History of Mandello Lario
Mandello del Lario - Historical Notes
Even without having dependable data as to the origin of Mandello Lario, one can imagine that the territory was already inhabited back in pre-Roman times.
Certainly since the 3rd century BC held a military defence facility, when the Roman Empire, following a trade and military expansion policy toward lands beyond the Alps, utilising Lake Como as a passage way toward the Settimo and Spluga Passes crossing the Colico area.
During the subsequent medieval age, the Mandello territory was subjected, first to the Longobards, therefore was pursued by Milan and Como till finally being placed under the Visconti in 1336 (in the 12th century Mandello, as the largest part of the built-up area of northern Italy it formed a Municipality with assemblies and its own magistrates).
The St. Giorgio Oratory, built in 1400, with a low bell tower and gabled façade, holds inside a sequence of popular character frescoes from the 15th century. In 1500, when the Spanish domination began in Lombardy, the, Mandello was surrendered to the Sfondrati family, who kept it for nearly three centuries, residing however in the palaces of Bellagio and Fiumelatte.
During the following centuries Mandello del Lario further developed, especially after the realisation of the coastal road (today’s Provinciale 72), inaugurated in 1832 during Austrian domination.
After the construction of the Lecco-Colico railway, completed in 1894, an industrialisation process was seen, first along the path of the torrent Meria and the Roggia (artificial canal, which certainly existed even back in the 1700s).
It was 1919, when Carlo Guzzi, genial technician and planner, built with the help of Giorgio Ripamonti his first motorcycle. The motorbike a monocilindrica to four....continue |
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