LECCO, a city of Italy, in the province of Como, situated near the southern extremity of the eastern branch of the Lake of Como, which is frequently distinguished as the Lake of Lecco. It is the meeting place of several important roads, and the terminus of a railway from Bergamo, which joins the line from Milan. To the south the Adda is crossed by a fine bridge originally constructed in 1335, and rebuilt in 1609 by Fuentes. Lecco, in spite of its real antiquity, presents quite a modern appearance; and it is the seat of no small industrial activity. Besides the ironworks, which are particularly important, there are brass foundries and oil-works; and silk spinning, cotton spinning, and wood carving are successfully prosecuted. The annual cattle fair lasts fifteen days. In the neighbourhood of the town is Caleotto, the residence of Manzoni, who in his Promessi Sposi has left a full description of the district. The population of Lecco was 6815 in 1871....
In the 11th century Lecco, which had previously been the seat of a marquisate, was presented to the bishops of Como by Otto II.; but in the 12th century it passed to the archbishops of Milan, and in 1127 it assisted the Milanese in the destruction of Como. During the 13th century it was struggling for its existence with the metropolitan city; and its fate seemed to be sealed when the Visconti drove its inhabitants across the lake to Vahnadrera, and forbade them to raise their town from its ashes. But in a few years the people returned; and Azzone Visconti made Lecco a strong fortress, and united it with the Milanese territory by a bridge across the Adda. During the 15th and 16th centuries the rock of Lecco was an object of endless contention. In 1647 the town with its territory was made a countship. The fortifications were finally sold by Joseph II. to Count Serponti. Merlinis, one of the first Italian printers, and Morone, Charles V.’s Italian chancellor, were born in Lecco. See Apostolo, Lecco e suo territorio, Lecco, 1855.
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