms, the banner and the celebration of 29 May.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://normelombardia.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/normelombardia/Accessibile/main.aspx?iddoc=lrst2008051400001&view=showdoc|title=Legge Regionale Statutaria nº1 del 30 agosto 2008 - Statuto d'autonomia della Lombardia|access-date=27 November 2017|language=it}}</ref>

The official coat of arms of Lombardy consists of a [[Camunian rose]], an ancient solar symbol common to some proto-[[Celt]]ic peoples, present in 94 of the approximately 140,000 [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]], in the [[province of Brescia]]. These engravings were made from the [[Mesolithic]] (approximately 8th-6th millennium BC) to the [[Iron Age]] (1st millennium BC) by various ancient peoples, including the [[Camunni]]. The engravings made by the latter, including the rose of the same name, were made during the Iron Age.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vallecamonicaunesco.it/museo.php|title=Il Museo Nazionale della Preistoria della Valle Camonica|access-date=27 November 2017|language=it|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032518/http://www.vallecamonicaunesco.it/museo.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Camunian rose on the region's coat of arms is made of [[argent]], symbolizing light. In the background, the green colour represents the [[Po Valley]]. Officially adopted together with the banner with regional law n. 85 of 12 June 1975,<ref name="simboli">{{cite web|url=http://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/DettaglioRedazionale/istituzione/regione/red-simboli-ricorrenze-rec|title=Simboli e ricorrenze istituzionali - Regione Lombardia|access-date=27 November 2017|language=it}}</ref> the coat of arms was introduced on the proposal of the then councilor for culture [[Alessandro Fontana]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Giuseppe Spatola|title=La Rosa Camuna? In Regione la «impose» Sandro Fontana|access-date=30 January 2019|url=http://www.bresciaoggi.it/territori/citt%C3%A0/la-rosa-camuna-in-regione-la-impose-sandro-fontana-1.7083180|language=it|archive-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130221122/http://www.bresciaoggi.it/territori/citt%C3%A0/la-rosa-camuna-in-regione-la-impose-sandro-fontana-1.7083180|url-status=dead}}</ref>  and was designed in the same year by [[Pino Tovaglia]], [[Bob Noorda]], {{ill|Roberto Sambonet|it}} and [[Bruno Munari]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Giorgio|last=Fioravanti|title=Il dizionario del grafico|location=Bologna|publisher=Zanichelli|year=1993|page=468|isbn=88-08-14116-0|language=it}}</ref><ref name="simboli2">{{cite web|url=http://www.regione.lombardia.it/cs/Satellite?c=Redazionale_P&childpagename=Regione%2FDetail&cid=1213273768697&packedargs=NoSlotForSitePlan%3Dtrue%26menu-to-render%3D1213273365569&pagename=RGNWrapper|title=Stemma della Regione Lombardia|access-date=12 May 2013|language=it|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924085807/http://www.regione.lombardia.it/cs/Satellite?c=Redazionale_P&childpagename=Regione%2FDetail&cid=1213273768697&packedargs=NoSlotForSitePlan%3Dtrue%26menu-to-render%3D1213273365569&pagename=RGNWrapper|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The banner consists of a reproduction of the [[Carroccio]], a large four-wheeled chariot bearing the city insignia around which the militias of the [[Medieval commune]]s of [[northern Italy]] gathered and fought, whose autonomy it represented, and of the coat of arms of the region. The dimensions of the Lombardy banner are {{convert|3|x|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} and the ribbons and tie are in the [[national colours of Italy]].<ref name="simboli2" />

Since 29 January 2019<ref>{{cite web|title=Lombardia: c'è legge per la bandiera|date=29 January 2019 |access-date=29 January 2019|url=http://www.ansa.it/lombardia/notizie/2019/01/29/lombardia-ce-legge-per-la-bandiera_e03a224c-d010-4d67-8d44-760a8d142880.html|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rosa camuna bianca su fondo verde, la Regione Lombardia adotta la bandiera ufficiale|access-date=29 January 2019|url=https://www.ilgiorno.it/politica/bandiera-regione-lombardia-1.4414990|language=it}}</ref> the Lombardy region has adopted the coat of arms with the Camunian rose as its official flag, thus attesting to the established practice in public offices and events.

The regional festival of Lombardy, which was established with regional law n. 15 of 26 November 2013,<ref name="simboli" /> is celebrated on 29 May in memory of the victory of the [[Lombard League]] over the imperial troops of [[Frederick Barbarossa]] in the [[battle of Legnano]], an armed clash which took place on 29 May 1176 in the surroundings of the [[Legnano|city of the same name]] which ended to the hegemonic plan of the German emperor over the medieval municipalities of northern Italy.<ref>{{Treccani|costanza_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/|COSTANZA|accesso=27 November 2017}}</ref> After the decisive defeat of Legnano, the emperor accepted a six-year armistice (the so-called "[[Venice]] truce"), until the [[Peace of Constance]], following which the medieval municipalities of northern Italy agreed to remain faithful to the Empire in exchange for full local jurisdiction over their territories.<ref>{{cite book|last1=D'Ilario|first1=Giorgio|last2=Gianazza|first2=Egidio|last3=Marinoni|first3=Augusto|author-link3=Augusto Marinoni|title=Legnano e la battaglia|year=1976|language=it|publisher=Edizioni Landoni|id=SBN [https://opac.sbn.it/bid/LO11256757 IT\ICCU\LO1\1256757]|page=155}}</ref>

==Society==
===Cuisine===
{{Main|Lombard cuisine}}
[[File:Cassoeula.jpg|right|thumb|A crockpot of ''[[Cassoeula|cassœula]]''. It is a typical dish of the popular tradition, a main dish of many Lombard ''[[Sagra (festival)|sagre]]''.]]
[[File:Polenta con sopressa e funghi.jpg|thumb|[[Polenta]] porridge, one of the typical dishes of Lombardy, served with [[salami]] and mushrooms]]

[[Lombard cuisine]] is the style of cooking in the [[Northern Italy|Northern Italian]] region of Lombardy. The historical events of its provinces and the diversity of its territories resulted in a varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range from [[risotto]]s to [[soup]]s and [[Filled pasta|stuffed pasta]] (in [[broth]] or not), and a large choice of second-course meat or fish dishes, due to the many lakes and rivers of Lombardy.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Daniela Guaiti|title=Lombardia|series=La grande cucina regionale italiana|publisher=Gribaudo|year=2010|location=Verona|page=10|language=it|isbn=978-8879068383}}</ref>

The cuisine of the various Lombardy provinces can be united by the following traits: prevalence of [[rice]] and stuffed pasta over dry pasta, both [[butter]] and [[olive oil]] for cooking, dishes cooked for a long time, as well as the widespread use of [[pork]], [[milk]] and [[Dairy product|dairy products]], and [[egg]]-based preparations; to which is added the consumption of [[polenta]], common to the whole [[Northern Italy]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Per un codice della cucina lombarda|url=http://www.buonalombardia.regione.lombardia.it/shared/ccurl/433/68/Nuovo%20Codice%20Cucina%20Lombarda.pdf|publisher=Regione Lombardia|page=1|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024|archive-date=5 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005143956/https://www.buonalombardia.regione.lombardia.it/shared/ccurl/433/68/Nuovo%20Codice%20Cucina%20Lombarda.pdf/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rice is popular in Lombardy; the region is the largest in Europe for rice production and in particular the province of Pavia, where over {{Cvt|84000|ha}} are cultivated.<ref name="Riso italiano, dove si coltiva"/> Rice is often used in soups and ''[[Risotto|risotti]]'', such as "risotto alla milanese", with [[saffron]]. In Monza, a popular recipe adds pieces of sausages to the risotto, while in Pavia they eat Carthusian risotto, according to the legend created by the monks of the [[Certosa di Pavia|Certosa]], which is based on crayfish, carrots and onions. They also eat risotto with eye beans, a version with sausage and [[Bonarda Piemontese|bonarda]], and risotto with [[Humulus lupulus|common hops]] (ürtis in Pavese dialect). [[Polenta]] is common throughout the region.

Regional cheeses include ''[[Robiola]]'', ''[[Crescenza]]'', ''[[Taleggio (cheese)|Taleggio]]'', ''[[Gorgonzola (cheese)|Gorgonzola]]'' and ''[[Grana Padano]]''. Butter and cream are used. Single-pot dishes, which take little work to prepare, are popular. Common types of pasta include [[Casoncelli]] in Brescia and Bergamo and [[Pizzoccheri]] in Valtellina. In Mantua, festivals feature ''tortelli di zucca'' ([[ravioli]] with pumpkin filling) accompanied by melted butter and followed by [[turkey meat|turkey]] stuffed with chicken or other stewed meats.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Claudia|last1=Piras|first2=Eugenio|last2=Medagliani| title=Culinaria Italy| publisher=Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbh| year=2000|isbn=3-8290-2901-2|page=87}}</ref> Among typical regional desserts is [[Canzo#Cuisine|Nocciolini di Canzo]]—dry biscuits. Common in the whole [[Insubria]] area are ''[[bruscitti]]'', originating from [[Alto Milanese|Altomilanese]], which consist of a braised meat dish cut very thin and cooked in wine and [[Fennel|fennel seeds]], historically obtained by stripping leftover meat.

====Typical dishes and products====
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Amaretti di Saronno]]
* {{ill|Bitto|it|Bitto (formaggio)}}
* [[Bresaola]]
* [[Bruscitti]] 
* [[Casoncelli]]
* [[Cassoeula]]
* [[Colomba di Pasqua]]
* [[Cotoletta]] (cutlet) ''alla milanese''
* [[Gorgonzola]] cheese
* [[Grana Padano]] cheese
* Lo Spiedo Bresciano – spit roast of different cuts of meat with butter and sage
* [[Mascarpone]]
* [[Mostarda]]
* [[Ossobuco]]
* [[Panettone]]
* [[Pavese agnolotti]]
* [[Pizzoccheri]] (tagliatelle of buckwheat and wheat, laced with butter, green vegetables, potatoes, sage and garlic, topped with [[Valtellina Casera|Casera]] cheese)
* [[Polenta]] (eaten also in its ''taragna'' variant in the Northern part of the region)
* [[Risotto]] ''alla milanese''
* [[Rosa Camuna]] cheese
* Salame d'oca di [[Mortara, Lombardy|Mortara]] (goose salami)
* Salamella ([[Sausages in Italian cuisine|sausage]], always served grilled)
* Sbrisolona cake
* [[Stracchino]] cheese
* [[Taleggio cheese]]
* [[Turrón|Torrone]]
* [[Tortelli]] di zucca (pumpkin-filled pasta)
* [[Zuppa pavese]]
{{Div col end}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="155px">
File:Grana Padano DOP Riserva.jpg|[[Grana Padano]] [[protected designation of origin|DPO]]
File:A Gongonzola from Baci.jpg|[[Gorgonzola (cheese)|Gorgonzola cheese]] takes its name from the [[Gorgonzola, Milan|homonymous town]] near Milan.
File:Redaktionsvortreffen_EuT_2_ossobuco_16.04.2011_22-59-12.2011_22-59-12.jpg|''[[Ossobuco]]'' with [[risotto]] ''alla milanese''
File:Tortelli.jpg|[[Tortelli]] di zucca (pumpkin-filled pasta) with butter and sage
File:Panettone vero.jpg|[[Panettone]] cut over a Christmas plate
File:Bresaola-Valt-IGP.jpg|[[Bresaola]] della Valtellina served with bread, olives and onions
File:Agnolotti_pavesi_(4).JPG|A dish of dry [[Pavese agnolotti]], a type of [[stuffed pasta]], with a Pavese [[stew]]-based sauce
File:Casoncelli in una grande padella.jpg|[[Casoncelli]]
File:Polenta con funghi.jpg|[[Polenta]] with mushrooms
File:Esno4Wkmana jul 2014 Cassnam 059.jpg|[[Pizzoccheri]]
File:Polenta e bruscitti (2).jpg|''[[Bruscitti]]'' served with ''[[polenta]]'' porridge
File:Colomba pasquale, edizione 2013 - ND0 4662 (8564331585).jpg|[[Easter in Italy|Italian Easter bread]], the ''[[Colomba di Pasqua]]''. It is the Easter counterpart of the two well-known [[Christmas in Italy|Italian Christmas]] desserts, [[panettone]] and [[pandoro]] 
</gallery>

====Wines====
{{Main|Lombard wine}}
[[File:Erbusco.jpg|thumb|[[Franciacorta]] vineyard in [[Erbusco]]]]
[[Lombardy wine]] is the [[Italian wine]] produced in Lombardy. The region is known particularly for its [[sparkling wine]]s made in the [[Franciacorta DOCG|Franciacorta]] and [[Oltrepò Pavese]] areas. Lombardy also produces still red, white and [[rosé]] wines made from a variety of local and international [[List of grape varieties|grapes]], including [[Nebbiolo]] wines in the [[Valtellina]] region and [[Verdicchio|Trebbiano di Lugana]] white wines produced with the ''Chiaretto'' style rosé along the shores of [[Lake Garda]]. The [[List of wine-producing regions|wine region]] currently has 22 ''[[denominazione di origine controllata]]'' (DOC), 5 ''[[List of Italian DOCG wines|denominazione di origine controllata e garantita]]'' (DOCG) and at least 13 ''[[indicazione geografica tipica]]'' (IGT) designations.
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* Franciacorta
* Nebbiolo red
* Bellavista
* Santi
* Nino Negri
* Bonarda Lombardy
* Trebbiano di Lugana
* Inferno (Valtellina)
* Grumello (Valtellina)
* Sassella (Valtellina)
{{Div col end}}

===Languages===
{{Main|Lombard language||}}
[[File:Lombard_Language_distribution.png|thumb|[[Lombard language]] distribution in Europe:{{legend|#01987c|Areas where Lombard is spoken}}
{{legend|#01f0c4|Areas where Lombard is spoken alongside other languages ([[Alemannic German|Alemannic]], [[Ladin language|Ladin]] and [[Romansh language|Romansh]]) and areas of linguistic transition (with [[Piedmontese language|Piedmontese]], with [[Emilian language|Emilian]] and with [[Venetian language|Venetian]])}}
{{legend|#a6feee|Areas of influence of Lombard (Tridentine dialect)}}]]

[[Lombard language]] is widely used in Lombardy, in [[diglossia]] with Italian. Lombard is a language<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=LMO|title=Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: LMO|quote=Identifier: LMO / Name: Lombard / Status: Active / Code set: 639-3 / Scope: Individual / Type: Living|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> belonging to the [[Gallo-Italic]] group within the [[Romance languages]] characterized by a [[Celtic language|Celtic]] [[linguistic substratum]] and a [[Lombardic language|Lombardic]] [[Superstratum|linguistic superstratum]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v-ZBCgAAQBAJ&q=lombard+cluster+of+homogeneous&pg=PA130|title=Policy and Planning for Endangered Languages|last1=Jones|first1=Mary C.|last2=Soria|first2=Claudia|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2015|isbn=9781316352410|location=Cambridge, UK|pages=130|chapter=Assessing the effect of official recognition on the vitality of endangered languages: a case of study from Italy|quote=Lombard (Lumbard, ISO 639-9 lmo) is a cluster of essentially homogeneous varieties (Tamburelli 2014: 9) belonging to the Gallo-Italic group. It is spoken in the Italian region of Lombardy, in the Novara province of Piedmont, and in Switzerland. Mutual intelligibility between speakers of Lombard and monolingual Italian speakers has been reported as very low (Tamburelli 2014). Although some Lombard varieties, Milanese in particular, enjoy a rather long and prestigious literary tradition, Lombard is now mostly used in informal domains.  According to Ethnologue, Piedmontese and Lombard are spoken by between 1,600,000 and 2,000,000 speakers and around 3,500,000 speakers, respectively. These are very high figures for languages that have never been recognised officially nor systematically taught in school}}</ref> It is a [[Dialect#Dialect and language clusters|cluster of homogeneous varieties]] used by at least 3,500,000 native speakers in Lombardy and some areas of neighbouring regions, such as the eastern part of [[Piedmont]] and the southern Switzerland cantons of [[Ticino]] and [[Grisons]].<ref name=":0" /> The language is also spoken in [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]] in [[Brazil]] by Lombard immigrants from the [[Province of Bergamo]], in [[Italy]].<ref>Spoken in [[Botuverá]], in [[Brazil]], municipality established by Italian migrants coming from the valley between [[Treviglio]] and [[Crema, Lombardy|Crema]]. A thesis of [[Leiden University]] about ''Brasilian Bergamasque'': [https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/52581/Thesis.pdf?sequence=1].</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bonfadini |first=Giovanni |title=Dialetti lombardi |trans-title=Lombard dialects |url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/dialetti-lombardi_%28Enciclopedia-dell%27Italiano%29/ |work=[[Enciclopedia Treccani]] |language=it|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref>

The Celtic [[linguistic substratum]] of modern Lombard and the neighbouring languages of Northern Italy is self-evident and so the Lombard language is classified as a [[Gallo-Italic languages|Gallo-Italic language]] (from the ancient Roman name for the Celts, [[Gauls]]).<ref name="auto2">{{cite book |last=Agnoletto |first=Attilio |title=San Giorgio su Legnano - storia, società, ambiente |year=1992 |id=[[Servizio bibliotecario nazionale|SBN]]&nbsp;[http://opac.sbn.it/bid/CFI0249761 IT\ICCU\CFI\0249761]|page=120|language=it}}</ref> [[Roman Empire|Roman domination]] shaped the dialects spoken in the area, which was called [[Cisalpine Gaul]] by the Romans, and much of the [[lexicon]] and [[grammar]] of the Lombard language have their origin in [[Latin]].<ref>{{cite book |last=D'Ilario |first=Giorgio |title=Dizionario legnanese |publisher=Artigianservice |year=2003 |id=[[Servizio bibliotecario nazionale|SBN]]&nbsp;[http://opac.sbn.it/bid/MIL0625963 IT\ICCU\MIL\0625963]|page=29|language=it}}</ref> However, that influence was not homogeneous<ref name="auto2"/> since idioms of different areas were influenced by previous linguistic substrata, and each area was marked by a stronger or weaker Latinisation or the preservation of ancient Celtic characteristics.<ref name="auto2"/>

The main varieties of the Lombard language are [[Western Lombard]] (spoken in the provinces of [[Province of Varese|Varese]], [[Province of Como|Como]], [[Province of Lecco|Lecco]], [[Province of Sondrio|Sondrio]], [[Province of Monza and Brianza|Monza and Brianza]], [[Metropolitan City of Milan|Milan]], [[Province of Lodi|Lodi]] and [[Province of Pavia|Pavia]]), [[Eastern Lombard]] (in the provinces of [[Province of Bergamo|Bergamo]] and [[Province of Brescia|Brescia]], in [[Crema, Italy|Cremasco]], in [[Upper Mantua]] and in the [[Province of Lecco|Lecco]] municipalities of Val San Martino), the Alpine Lombard (in [[Ticino]] and in [[Italian Grisons]], in the north of Lombardy and [[Piedmont]] and in some areas of [[Trentino]]) and the Southern Lombard, in transition with the [[Emilian language]] (in the provinces of [[Province of Cremona|Cremona]] and [[Province of Mantua|Mantua]]); in the southern part of the [[province of Mantua]] and in Casalasco (south-eastern area of the [[province of Cremona]]) Emilian language is spoken.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archive.org/stream/saggiosuidialet02biongoog#page/n8/mode/1up|title=Saggi sui dialetti Gallo-Italici|access-date=1 July 2012|language=it}}</ref>

The Lombard language should not be confused with that of the [[Lombards]] – [[Lombardic language]], a [[Germanic languages|Germanic language]] extinct since the Middle Ages. Lombard is considered a [[minority language]] that is structurally separate from [[Italian language|Italian]] by both [[Ethnologue]] and the [[UNESCO]] ''Red Book on Endangered Languages''. However, [[Italy]] and [[Switzerland]] do not recognize Lombard speakers as a linguistic minority. Traditionally, the Lombard dialects have been classified into the Eastern, Western, Alpine and Southern Lombard dialects.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lingualombarda.it/index.php/lingua-lombarda-lato.html |title=Lingua lombarda |trans-title=Lombard language |publisher=Circolo Filologico Milanese |website=Lingua Lombarda|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

==Culture==
===Art and architecture===
====From prehistory to the classical era====
[[File:4193 - Milano - Ruderi dell'Arena romana - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 14-July.2007.jpg|thumb|The remains of the [[Milan amphitheatre]], which can be found inside the archaeological park of the Antiquarium in Milan]]
The first artistic evidence in Lombardy dates back to the [[Mesolithic]] period when, at the end of the [[Würm glaciation]], the historical cycle of the [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]] began, which continued and subsequently expanded in the [[Neolithic]] and the [[Copper Age]] to end only in Roman and medieval times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archeocamuni.it/ciclo_camuno.html|title=Il ciclo istoriativo camuno: una tradizione millenaria|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref> The Camunian cycle is considered one of the most important testimonies of prehistory worldwide<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/94|title=Rock Drawings in Valcamonica|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref> and is therefore included in the list of [[World Heritage Site]].

Furthermore, further finds have been found of the presence of prehistoric populations in the Lombardy territory, also included in the world heritage of humanity with the serial site of the "[[Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps]]", with several locations located in Lombardy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/1363|title=Sites palafittiques préhistoriques autour des Alpes|access-date=1 August 2012|language=fr}}</ref>

The [[Celts]] left evidence scattered throughout the archaeological museums of the region, while the [[Etruscans|Etruscan]] presence is attested in the [[Mantua]] area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parcoarcheologicoforcello.it|title=Parco Archeologico Forcello|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref> Following the [[Roman expansion in Italy|Roman conquest]], the artistic evolution of the region veered towards the styles of the conquerors from the late republican period to the Roman imperial era: monumental remains of this historical era can be seen in [[Brescia]] ({{langx|la|Brixia}}) and [[Milan]] ({{langx|la|[[Mediolanum]]}}).

====From late antiquity to the modern era====
[[File:Sacello di san vittore in ciel d'oro, mosaici del 450-500 dc ca. 01.jpg|thumb|left|Early Christian chapel located inside the [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio]] in Milan]]

In the late ancient period, the Lombardy territory acquired importance, with Milan being the capital of the [[Western Roman Empire]], and consequently, the artistic production also increased, of which evidence remains especially in sacred architecture with the construction of [[Early Christian art and architecture|Early Christian]] churches, [[Early Christian churches in Milan|particularly in Milan]].

The subsequent early medieval period, coeval with and following the [[Migration Period]], will be of capital importance for the development of regional art: the stylistic features of barbarian art introduced by the new populations in fact brought a decisive contribution, merging with late ancient models (which are maintained with continuity) as well as thanks to [[Byzantine art|Byzantine influences]],<ref>{{cite book|first=Marco|last=Rossi|title=Disegno storico dell'arte lombarda|publisher=Vita e Pensiero|isbn=978-88-343-1212-4|year=2005|pages=11–12|language=it}}</ref> for the creation of a truly Lombard art. In fact, upon leaving the early medieval period, we began to talk about artistic styles specific to Lombardy such as the [[First Romanesque|Lombard Romanesque]].
[[File:Lombardia Como1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|[[Basilica of Sant'Abbondio]] in [[Como]]]]

Noteworthy examples of the Lombard Romanesque style are the work of the [[Comacine masters]], in particular in the [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio]] and [[San Michele Maggiore, Pavia|Basilica of San Michele Maggiore]] and in the [[Basilica of Sant'Abbondio]], in the Como area. The most important contribution between the 6th and 8th centuries came from the [[Lombards]] who, occupying a large part of Italy, established their capital in [[Pavia]] and made Lombardy the fulcrum of their kingdom bringing their art with them, of which there remain both significant testimonies (in particular in [[Brescia]], [[Monza]], Pavia and [[Castelseprio, Lombardy|Castelseprio]]) and a substantial influence on subsequent artistic developments.

In the Lombard area, the [[Carolingian art|Carolingian]] period saw substantial artistic continuity with the previous Lombard period. The lower production of monumental buildings typical of these centuries is counterbalanced by numerous minor artefacts of great value, such as the {{ill|Cross of Agilulf|it|Croce di Agilulfo}}, the [[Cross of Desiderius]] and the {{ill|Gospel Book of Theodelinda|it|Evangeliario di Teodolinda}}. Also in Lombardy are some of the greatest expressions of Lombard sculpture, such as the slab with peacock in the Museum of Santa Giulia in [[Brescia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.santagiulia.info/museo_di_santa_giulia/periodo_longobardo/index.htm|title=Il periodo longobardo al Museo di Santa Giulia|access-date=31 March 2013|language=it}}</ref> or the [[Plutei of Theodota]] in the [[Pavia Civic Museums]]. The following centuries, as already mentioned, were characterized by artistic styles typical of Lombardy such as the Lombard Romanesque, the [[Italian Gothic architecture|Lombard Gothic]], the [[Renaissance in Lombardy|Lombard Renaissance]] and the Lombard [[Seicento]]. Finally, we must not forget, especially during the Renaissance, the contributions and stimuli left in local art by some great Renaissance masters who worked in Milan at the [[House of Sforza|Sforza]] court, such as [[Filarete]], [[Donato Bramante]] and [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and in Mantua at the [[House of Gonzaga|Gonzaga]] court, like [[Andrea Mantegna]] and [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]].

====Contemporary age====
[[File:Umberto Boccioni Forme uniche nella continuità dello spazio 1913.jpg|thumb|[[Umberto Boccioni]], ''[[Unique Forms of Continuity in Space]]'', example from 1949 exhibited at the [[Museo del Novecento]] in Milan|216x216px]]

In February 1910 the painters [[Umberto Boccioni]], [[Carlo Carrà]], [[Giacomo Balla]], [[Gino Severini]] and [[Luigi Russolo]] signed the ''Manifesto dei pittori futuristi'' in Milan and in April of the same year the ''Manifesto tecnico della pittura futurista,'',<ref>{{cite book|first1=Maria|last1=Drudi Gambillo|first2=Teresa|last2=Fiori|title=Archivi del futurismo|publisher= Edizioni De Luca|year=1958|page=63|language=it}} {{No ISBN}}</ref> which they contributed, together with others posters signed in other Italian cities, to found the artistic movement of [[Futurism]]. Upon the death of Umberto Boccioni in 1916, Carrà and Severini found themselves in a phase of evolution towards [[Cubism|cubist]] painting, consequently, the Milanese group disbanded, moving the headquarters of the movement from Milan to Rome, with the consequent birth of the "second Futurism".

Lombardy was the birthplace of another important artistic movement of the 20th century, the [[Novecento Italiano|Novecento]], which was born in Milan at the end of 1922. It was started by a group of artists composed of [[Mario Sironi]], [[Achille Funi]], [[Leonardo Dudreville]], [[Anselmo Bucci]], [[Emilio Malerba]], [[Pietro Marussig]] and [[Ubaldo Oppi]] who, at the Pesaro Gallery in Milan, joined together in the new movement baptized Novecento by Bucci.<ref>{{Treccani|novecento_res-109c24a0-8bb2-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/|NOVECENTO}}</ref> These artists, who felt they were translators of the spirit of the 20th century, came from different experiences and artistic currents, but linked by a common sense of "return to order" in art after the avant-garde experiments especially of Futurism: in this sense this artistic movement also adopted the name of [[Monumentalism|simplified Neoclassicism]]. The Novecento movement also manifested itself in literature with [[Massimo Bontempelli]] and above all in architecture with the famous architects [[Giovanni Muzio]], [[Giò Ponti]], {{ill|Paolo Mezzanotte|it}} and others. Some of the works of the major Lombard artists of the 20th century are exhibited at the [[Museo del Novecento]] in Milan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museodelnovecento.org/it/collezione|title=In Collezione|access-date=28 November 2017|language=it}}</ref>

===Historical and artistic villages===
[[File:Municipio - Gromo (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|thumb|right|[[Gromo]]]]
[[File:Monte isola, durante l'installazione floating piers, 2016, 04.jpg|thumb|right|[[Monte Isola]]]]
[[File:Clusone - panoramio (18).jpg|thumb|[[Clusone]]]]

Lombardy has many small and picturesque villages, 26 of them have been selected by {{lang|it|[[I Borghi più belli d'Italia]]}} ({{langx|en|The most beautiful villages of Italy}}),<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/lombardia/|title=Lombardia|date=9 January 2017 |access-date=31 July 2023|language=it}}</ref> a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/viaggi/2023/01/16/news/borghi_piu_belli_italia_14_nuovi_2023-383794441/|title=Borghi più belli d'Italia. Le 14 novità 2023, dal Trentino alla Calabria|date=16 January 2023 |access-date=28 July 2023|language=it}}</ref> that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://borghipiubelliditalia.it/ |title = I Borghi più belli d'Italia, la guida online ai piccoli centri dell'Italia nascosta|access-date=3 May 2018|language=it}}</ref> The Lombard villages that are members of the association I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages in Italy") are:<ref name="auto"/>

*[[Bellano]]
*[[Bienno]]
*[[Bergamo|Borgo Santa Caterina]]
*[[Cassinetta di Lugagnano]]
*[[Monzambano|Castellaro Lagusello]]
*[[Scandolara Ravara|Castelponzone]]
*[[Clusone]]
*[[Camerata Cornello|Cornello dei Tasso]]
*[[Fortunago]]
*[[Gardone Riviera]]
*[[Golferenzo]]
*[[Gradella]]
*[[Curtatone|Grazie]]
*[[Gromo]]
*[[Lovere]]
*[[Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca|Maccagno Imperiale]]
*[[Monte Isola]]
*[[Morimondo]]
*[[Pomponesco]]
*[[Sabbioneta]]
*[[San Benedetto Po]]
*[[Soncino, Lombardy|Soncino]]
*[[Tremezzo]]
*[[Tremosine sul Garda]]
*[[Varzi]]
*[[Zavattarello]]

===Literature===
{{main|Western Lombard literature}}
[[File:Maggi Carlo Maria.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.6|[[Carlo Maria Maggi]]]]

The first texts written in the vernacular [[Lombard language]] date back to the 13th century. These are mainly works of a didactic-religious nature; an example is the ''Sermon Divin'' by {{ill|Pietro da Barsegapè|it}}, which narrates the [[Passion of Jesus]]. Very important is the contribution to Lombard literature of [[Bonvesin de la Riva]], who wrote, among other works, the ''[[Liber di Tre Scricciur]]'', the ''De magnalibus urbis Mediolani'' ("The Wonders of Milan"), and an [[etiquette]], the ''De quinquaginta curialitatibus ad mensam'' ("Fifty table courtesies").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicitaliani.it/index139.htm|title=Opere di Bonvesin de la Riva|access-date=21 September 2017|language=it|archive-date=6 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206012104/http://www.classicitaliani.it/index139.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

From the 15th century, the prestige of literary [[Tuscan dialect|Tuscan]] began to supplant the use of northern vernaculars which had been used, although influenced by the Florentine vernacular, also in chancellor and administrative contexts.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brown|first=Josh|title=Testimonianze Di Una Precoce Toscanizzazione Nelle Lettere Commerciali del Mercante Milanese Francesco Tanso (?-1398)|publisher=Archivio Datini|location=Prato|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-437059133.html|access-date=8 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052204/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-437059133.html|archive-date=18 August 2018|language=it}}</ref> Despite this, starting from this century, there began to be the first signs of a true Lombard literature, with literary compositions in the Lombard language both in the western part of the region and in the eastern one.<ref>{{cite book|last=Haller|first=Hermann|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_F4C4AXtLFIC&dq=Giovanni+Bressani+Galeazzo+dagli+Orzi&pg=PA106|title=The Other Italy: The Literary Canon in Dialect|date=January 1999 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-4424-2 |access-date=21 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Treccani|giovanni-paolo-lomazzo_(Dizionario-Biografico)/|LOMAZZO, Giovanni Paolo}}</ref>
[[File:Carlo_Porta.png|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Carlo Porta]]]]

The 17th century also saw the emergence of the figure of the playwright [[Carlo Maria Maggi]], who created, among other things, the Milanese mask of [[Meneghino]].<ref>{{cite book|author=[[AA.VV.]]|title=Maschere italiane|publisher=Edizioni Demetra|year=2002|page=116|isbn=978-8844026066|language=it}}</ref> Also in the 17th century, the first ''[[Bosinada|bosinade]]'' were born, occasional popular poems written on loose sheets of paper and posted in squares or read (or even sung) in public; they had great success and widespread diffusion until the first decades of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sapere.it/enciclopedia/bosinada.html|title=Bosinada|date=4 June 2020 |language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> Milanese literature had a strong development in the 18th century: some important names emerged, including the famous poet [[Giuseppe Parini]], who wrote some compositions in the Lombard language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anticacredenzasantambrogiomilano.org/linguastoria/7001.html|title=Letteratura milanese - Il '700|access-date=21 September 2017|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://opac.unicatt.it/search~S13*ita?/cFONDO+Silvio+Cipriani-E-75/cfondo+silvio+cipriani+e+++++++75/-3,-1,,E/browse|title=Sistema bibliotecario e documentale|access-date=21 September 2017|language=it}}</ref>

The beginning of the 19th century was dominated by the figure of [[Carlo Porta]], recognized by many as the most important author of Lombard literature, and also included among the greatest poets of Italian national literature. With him, some of the highest peaks of literary expressiveness in the Lombard language were reached, which clearly emerged in works such as ''La Ninetta del Verzee'', ''Desgrazzi de Giovannin Bongee'', ''La guerra di pret'' e ''Lament del Marchionn de gamb avert''.<ref>{{Treccani|carlo-porta/|Pòrta, Carlo}}</ref> Milanese poetic production took on such important dimensions that in 1815 the scholar [[Francesco Cherubini]] published a four-volume [[anthology]] of Lombard literature, which included texts written from the 17th century to his day.<ref>{{Treccani|francesco-cherubini/|Cherubini, Francesco}}</ref>

===Main sights===
[[File:Milan Cathedral from Piazza del Duomo.jpg|thumb|[[Milan Cathedral]] is the largest church in the Italian Republic—the larger [[St. Peter's Basilica]] is in the [[State of Vatican City]], a sovereign state—and the [[List of largest churches|third largest in the world]].<ref name="ReferenceA">See [[List of largest church buildings in the world]].</ref>]]
[[File:Monza - Villa Reale di Monza - 02.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Villa of Monza]]]]
[[File:2014-01-01-Pavia Certosa.jpg|thumb|[[Certosa di Pavia]]]]
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Accademia Carrara di Belle Arti di Bergamo|Accademia Carrara]], Bergamo
* [[Castelseprio (archaeological park)|Archaeological park of Castelseprio]], Castelseprio
* [[Basilica di San Lorenzo (Milan)|Basilica of San Lorenzo]], Milan
* [[Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio]], Milan
* [[Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio]], Milan
* [[Bellagio (Italian region)|Bellagio]]
* [[Brera Gallery]], Milan
* [[Castello Sforzesco]], Milan
* [[Castelseprio (archaeological park)|Castelseprio archaeological site]]
* [[Cathedral of Cremona|Duomo]] and [[Torrazzo of Cremona|Torrazzo]], [[Cremona]]
* [[Cathedral of Milan]]
* [[Pavia Cathedral|Cathedral of Pavia]]
* [[Certosa di Pavia]]
* [[Como Cathedral]] and [[Basilica of Sant'Abbondio]], Como
* [[New Cathedral, Brescia|Duomo Nuovo]], Brescia
* [[Bergamo#Upper city|The fortified Venetian walls]], Bergamo
* [[Lake Como]]
* [[Lake Garda]]
* [[Lake Iseo]]
* [[Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)#Brescia|Roman and Longobard monuments in Brescia]]
* [[Royal Villa of Monza]]
* [[San Michele Maggiore, Pavia|San Michele Maggiore]], Pavia
* [[San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro]], Pavia
* [[Santa Maria del Carmine, Pavia|Santa Maria del Carmine]], Pavia
* [[Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo|Santa Maria Maggiore]] and [[Cappella Colleoni]], Bergamo
* [[Teatro alla Scala]], Milan
* [[Tempio Civico della Beata Vergine Incoronata]], [[Lodi, Lombardy|Lodi]]
* [[Villa Toeplitz (Varese)|Villa Toeplitz]], Varese
* [[Visconti Castle (Pavia)|Visconti Castle]], Pavia
{{Div col end}}

===Museums and art galleries===
{{main|List of museums in Lombardy}}
[[File:Milan - Pinacothèque de Brera - Cour intérieure.jpg|thumb|[[Pinacoteca di Brera]] in [[Milan]]]]
[[File:Museo di Santa Giulia chiese Santa Giulia San Salvatore Brescia.jpg|thumb|[[Santa Giulia Museum]] in [[Brescia]]]]
[[File:Castello Sforzesco (2).JPG|thumb|The [[Visconti Castle (Pavia)|Visconti Castle of Pavia]], seat of the [[Pavia Civic Museums]]]]

Lombardy has more than 300 museums in subjects such as ethnographic, historical, technical-scientific, artistic and naturalistic fields. Among the region's most famous museums are:

{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Accademia Carrara]] (Bergamo)
* [[Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana di Scienze Lettere ed Arti|Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana]] (Mantua)
* [[Antique Furniture & Wooden Sculpture Museum]] (Milan)
* [[Applied Arts Collection, Milan|Applied Arts Collection]] (Milan)
* [[Archaeological Museum, Milan|Archaeological Museum]] (Milan)
* [[Civic Museum of Crema]] (Crema)
* [[Egyptian Museum (Milan)|Egyptian Museum]] (Milan)
* [[Gallerie di Piazza Scala]] (Milan)
* [[Mille Miglia#Mille Miglia Museum|Mille Miglia]] (Brescia)
* [[Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Milan|Modern Art Gallery]] (Milan)
* Museum Sacred Art of the Nativity ([[Gandino]])
* [[Museo Bagatti Valsecchi]] (Milan)
* [[Diocesan Museum of Milan|Museo Diocesano]] (Milan)
* [[Museo Diocesano Adriano Bernareggi]] (Bergamo)
* [[Museum of Musical Instruments (Milan)|Museum of Musical Instruments]] (Milan)
* [[Moto Guzzi Museum|Museo del Motociclo Moto Guzzi]] (Mandello al Lario)
* [[Museo del Novecento]] (Milan)
* [[Museum of the Risorgimento (Milan)|Museo del Risorgimento]] (Milan)
* [[Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci"|National Museum of Science and Technology "Leonardo da Vinci"]] (Milan)
* [[Museo di Palazzo d'Arco]] (Mantua)
* [[Museo di Palazzo Te]] (Mantua)
* [[Museo Etnografico Tiranese]] (Tirano)
* [[Museum Giuseppe Gianetti|Museo Giuseppe Gianetti]] (Saronno)
* [[Museo Poldi Pezzoli]] (Milan)
* [[Museo Alfa Romeo|Museo storico Alfa Romeo]] (Arese)
* [[Museo Teatrale alla Scala]] (Milan)
* [[Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano|Natural History Museum of Milan]] (Milan)
* [[Natural History Museum, Pavia|Natural History Museum of Pavia]] (Pavia)
* [[Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea]] (Milan)
* [[Pavia Civic Museums]] (Pavia)
* [[Pinacoteca Ambrosiana]] (Milan)
* [[Pinacoteca di Brera]] (Milan)
* [[Royal Villa of Monza]] (Monza)
* [[Santa Giulia Museum]] (Brescia)
* [[Sforza Castle Pinacoteca]] (Milan)
* [[Tempio Voltiano|Volta Temple]] (Como)
* [[The Museum of Ancient Art]] (Milan)
* [[Triennale]] (Milan)
* [[University History Museum, University of Pavia]]
* [[Villa Olmo]] (Como)
{{Div col end}}

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Lombardy|Music of Milan}}
[[File:Architettura La Scala operahouse.jpg|thumb|Founded in 1778, [[La Scala]] in [[Milan]] is the world's most famous opera house.<ref name="Griffin">{{cite book|last1=Griffin|first1=Clive|title=Opera|date=2007|publisher=Collins|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-124182-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/opera0000grif/page/172 172]|edition=1st U.S.|url=https://archive.org/details/opera0000grif/page/172}}</ref>]]

Each of Lombardy's 12 provinces has its own musical traditions. Bergamo is famous for being the birthplace of [[Gaetano Donizetti]] and home of the Teatro Donizetti; Brescia hosts the 1709 Teatro Grande; Cremona is regarded as the origin of the violin and is home to several of the most prestigious [[luthier]]s;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itinerarieluoghi.it/museo-del-violino-cremona/|title=Cremona e la tradizione liutaia: visita al museo del violino|date=25 October 2023 |access-date=1 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> and Mantua was one of the founding and most important cities in 16th- and 17th-century opera and classical music.

Other cities such as Lecco, Lodi, Varese and Pavia ([[Teatro Fraschini]]) also have rich musical traditions, but Milan is the centre of the Lombard musical scene. It was the workplace of [[Giuseppe Verdi]], one of the most famous and influential 19th-century opera composers. The province has acclaimed theatres, such as the [[Piccolo Teatro (Milan)|Piccolo Teatro]] and the Teatro Arcimboldi; however, the most famous is the 1778 [[Teatro alla Scala]] (popularly La Scala), the world's most famous opera house.<ref name="Griffin"/>

===UNESCO World Heritage Sites===
[[File:Scena di caccia al cervo - Seradina R 12 - Capo di Ponte (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|thumb|Deer hunting scene depicted in the [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]]]]
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - The Last Supper (1495-1498).jpg|thumb|''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'', [[Convent of Sta. Maria delle Grazie]], Milan, Italy (1499), by [[Leonardo da Vinci]]]]
[[File:BG MuraVenete 08.JPG|thumb|The [[Bergamo|Fortified City of Bergamo]]]]
[[File:Tempio Capitolino Piazza del Foro Brescia.jpg|thumb|[[Brescia#UNESCO World Heritage monuments|Remains of Roman forum]] in Brescia]]
[[File:Sacro Monte di Varese-120-Kapelle 10-O vos omnes-Bogen-1985-gje.jpg|thumb|[[Sacro Monte di Varese]]]]
[[File:Sabbioneta Palazzo Ducale 02.JPG|thumb|right|[[Sabbioneta]], a town and {{lang|it|[[comune]]}} in the [[province of Mantua]]]]

There are ten [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage sites]] wholly or partially located in Lombardy.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/|title = World Heritage List|access-date = 16 May 2015|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher = UNESCO}}</ref> Some of these comprise several individual objects in different locations. One of the entries has been listed as natural heritage and the others are cultural heritage sites.

At [[Monte San Giorgio]] on the border with Swiss canton Ticino just south of [[Lake Lugano]], a wide range of marine [[Triassic]] fossils have been found. During the Triassic period, 245–230 million years ago, the area was a shallow tropical lagoon. Fossils include reptiles, fish, [[crustacean]]s and insects.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1090|title = Monte San Giorgio|access-date = 11 August 2023|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher = UNESCO}}</ref>

The [[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]] date to between 8000{{nbsp}}BC and 1000{{nbsp}}BC, covering prehistoric periods from the [[Epipaleolithic]] and [[Mesolithic]] to the [[Iron Age]],  and constitute the largest collections of prehistoric [[petroglyph]]s in the world.<ref name="unesco2">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/94|title=Rock Drawings in Valcamonica - UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=29 June 2010}}</ref> The collection was recognized by [[UNESCO]] in 1979 and was Italy's first recognized World Heritage Site.  UNESCO has formally recognized more than 140,000 figures and symbols,<ref name="unesco2" /> but new discoveries have increased the number of catalogued incisions to between 200,000<ref name="adorno"/> and 300,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archeocamuni.it/arte_rupestre.html |title=Introduzione all'arte rupestre della Valcamonica |trans-title=Introduction to the rock art of Valcamonica |publisher=Archeocamuni.it |access-date=11 May 2009|language=it}}</ref>  The petroglyphs are spread on all surfaces of the valley, but concentrated in the areas of [[Darfo Boario Terme]], [[Capo di Ponte]], [[Nadro]], [[Cimbergo]] and [[Paspardo]].

[[Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps]] are a series of prehistoric pile dwelling (or [[stilt house]]) settlements in and around the [[Alps]] built from about 5000 to 500 BC on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. In 2011, 111 sites located variously in [[Switzerland]] (56), [[Italy]] (19), [[Germany]] (18), [[France]] (11), [[Austria]] (5) and [[Slovenia]] (2) were added to the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] list.<ref name=UNESCO3>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1363/|title=Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps|website=Whc.unesco.org}}</ref> In Slovenia, these were the first World Heritage Sites to be listed for their cultural value.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.washington.embassy.si/fileadmin/user_upload/dkp_51_vwa/newsletter/october_2011/Embassy_s_Newsletter__2011_-_14_-_10_finale.pdf |title=Pile-dwellings in the Ljubljansko Barje on UNESCO List |journal=Embassy Newsletter |publisher=Embassy of Slovenia in Washington |date=14 October 2011 |editor=Maša Štiftar de Arzu|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> Excavations conducted at some of the sites have yielded evidence regarding prehistoric life and the way communities interacted with their environment during the [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]]s in Alpine Europe. These settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region.<ref name=UNESCO3/>

Another multi-centred site, [[Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)]] consists of seven locations across mainland Italy which illustrate the history of the Lombard period. Two of the sites are in modern-day Lombardy: the fortifications (the ''castrum'' and the [[Torba Tower]]), and the church of Santa Maria ''foris portas'' ("outside the gates") has Byzantinesque frescoes at [[Castelseprio (archaeological park)|Castelseprio]], and the [[San Salvatore, Brescia|monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia]] at Brescia. The UNESCO site at Brescia also includes the [[Brescia#UNESCO World Heritage monuments|remains of its Roman forum]], the best-preserved in northern Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/export/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Contenuti/MibacUnif/Comunicati/visualizza_asset.html_1468318012.html |title=Italia langobardorum, la rete dei siti Longobardi italiani iscritta nella Lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dell'UNESCO |website=Beniculturali.it |language=it |trans-title=Italia langobardorum, the network of the Italian Longobards sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List |access-date=27 October 2015 |archive-date=30 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030220341/http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/export/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Contenuti/MibacUnif/Comunicati/visualizza_asset.html_1468318012.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1318.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052503/http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1318.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=live|title=THE LONGOBARDS IN ITALY. PLACES OF THE POWER (568–774 A.D.). NOMINATION FOR INSCRIPTION ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref>

The Church and [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] Convent of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]] in Milan with ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'' by Leonardo da Vinci represent architectural and painting styles of the 15th-century Renaissance period.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/93|title = Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci|access-date = 11 August 2023|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher = UNESCO}}</ref> The towns Mantua and [[Sabbioneta]] are also listed as a combined World Heritage site relating to this period, here focussing more on town-planning aspects of the time than on architectural detail. While Mantua was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries, according to Renaissance principles, Sabbioneta was planned as a new town in the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1287|title = Mantua and Sabbioneta|access-date = 11 August 2023|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher = UNESCO}}</ref>

The [[Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy]] are a group of nine sites in northwest Italy, two of which are in Lombardy. The concept of holy mountains can be found elsewhere in Europe. These sites were created as centres of pilgrimage by placing chapels in the natural landscape and were loosely modelled on the topography of Jerusalem. In Lombardy, Sacro Monte del Rosario di Varese and Sacro Monte della Beata Vergine del Soccorso, which were built in the early-to mid-17th century, mark the architectural transition from the late Renaissance to the Baroque style.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1068|title = Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy|access-date = 11 August 2023|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher = UNESCO}}</ref>

[[Crespi d'Adda]] is a historic settlement and an outstanding example of the 19th and early 20th-century [[model village|"company towns"]] built in Europe and North America by enlightened industrialists to meet the workers' needs. The site is still intact and is partly used for industrial purposes, although changing economic and social conditions now threaten its survival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/archive/periodicreporting/EUR/cycle01/section2/730-summary.pdf |title=UNESCO Reference 730|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> Since 1995 it has been on [[UNESCO]]'s list of [[World Heritage Sites]].

[[Mantua]] and [[Sabbioneta]] represent two approaches of [[Renaissance]] period town planning. Mantua (pictured), originating in Roman times and preserving structures from the 11th century, was renovated in the 15th and 16th centuries. On the other hand, Sabbioneta was founded in the second half of the 16th century by [[Vespasiano I Gonzaga]] and built with a [[grid plan]], according to the period's vision of an ideal city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1287|title=Mantua and Sabbioneta|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=26 June 2010|archive-date=28 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028083518/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1287/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Bernina Railway|Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes]] is mostly located in the Swiss canton [[Grisons]], but extends over the border into [[Tirano]]. The site is listed because of the complex railway engineering (tunnels, viaducts and avalanche galleries) necessary to take the narrow-gauge railway across the main chain of the Alps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rhaetian Railway in the Albula &#x2f; Bernina Landscapes |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1276/ |access-date=26 January 2024 |website=Whc.unesco.org}}</ref> The two railway lines were opened in several stages between 1904 and 1910.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rail routes |url=https://www.rhb.ch/en/unesco-world-heritage/rail-routes?ref=057sxl&cHash=5ce8bcb5f1772b123510314dc449c698 |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=Rhätische Bahn}}</ref>

The [[Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar]] is a transnational system of fortifications that were built by the [[Republic of Venice]] on its [[Domini di Terraferma|mainland domains]] (''Stato da Terra'') and its territories stretching along the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] coast (''[[Stato da Mar]]''). This site includes the fortified city [[Bergamo]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1533|title = Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar|access-date = 11 August 2023|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|publisher = UNESCO}}</ref>

==Sport==
[[File:Stadio Meazza 2021.jpg|thumb|[[San Siro|San Siro Stadium]], home of [[AC Milan]] and [[Inter Milan]], has a capacity of 80,000. It is Italy's biggest stadium.]]
[[File:Autodromo Nazionale Monza, April 22, 2018 SkySat (cropped).jpg|thumb|Satellite view of the [[Monza Circuit]]]]
[[File:Forum Assago Parquet 2.jpg|thumb|[[Mediolanum Forum]], home of [[Olimpia Milano]]]]

The most popular sport in Lombardy is [[Association football|football]]. Lombardy has some of the most-successful men's football teams in the country. In the [[2023–24 Serie A|2023–2024 Serie A]] season, Lombardy hosts 4 out of 20 teams: [[A.C. Milan]] and [[Inter Milan]] (both based in Milan) and [[Atalanta B.C.|Atalanta]] (based in Bergamo); [[A.C. Monza|Monza]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Serie A 2023-24: le 20 squadre del campionato |date=11 June 2023 |url=https://sport.sky.it/calcio/serie-a/2023/06/11/squadre-serie-a-2023-2024|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> Other big teams of the region are [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]], [[Como 1907|Como]], [[Calcio Lecco 1912|Lecco]], [[Feralpisalò]] and [[U.S. Cremonese|Cremonese]] playing in the [[2023–24 Serie B|2023–2024 Serie B]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Classifica Serie B 2023/2024 |url=https://sport.sky.it/calcio/serie-b/classifica|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> [[U.C. AlbinoLeffe|AlbinoLeffe]], [[Aurora Pro Patria 1919|Pro Patria]], [[A.C. Renate]], [[FC Lumezzane|Lumezzane]], [[A.S. Giana Erminio|Giana Erminio]], [[S.S.D. Pro Sesto|Pro Sesto]] and [[U.S. Pergolettese 1932|Pergolettese]] playing in the [[2023–24 Serie C|2023–2024 Serie C]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=LEGA PRO |url=https://www.lega-pro.com/|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

Milan, along with [[Manchester]], is one of only two cities in Europe that is home to two [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup/Champions League]] winning teams: [[Serie A]] football clubs [[AC Milan]] and [[Inter Milan|Inter]]. They are two of the most successful clubs in the world of football in terms of international trophies. Both teams have also won the [[FIFA Club World Cup]] (formerly the [[Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]]). With a combined ten Champions League titles, Milan is only second to Madrid as the city with the most European Cups. Both teams play at the [[UEFA]] 5-star-rated Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, more commonly known as the [[San Siro]], that is one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, with a [[seating capacity]] of over 80,000.<ref name="size">{{cite web|url=http://www.sansiro.net/struttura.asp |title=Struttura |publisher=SanSiro.net |access-date=25 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612094451/http://sansiro.net/struttura.asp |archive-date=12 June 2010|language=it}}</ref> The Meazza Stadium has hosted four [[List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League finals|European Cup/Champions League finals]], most recently in [[2016 UEFA Champions League final|2016]], when [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] defeated [[Atlético Madrid]] 5–3 in a [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]].

[[Olimpia Milano]] (based in Milan) is the most successful men's basketball team in Italy. In the [[2023–24 LBA season|2023-24 LBA season]] 4 teams out of 16 are from Lombardy (Olimpia Milano, [[Pallacanestro Brescia]], [[Pallacanestro Varese]], [[Guerino Vanoli Basket]]).<ref>{{Cite news |title=LBA Serie A 2023-2024, ecco l'organico completo |newspaper=Sportando |date=20 June 2023 |url=https://sportando.basketball/lba-serie-a-2023-2024-ecco-lorganico-completo/ |last1=Maggi |first1=Alessandro|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024 }}</ref> Olimpia Milano have won 27 [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] championships, six [[Italian Basketball Cup|Italian National Cups]], one [[Italian Basketball Supercup|Italian Super Cup]], three [[EuroLeague|European Champions Cups]], one [[FIBA Intercontinental Cup]], three [[FIBA Saporta Cup]]s, two [[FIBA Korać Cup]]s and many junior titles. The team play at the [[Mediolanum Forum]], with a capacity of 12,700, where it has been hosted the final of the [[2013–14 Euroleague]]. In some cases, the team also plays at the [[PalaDesio]], with a capacity of 6,700.

Milan is also home to Italy's oldest [[American football]] team: [[Rhinos Milano]], who have won five [[Italian Super Bowl]]s. The team plays at the [[Velodromo Vigorelli]], with a capacity of 8,000. Another American football team that uses the same venue is the [[Milano Seamen|Seamen Milano]], who will join the professional [[European League of Football]] in 2023. [[Bergamo Lions]] have won Italian Super Bowls more than any other team 12 times. They won the [[Eurobowl]] in 2000, 2001 and 2002, while losing to the [[Vienna Vikings]] in the finals of 2004 and 2005 Eurobowl. [[Legnano Frogs]] were [[European Football League]] champions in 1989 (with two participations in the [[Eurobowl]] final) and won six [[Italian Football League]] titles (with 11 participations in the Italian Super Bowl).

Milan will host the [[2026 Winter Olympics]] alongside [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Sedi delle Olimpiadi e Paralimpiadi |url=https://milanocortina2026.olympics.com/it/i-luoghi/|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=The 2026 Winter Olympics Are Looking Beyond the Horizon |work=The New York Times |date=24 May 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/sports/olympics/2026-olympics-milan-cortina-andrea-varnier.html |last1=Das |first1=Andrew|access-date=6 February 2024 }}</ref> The [[Giro d'Italia]], a famous annual bicycle race, usually ends in Milan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A beginner's guide to the Giro d'Italia |date=8 May 2019 |url=https://www.yellowjersey.co.uk/the-draft/a-beginners-guide-to-the-giro-ditalia/|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> [[Amatori Rugby Milano]], the most decorated rugby team in Italy, was founded in Milan in 1927. Alpine skiing is also important for the region; the [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup]] holds an annual race in [[Bormio]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bormio FIS Ski World Cup 2022 |url=https://www.valtellina.it/en/events/bormio/ski-world-cup|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> The [[Monza Circuit]], located near Milan, hosts the Formula One [[Italian Grand Prix]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autodromo di Monza - Italia |date=8 February 2023 |url=https://scuderia.alphatauri.com/it/circuiti-f1/autodromo-monza/|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> The circuit is located inside the [[Royal Villa of Monza]] park. It is one of the world's oldest [[Auto racing|car racing]] circuits. The capacity for the [[Formula One]] races is currently over 113,000. It has hosted a Formula One race nearly every year since the first year of competition, with the exception of 1980. Milan will host the [[2026 Winter Olympics|Winter Olympic]] and [[2026 Winter Paralympics|Paralympic]] games for the first time in 2026, together with [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamesbids.com/eng/winter-olympic-bids/2026-olympic-bid-news/lausanne-to-host-vote-for-winning-2026-winter-olympic-bid-instead-of-milan-after-italy-enters-race/|title=Lausanne To Host Vote For Winning 2026 Winter Olympic Bid Instead of Milan After Italy Enters Race|date=20 September 2018|publisher=GamesBids|access-date=1 November 2021|archive-date=24 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424084754/https://gamesbids.com/eng/winter-olympic-bids/2026-olympic-bid-news/lausanne-to-host-vote-for-winning-2026-winter-olympic-bid-instead-of-milan-after-italy-enters-race/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamesbids.com/eng/winter-olympic-bids/2026-olympic-bid-news/ioc-to-move-up-2026-olympic-bid-vote-three-months-now-june-2019/|title=IOC To Move Up 2026 Olympic Bid Vote Three Months, Now June 2019|publisher=GamesBids|date=9 October 2018|access-date=1 November 2021|archive-date=24 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424084759/https://gamesbids.com/eng/winter-olympic-bids/2026-olympic-bid-news/ioc-to-move-up-2026-olympic-bid-vote-three-months-now-june-2019/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/48748380|title=Winter Olympics: Italy's Milan-Cortina bid chosen as host for the 2026 Games|publisher=BBC|date=24 June 2019|access-date=1 November 2021|archive-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910190954/https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/48748380|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Traditions and folklore==
[[File:Carnevale di Bagolino 1.JPG|thumb|left|Typical masks of the {{ill|Bagolino Carnival|it|Carnevale di Bagolino}}, in the [[province of Brescia]]]]

There are numerous traditional festivals and meetings in Lombardy: cities and towns offer calendars full of events, some of which have ancient origins.

The [[Oh bej! Oh bej!]] is held in Milan on 7 and 8 December each year and commemorates the appointment of Saint [[Ambrose]] as bishop of the city.

The {{ill|Ambrosian Carnival|it|Carnevale Ambrosiano}} ({{langx|it|Carnevale Ambrosiano}}) is celebrated in the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan]] and in the territories of some of the neighbouring [[diocese]]s. It lasts until the first Saturday of Lent.<ref name="AA.VV">{{cite book|title=Per conoscere la Lombardia (storia, geografia, usi e costumi)|author=[[AA.VV.]]|page=23|publisher=Ericart|year=2002|isbn=978-88-512-0111-1|language=it}}</ref>

The {{ill|Bagolino Carnival|it|Carnevale di Bagolino}} ({{langx|it|Carnevale di Bagolino}}), of very ancient tradition, is celebrated in [[Bagolino]], an ancient village that retains its medieval architectural characteristics and located in the Caffaro Valley, in the [[province of Brescia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regione.lombardia.it/cs/Satellite?c=Redazionale_P&childpagename=TempoLibero%2FDetail&cid=1213345155655&pagename=TMPLBRWrapper|title=Il Carnevale di Bagolino|access-date=30 March 2013|language=it|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924085840/http://www.regione.lombardia.it/cs/Satellite?c=Redazionale_P&childpagename=TempoLibero%2FDetail&cid=1213345155655&pagename=TMPLBRWrapper|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Corsa ippica - Palio di Legnano 2014.JPG|thumb|The horse race of the [[Palio di Legnano]] 2014]]

The [[Palio di Legnano]] is held in [[Legnano|the city of the same name]] and in the [[Metropolitan City of Milan]], on the last Sunday of May. It is the historical re-enactment which celebrates the victory of the [[Lombard League]] over the emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] in the [[battle of Legnano]] on 29 May 1176. The event includes a [[medieval pageant]] through the streets of the city and finally a [[horse race]] between the [[Contrade of Legnano|eight contrade]] in which Legnano is divided.

The historical re-enactment of the [[oath of Pontida]] is held in [[Pontida]], in the [[province of Bergamo]], on 7 March and commemorates the legendary oath of the Lombard League which should have been the prelude to the victorious war of the Lombard municipalities against Barbarossa.<ref name="AA.VV" />

==Transport==
===Airports===
[[File:Milan malpensa terminal airport.jpg|thumb|The intercontinental [[Spoke–hub distribution paradigm|hub]] of [[Milan Malpensa Airport]] is 9th in the world and 6th in Europe for the number of countries served with direct scheduled flights.<ref name="Ceresa"/>]]
[[File:Terminal Linate.jpg|thumb|[[Milan Linate Airport]] is the 8th airport in Italy for passenger traffic.<ref name="Linate"/>]]
[[File:Bergamo airport terminal.jpg|thumb|Departures area of the [[Milan Bergamo Airport]]. It is one of [[Ryanair]]'s three main operating bases, along with [[Dublin Airport]] and [[London Stansted Airport]].<ref name="Ryanair"/>]]

The airport service in Lombardy is made up of 4 main airports and represents the most important airport system in Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/portal/istituzionale/HP/DettaglioAvviso/servizi-e-informazioni/imprese/imprese-di-trasporto-e-logistica/dati-traffico-aeroporti|title=Confermata anche nel 2017 la crescita del sistema aeroportuale|access-date=3 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> In the surroundings of Milan there are three airports dedicated to normal civilian traffic (Milan Malpensa Airport and Milan Linate Airport, managed by SEA, and Milan Bergamo Airport by SACBO). 

Overall, the Milan airport system handles traffic of over 51.4&nbsp;million passengers and around 700,000 tons of goods every year and is the first in Italy in terms of passenger volume and cargo volume (the second Italian airport system is Rome with 44.4&nbsp;million passengers in 2023).<ref>{{cite web |access-date=1 February 2024 |language=it |publisher=Assareoporti |title=Statistiche Dati di Traffico Aeroportuale Italiano |url=https://assaeroporti.com/statistiche/}}</ref> The Milan Malpensa Airport, with over 700 thousand tons, confirms the national leadership, processing 70% of the country's air cargo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 January 2023 |title=Aeroporti italiani: nel 2022 passeggeri in crescita, gli scali del Sud e delle Isole guidano la ripresa del traffico verso i livelli pre-Covid |url=https://assaeroporti.com/aeroporti-italiani-nel-2022-passeggeri-in-crescita-gli-scali-del-sud-e-delle-isole-guidano-la-ripresa-del-traffico-verso-i-livelli-pre-covid/ |access-date=21 February 2023 |website=Assaeroporti |language=it-IT |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221122524/https://assaeroporti.com/aeroporti-italiani-nel-2022-passeggeri-in-crescita-gli-scali-del-sud-e-delle-isole-guidano-la-ripresa-del-traffico-verso-i-livelli-pre-covid/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

* The intercontinental [[Spoke–hub distribution paradigm|hub]] of [[Milan Malpensa Airport]] (MXP) is Italy's second-busiest airport, after [[Rome Fiumicino Airport]], with 24.1&nbsp;million passengers served in 2023 and Italy's busiest for freight and cargo, handling about 700,000 tons of international freight in 2022. Malpensa Airport is the largest [[international airport]] in northern [[Italy]], serving Lombardy, [[Piedmont]] and [[Liguria]], as well as the Swiss [[Canton of Ticino]]. The airport is located {{convert|49|km|mi}} northwest of Milan,<ref name="AIP">{{cite web |url=http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/publicuser/protect/pu/main.jsp |title=EAD Basic |publisher=Ead.eurocontrol.int |access-date=7 November 2010 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005154221/http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/publicuser/protect/pu/main.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref> in the [[province of Varese]] next to the [[Ticino (river)|Ticino]] river dividing Lombardy and Piedmont. Malpensa airport is 9th in the world and 6th in Europe for the number of countries served with direct scheduled flights <ref name="Ceresa">{{Cite web |last=Ceresa |first=Gabriele |date=15 February 2023 |title=Malpensa torna tra i primi 10 aeroporti al mondo per Paesi serviti con voli diretti |url=https://www.malpensa24.it/malpensa-classifica-aeroporti-mondo/ |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=MALPENSA24.it |language=it-IT |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222001925/https://www.malpensa24.it/malpensa-classifica-aeroporti-mondo/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is connected to Milan by the [[Malpensa Express]] railway service and by various bus lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.malpensaexpress.it/ |title=Collegamento Milano Malpensa – Malpensa Express |publisher=Malpensaexpress.it |access-date=7 November 2010 |archive-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018081453/http://www.malpensaexpress.it/en/index.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The airport is located inside the [[Parco naturale lombardo della Valle del Ticino]], a [[nature reserve]] included by [[UNESCO]] in the [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parco del Ticino |title=Turismo sostenibile |url=https://ente.parcoticino.it/visita-il-parco/come-muoversi-nel-parco/turismo-sostenibile/ |website=ente.parcoticino.it |publisher=Parco Lombardo Valle del Ticino |access-date=8 July 2024 |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Unesco |title=Ticino, Val Grande Verbano |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/ticino-val-grande-verbano |website=unesco.org |publisher=Unesco |access-date=7 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Milan Linate Airport]] (LIN) is Milan's city airport, less than {{convert|8|km|abbr=on}} from central Milan, and is mainly used for domestic and short-haul international flights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arpalombardia.it/temi-ambientali/rumore-e-vibrazioni/aeroporti/linate/|title=L'aeroporto di Milano Linate|access-date=3 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> Linate Airport is hub of [[ITA Airways]] together with [[Rome Fiumicino Airport]] and is connected to the centre of Milan via the [[Milan Metro Line 4|M4 blue metro line]]. It served 8.6&nbsp;million passengers in 2023 ranking as the 8th airport in Italy for passenger traffic.<ref name="Linate">{{Cite web |title=Statistiche Dati di Traffico Aeroportuale Italiano |url=https://assaeroporti.com/statistiche/ |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=Assaeroporti |language=it-IT |archive-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208020646/https://assaeroporti.com/statistiche/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Milan Bergamo Airport]] (BGY) is mainly used for low-cost, charter and cargo flights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lombardia.portale-infrastrutture.it/infrastruttura.php?id=338|title=Aeroporto di Bergamo - Orio al Serio|access-date=3 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> The airport is located in [[Orio al Serio]], {{convert|3.7|km|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Bergamo]] and  {{convert|45|km|abbr=on}} northeast of [[Milan]]. It is one of [[Ryanair]]'s three main operating bases, along with [[Dublin Airport]] and [[London Stansted Airport]].<ref name="Ryanair">{{Cite web |title=Ryanair |url=https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en |access-date=9 January 2024 |website=Ryanair.com}}</ref> A bus service operated by ATB connects to the airport, about 10 minutes from the [[Bergamo railway station]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orioaeroporto.it/en/train/|title=Train SACBO|access-date=25 October 2015|archive-date=29 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929144534/http://www.orioaeroporto.it/en/train/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It served 14.7&nbsp;million passengers in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|title=Real time flights|url=https://www.milanbergamoairport.it/en/|publisher=milanbergamoairport.it|access-date=30 January 2019|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130043625/https://www.milanbergamoairport.it/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Brescia Airport]] (VBS) is mainly used for postal and cargo flights, but also welcomes scheduled national and international flights for passengers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://brescia.corriere.it/notizie/economia/16_maggio_19/aeroporto-montichiari-brescia-voli-ucraina-sardegna-israele-a585e64e-1d95-11e6-8d1a-6eb7d9c593f0.shtml|title=Aeroporto di Montichiari: ecco i voli per Ucraina, Sardegna e Israele|date=19 May 2016 |access-date=4 July 2016|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.giornaledibrescia.it/bassa/da-montichiari-all-ucraina-non-chiamateli-voli-delle-badanti-1.3088758|title=Da Montichiari all'Ucraina: «Non chiamateli voli delle badanti»|date=20 May 2016 |access-date=4 July 2016|language=it}}</ref> Brescia Airport is the main sorting base for [[Poste Italiane]]'s [[air mail]]: [[DHL]] and [[Poste Air Cargo]] postal and cargo flights depart and arrive every night.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mistralair.it/it/compagnia/attivita|title=Compagnia - Attività: Voli postali e cargo|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141049/https://www.mistralair.it/it/compagnia/attivita|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroportobrescia.it/aeroporto-valerio-catullo-spa/informazioni-istituzionali/aeroporto-di-brescia.html|title=Aeroporto di Brescia|access-date=25 January 2020|language=it}}</ref> The airport also benefits from an intensification of freight traffic, thanks to a partnership agreement signed between the Poste Italiane and [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Valerio|last=Morabito|url=http://www.bresciaoggi.it/territori/bassa/amazon-salva-l-aeroporto-boom-del-traffico-merci-1.6221371|title=Amazon salva l'aeroporto, boom del traffico merci|date=11 January 2018|access-date=12 January 2018|language=it}}</ref> Since November 2018, the airport has also become one of the main bases for cargo flights of the international courier [[DHL]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bresciaoggi.it/territori/bassa/montichiari/aeroporto-oxygen-from-the-sky-stalled-thanks-to-cargo-dhl-1.6912999|title=Airport stalled. Oxygen from the sky thanks to DHL cargoes|date=16 November 2018|access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref>

Lastly, [[Bresso Airfield]] is a [[general aviation]] airport, operated by Aero Club Milano.<ref>{{cite web|title=The airport: technical information|url=http://www.aeroclubmilano.it/en/airport/technical-information|publisher=Aero Club Milano|access-date=29 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230060255/http://www.aeroclubmilano.it/en/airport/technical-information|archive-date=30 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 1960 the airport mostly serves as a general aviation airfield for flying club activity, touristic flights and air taxi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeroclubmilano.it/|title=Aero Club Milano|access-date=9 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> It also hosts a base of the state helicopter emergency service ''Elisoccorso''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hems-association.com/it/base/7.html | title=Base di elisoccorso Milano &#124; HEMS Association|access-date=9 February 2024|language=it}}</ref>

[[Ghedi Air Base]] is a base of the [[Italian Air Force]] in [[Ghedi]], about {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Brescia]]. It is home to the [[6º Stormo]] of the Italian Air Force with the [[102º Gruppo]] (''Papero''), the [[154º Gruppo]] (''Diavoli Rossi'') and the [[155º Gruppo]] (''Le linci'') equipped with the [[Panavia Tornado|Tornado IDS]]. It is one of six active air bases in five European countries with [[B61 nuclear bomb]]s in underground [[Weapon Storage Security System (WS3)|WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System]] inside aircraft shelters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.panorama.it/news/oltrefrontiera/armi-nucleari-italia/|title = Armi nucleari in Italia: Dove, come, perché|date = 24 April 2013|access-date=11 February 2024|language=it}}</ref> and as of 2019 housed more than 40 nuclear weapons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/un-arsenale-atomico-alle-porte-della-svizzera/4359306|title=Un arsenale atomico alle porte della Svizzera|date=14 February 2005 |access-date=26 January 2019|language=it}}</ref>

===Rail===
[[File:Milan CentralStation 016 4294.jpg|thumb|[[Milano Centrale railway station]] is the second railway station in Italy for passenger flow<ref>Data from [http://www.grandistazioni.it grandistazioni.it] (July 2007)</ref> and the largest railway station in Europe by volume.<ref name="unitremilano">{{Cite web|url=https://www.unitremilano.it/920/luoghi/stazione-centrale-milano.html|title=La Stazione Centrale di Milano: la più grande in Europa|date=8 February 2020 |access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref>]]

The Lombardy railway network has 428 stations and extends for approximately {{convert|2000|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=INFRASTRUTTURE LINEARI - STRADE E FERROVIE|url=https://www.arpalombardia.it/temi-ambientali/rumore-e-vibrazioni/infrastrutture-lineari-strade-e-ferrovie/|access-date=3 February 2024|language=it}}.</ref> The network is mainly managed by [[Rete Ferroviaria Italiana|RFI]]; {{convert|320|km|mi|abbr=on}} of railway lines are under concession to [[Ferrovienord]],<ref>{{Cite web|author=Regione Lombardia|title=Programma Regionale della Mobilità e dei Trasporti|date=20 September 2016|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/wcm/connect/9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4/PRMT+CON+SEGNALIBRI+dicembre+2016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4-meMqa02|access-date=13 March 2021|page=50|language=it}}.</ref> while the [[Parma]]-[[Suzzara]] and Suzzara-[[Ferrara]] lines, although partially falling within Lombardy ({{convert|55|km|mi|abbr=on}} and 11 stations), are under concession to [[Ferrovie Emilia Romagna]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fer.it/?page_id=85|title=Suzzara Ferrara &#124; FER – Ferrovie Emilia-Romagna|website=Fer.it}}</ref>

The national and international railway service is mainly ensured by [[Trenitalia]] and to a lesser extent by [[Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori]], [[TGV]] and [[Deutsche Bahn]]. The regional territory has three [[High-speed rail|high-speed lines]]: [[Turin–Milan high-speed railway]], [[Milan–Bologna high-speed railway]] and [[Milan–Verona high-speed railway]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=Regione Lombardia|title=Programma Regionale della Mobilità e dei Trasporti|date=20 September 2016|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/wcm/connect/9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4/PRMT+CON+SEGNALIBRI+dicembre+2016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4-meMqa02|access-date=13 March 2021|page=53|language=it}}.</ref>

Milan is the core of Lombardy's regional train network. The regional service is the responsibility of [[Trenord]], a company founded on 3 May 2011 and jointly owned by the [[Ferrovie Nord Milano]] and Trenitalia, which operates on both the RFI and Ferrovie Nord Milano networks, which have the  [[Milan Passerby Railway|Milan Passerby railway]] as their main interconnection hub.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Regione Lombardia|title=Programma Regionale della Mobilità e dei Trasporti|date=20 September 2016|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/wcm/connect/9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4/PRMT+CON+SEGNALIBRI+dicembre+2016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4-meMqa02|access-date=13 March 2021|page=54|language=it}}.</ref> The [[Trenitalia Tper]] company operates on the FER network.

[[Milano Centrale railway station]], with 110 million passengers per year, is the largest and [[List of busiest railway stations in Europe|eighth busiest railway station in Europe]] and the second busiest in Italy after [[Roma Termini]].<ref name=grandistazioni>{{cite web|title=List of major railway stations in Italy with passenger figures. |url=http://www.centostazioni.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=a675d5e57e30a110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD |publisher=Ferrovie dello Stato |access-date=20 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722030440/http://www.centostazioni.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=a675d5e57e30a110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD |archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> [[Milano Cadorna railway station|Milano Cadorna]] and [[Milano Porta Garibaldi railway station|Milano Porta Garibaldi]] stations are respectively the seventh and the eleventh busiest stations in Italy.<ref name="grandistazioni" /> Milano Centrale railway station is the largest railway station in Europe by volume.<ref name="unitremilano"/>

{{As of|2023|May}}, the [[Milan suburban railway service]], operated by [[Trenord]], comprises 11 [[S-train|S lines]] connecting the metropolitan area with the city centre, with possible transfers to all the metro lines. Most S lines run through the [[Milan Passerby Railway|Milan Passerby railway]], commonly referred to as "il Passante" and served by double-decker trains every 4/8 minutes in the central underground section.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Lines▶Regional & Suburban Railway|url=http://www.trenord.it/en/the-lines/regional-railway.aspx|publisher=[[Trenord]]|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=3 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103003936/http://www.trenord.it/en/the-lines/regional-railway.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Roads===
[[File:A8-A26 Besnate.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Autostrada dei Laghi]]'' ("Lakes Motorway"; now parts of the [[Autostrada A8 (Italy)|Autostrada A8]] and the [[Autostrada A9 (Italy)|Autostrada A9]]) near [[Besnate]], the first [[motorway]] built in the world<ref name=independent>{{Cite news |first=Thea |last=Lenarduzzi |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|title=The motorway that built Italy: Piero Puricelli's masterpiece|date=30 January 2016|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=12 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="motorwebmuseum">{{cite web|url=https://www.motorwebmuseum.it/en/places/varese/the-milano-laghi-by-piero-puricelli-the-first-motorway-in-the-world/|title=The "Milano-Laghi" by Piero Puricelli, the first motorway in the world|access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref>]]

The [[Controlled-access highway|motorway]] network in Lombardy extends for {{convert|700|km|mi|abbr=on}} to which approximately {{convert|1000|km|mi|abbr=on}} of [[State highways (Italy)|state highways]] are added.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Regione Lombardia|title=Programma Regionale della Mobilità e dei Trasporti|date=20 September 2016|url=https://www.regione.lombardia.it/wps/wcm/connect/9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4/PRMT+CON+SEGNALIBRI+dicembre+2016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-9bca40cd-dd7f-4c32-af86-30681e8267a4-meMqa02|access-date=13 March 2021|page=73|language=it}}.</ref> The [[Autostrada A4 (Italy)|A4 motorway]] crosses the entire regional territory for {{convert|155|km|mi|abbr=on}} from east to west, connecting the cities of [[Brescia]], [[Bergamo]], [[Monza]] and [[Milan]]. It is characterized by particularly intense traffic throughout the year and is flanked by the [[Autostrada A35|BreBeMi]], which connects Brescia to the [[Autostrada A58|Milan external east ring road]] of Milan passing through [[Treviglio]], rather than Bergamo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lombardia.portale-infrastrutture.it/infrastruttura.php?id=331|title=Autostrada A4 Torino - Trieste (tratta lombarda)|access-date=15 March 2021|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lombardia.portale-infrastrutture.it/infrastruttura.php?id=2017|title=Autostrada A35 Brescia-Milano BreBeMi|access-date=15 March 2021|language=it}}</ref> 

The Milan [[ring road]] system is the largest in Italy, {{convert|74.4|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} long in total and is made up of three ring roads: [[Autostrada A50|West]], [[Autostrada A51|East]] and [[Autostrada A52|North]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=15 March 2021|title=Autostrada A50 - Tangenziale Ovest Milano|url=https://lombardia.portale-infrastrutture.it/infrastruttura.php?id=954|language=it}}</ref> The [[Autostrada A1 (Italy)|A1]], [[Autostrada A7 (Italy)|A7]], [[Autostrada A35|A35]], [[Autostrada A8 (Italy)|A8]] and [[Autostrada A9 (Italy)|A9]] connect Lombardy with [[Switzerland]]. The ''[[Autostrada dei Laghi]]'' ("Lakes Motorway"), connecting [[Milan]] to [[Lake Como]] and [[Lake Maggiore]], and now parts of the A8 and A9 motorways, was devised by [[Piero Puricelli]] and was inaugurated in 1924.<ref name="motorwebmuseum"/> It is the first [[motorway]] built in the world.<ref name=independent /><ref name="motorwebmuseum"/> In the region there are also the [[Autostrada A21 (Italy)|A21]], [[Autostrada A22 (Italy)|A22]], [[Autostrada A36|A36]] motorways, the [[Autostrada A53 (Italy)|A53]] and [[Autostrada A54|A54]] [[Pavia]] ring roads, the [[Bergamo]] ring road system, the [[Brescia]] south ring road, the Brescia west ring road, the [[Varese]] ring road system and the of [[Como]] ring road ([[Autostrada A59|A59]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Infrastrutture Lombardia|url=https://lombardia.portale-infrastrutture.it/infrastrutture.php|language=it|access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>

===Underground===
[[File:M4 San Babila appena inaugurata.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Milan Metro]] is the largest [[rapid transit]] system in Italy in terms of length, number of stations and ridership; and the fifth longest in the [[European Union]] and the eighth in the [[Europe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milanocittastato.it/trasporti/effetto-m4-la-metro-di-milano-entra-nella-top-europea/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF3U1dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXSpIbaPnyiu6v7H7zI_mDyWgUrPadrCjN6GDzfUhPP2dI-Mfj4jLYBecw_aem__7hUFLg35ygwuZipXbL1Vg#goog_rewarded|title=Effetto M4: la metro di Milano entra nella top europea|access-date=12 October 2024|language=it}}</ref>]]

The cities of Milan and Brescia have [[Rapid transit|underground]] systems. Milan has the most extensive metro network in Italy, with 5 lines in operation ([[Milan Metro Line 1|M1]], [[Milan Metro Line 2|M2]], [[Milan Metro Line 3|M3]], [[Milan Metro Line 4|M4]] and [[Milan Metro Line 5|M5]]). [[Milan Metro]] has a daily ridership of 1.15&nbsp;million,<ref name=rep3sep>{{cite news |url=http://milano.repubblica.it/cronaca/2013/09/03/news/metro-65775461/ |title=Atm, un piano da 524 milioni per 500mila passeggeri un più |newspaper=la Repubblica |date=3 September 2013 |access-date=23 September 2013 |archive-date=12 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512011933/https://milano.repubblica.it/cronaca/2013/09/03/news/metro-65775461/ |url-status=live|language=it}}</ref> the largest in Italy as well as one of the largest in Europe. It is operated by [[Azienda Trasporti Milanesi]].

The architectural project of the Milan Metro, created by [[Franco Albini]] and [[Franca Helg]], and the signs, designed by [[Bob Noorda]], received the [[Compasso d'Oro]] award in 1964.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.metromilano50.com/compasso-oro/|title = Compasso d'oro 1964 alla Metropolitana di Milano - Motivazione e foto storiche della premiazione|access-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110050252/http://www.metromilano50.com/compasso-oro/|archive-date=10 January 2015|url-status = dead|language=it}}</ref> Within the [[European Union]] it is the seventh largest network in terms of kilometres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metropolitana-milano.it/|title=Metropolitana Milano - Scopri la metropolitana di Milano|access-date=31 January 2020|language=it}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Metro
! Lines
! Stations
! Length
! Notes
|-
|[[Milan Metro]]
|5
|113
|{{convert|101|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metropolitanamilanese.it/pub/page/it/MM/metropolitane_milano?contentId=613|title=Metropolitana di Milano|access-date=4 March 2014|language=it|archive-date=13 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013235930/http://www.metropolitanamilanese.it/pub/page/it/MM/metropolitane_milano|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|[[Brescia Metro]]
|1
|17
|{{convert|13.7|km|mi|1|abbr=on}}
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bresciainfrastrutture.it/?page_id=20|title=Lunghezza della Metropolitana di Brescia|access-date=31 January 2013|language=it|archive-date=26 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121126225440/http://www.bresciainfrastrutture.it/?page_id=20|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bresciainfrastrutture.it/?page_id=37|title=Stazioni della Metropolitana di Brescia|access-date=31 January 2013|language=it|archive-date=27 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127101322/http://www.bresciainfrastrutture.it/?page_id=37|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|}

===Navigation===
[[File:Lago Maggiore Traghetto.JPG|thumb|Car ferry across [[Lake Maggiore]] from [[Verbania]] ([[Piedmont]]) to [[Laveno]] (Lombardy). In the background [[Monte Rosa]] mountain chain and Verbania]]

Even though it is not surrounded by the sea, the region has a naval system that develops on the lakes, along the rivers and [[Navigli]]. The most important waterway system in Lombardy is part of the [[Po Valley]]-[[Veneto]] one which allows navigation from [[Casale Monferrato]] to [[Venice]] along the [[Po river]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navigaresulpo.it/|title=Navigare sul Po|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it}}</ref> In this waterway system, the most important ports in Lombardy are those of [[Cremona]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alot.it/nina-net/index.php/it/network/i-principali-porti/70-porto-di-cremona|title=Porto di Cremona|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it|archive-date=7 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307223107/http://www.alot.it/nina-net/index.php/it/network/i-principali-porti/70-porto-di-cremona|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Mantua]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alot.it/nina-net/index.php/it/network/i-principali-porti/71-porto-di-mantova-valdaro|title=Porto di Mantova|access-date=1 August 2012|language=it|archive-date=7 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307223116/http://www.alot.it/nina-net/index.php/it/network/i-principali-porti/71-porto-di-mantova-valdaro|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Navigation on the lakes has a predominantly tourist function and takes place regularly on scheduled routes. The scheduled shipping routes cover {{convert|460|km|mi|abbr=on}} and are frequented by over 10 million travellers annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nauticadadiporto.netfirms.com/assonautica/article_114.shtml|title=Assonautica, dati sulla navigazione interna in Lombardia|access-date=2 June 2013|language=it}}</ref> The connections are managed by the [[Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi]].

==Twinning and covenants==
* {{flagicon|Mexico }} [[Nuevo León]]

==See also==
* [[2017 Lombard autonomy referendum]]
* [[List of European regions by GDP]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Cochrane, Eric. ''Historians and historiography in the Italian Renaissance'' (U of Chicago Press, 1981).
* Conca Messina, Silvia A., and Catia Brilli. "Agriculture and nobility in Lombardy. Land, management and innovation (1815–1861)". ''Business History'' (2019): 1-25.
* de Klerck, Bram. ''The Brothers Campi: Images and Devotion. Religious Painting in Sixteenth-Century Lombardy'' (Amsterdam UP. 1999).
* Di Tullio, Matteo. "Cooperating in time of crisis: war, commons, and inequality in Renaissance Lombardy." ''Economic History Review'' 71.1 (2018): 82–105.
* Di Tullio, Matteo. ''The wealth of communities: war, resources and cooperation in Renaissance Lombardy'' (Ashgate, 2014).
* Gamberini, Andrea. ''The Clash of Legitimacies: The State-Building Process in Late Medieval Lombardy'' (2018) 
* Greenfield, Kent Roberts. ''Economics and liberalism in the Risorgimento: a study of nationalism in Lombardy, 1814–1848'' (1934).
* Klang, Daniel M. "Cesare Beccaria and the clash between jurisprudence and political economy in eighteenth-century Lombardy." ''Canadian journal of history'' 23.3 (1988): 305–336.
* Klang, Daniel M. "The problem of lease farming in eighteenth-century Piedmont and Lombardy." ''Agricultural history'' 76.3 (2002): 578–603. {{JSTOR|3744731}}.
* Klang, Daniel M. ''Tax reform in eighteenth century Lombardy'' (1977) [https://archive.org/details/taxreformineight0000klan online]
* Messina, Silvia A. Conca. ''Cotton Enterprises: Networks and Strategies: Lombardy in the Industrial Revolution, 1815–1860'' (2018). 
* Pyle, Cynthia Munro. ''Milan and Lombardy in the Renaissance: Essays in cultural history'' (1997).
* Sella, Domenico. [https://archive.org/details/crisiscontinuity0000sell  ''Crisis and continuity: the economy of Spanish Lombardy in the seventeenth century''] (1979)
* Soresina, Marco. "Images of Lombardy in historiography." ''Modern Italy'' 16.1 (2011): 67–85.
* Storrs, Christopher.
** "The Army of Lombardy and the Resilience of Spanish Power in Italy in the Reign of Carlos II (1665–1700) (Part I)". ''War in History'' Vol. 4, No. 4 (November 1997): 371–397. {{JSTOR|26004503}}
** "The Army of Lombardy and the Resilience of Spanish Power in Italy in the Reign of Carlos II (1665–1700) (Part II)". ''War in History'' Vol. 5, No. 1 (January 1998): 1–22. {{JSTOR|26004536}}.
* {{Cite journal |last=Pellegrini |first=Giovan Battista |date=1993 |others=Emanuele Banfi, Giovanni Bonfadini, Patrizia Cordin, Maria Iliescu |title=Il cisalpino e il retoromanzo |trans-title=Cisalpine and Rhaeto-Romance |journal=Italia settentrionale: Crocevia di idiomi romanzi. Atti del convegno internazionale di studi di Trento, 21-23 ottobre 1993 |language=Italian |publisher=De Gruyter |ref=Pellegrini}}

===Guide books===
* Daverio, Philippe. ''Lombardy: 127 Destinations For Discovering Art, History, and Beauty'' (2016) guide book. 
* Macadam, Alta, and Annabel Barber. ''Blue Guide Lombardy, Milan & the Italian Lakes'' (2020). 
* Williams, Egerton R. Jr. (1914). [https://archive.org/details/lombardtownsini00willgoog ''Lombard Towns in Italy; Or, The Cities of Ancient Lombardy''].

==External links==
* [http://www.in-lombardia.com/ Official tourism website of Lombardy]

{{Lombardy}}
{{regions of Italy}}
{{Italy topics}}
{{Sister bar|auto=y}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lombardy| ]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Regions of Italy]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Italy]]