Lodi, Italy
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Lodi ( , ; Ludesan: ) is a city and ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (municipality) in
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; 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 ...
, northern Italy, primarily on the western bank of the River Adda. It is the capital of the
province of Lodi The province of Lodi (; Western Lombard dialects, Ludesan: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Lodi, Lombardy, Lodi. As of 2017, it has a population of 229,541 inhabitants ov ...
.


History


Antiquity

Lodi was a
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
village; in
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
times it was called, in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, Laus Pompeia (probably in honour of the
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...
Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo ( – 87 BC) was a Roman general and politician, who served as consul in 89 BC. He is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo, to distinguish him from his son, the famous Pompey the Great, or from Strabo the geograp ...
) and was known also because its position allowed many
Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...
of ''Gallia Cisalpina'' to obtain Roman
citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...
. It was in an important position where a vital
Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
crossed the River Adda. Lodi became the see of a
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
in the 3rd century. Saint Bassianus (San Bassiano) is the patron saint of the town.


Middle Ages

A free commune around 1000, it fiercely resisted the
Milanese Milanese (endonym in traditional orthography , ) is the central variety of the Western dialect of the Lombard language spoken in Milan, the rest of its metropolitan city, and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Milanese, due to t ...
, who destroyed it in 1111. The old town corresponds to the modern
Lodi Vecchio Lodi Vecchio ( Ludesan: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy, which is located about southeast of Milan and about west of Lodi. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree ...
.
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
rebuilt it on its current location in 1158. From 1220, the ''Lodigiani'' (inhabitants of Lodi) spent decades in constructing a system of miles of artificial rivers and channels (called ''Consorzio di Muzza''). It was created to give water to the countryside, turning arid areas into one of the region's important agricultural areas.


Renaissance

From the 14th century Lodi was ruled by the
Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
family, who built a castle there. In 1413, the
antipope John XXIII Baldassarre Cossa (died 22 December 1419) was Pisan antipope as John XXIII (1410–1415) during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church today regards him as an antipope in opposition to Pope Gregory XII, whom it recognizes as the rightful succ ...
launched the
bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...
by which he convened the
Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...
from the
Duomo ''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. The Duomo of Monza, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definitio ...
of Lodi. The council marked the end of the Great Schism. In 1454, representatives from all the regional states of Italy met in Lodi to sign the treaty known as the
peace of Lodi The Treaty of Lodi, or Peace of Lodi, was a peace agreement to put an end to the Wars in Lombardy between the Venetian Republic and the Duchy of Milan, signed in the city of Lodi on 9 April 1454. The historical relevance of the treaty lies in ...
, by which they intended to pursue
Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...
. This peace lasted 40 years. The town was then ruled by the
Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...
family,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
.


Early modern era

In 1786, it became the eponymous capital of a province that between 1815 and 1859 included Crema. On 10 May 1796, in the first major battle of his career as a
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
, the young
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
defeated the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
at the
Battle of Lodi The Battle of Lodi was fought on 10 May 1796 between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy. The rear guard was defeated, but the main body of Johann Peter Beau ...
.


Italy

In the second half of the 19th century, Lodi began to expand outside the city walls and was boosted by economic expansion and the construction of railway lines that followed the unification of Italy. In 1945, the Italian petrol company
Agip Agip S.p.A., acronym for Azienda generale italiana petroli, was an Italian automotive gasoline, Diesel fuel, diesel, Liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, lubricants, fuel oil, and bitumen retailer established in 1926 and Subsidiary company, subsidiary ...
, directed by
Enrico Mattei Enrico Mattei (; 29 April 1906 – 27 October 1962) was an Italian public administrator. After World War II, he was given the task of dismantling the Italian petroleum agency Agip, a state enterprise established by Fascist Italy. Instead, Ma ...
, started extracting
methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...
from its fields, and Lodi was the first Italian town with a regular domestic gas service. The town is now at the heart of important communication routes, and is a technologically advanced industrial centre, maintaining, however, also its strong traditional ceramics tradition.


Main sights

*Piazza della Vittoria, listed by the Italian Touring Club among the most beautiful squares in Italy. Featuring
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...
es on all its four sides, it includes the Basilica della Vergine Assunta and the ''Broletto'' (town hall). *Piazza Broletto, with a Verona marble baptismal font dating to the 14th century * Beata Vergine Incoronata, church in style of Lombard Renaissance * San Francesco, a Gothic-style church built in 1280–1307 *
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Villa San Lorenzo, town and municipality in Salta P ...
, a church with frescoes by Callisto Piazza * Santa Maria del Sole, a late Baroque-style Catholic church *
Santa Maria Maddalena The Santa Maria Maddalena is a Roman Catholic, Catholic church in Rome, Italy dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. It is the conventual church of the adjacent General Curia of the Clerks Regular, Ministers to the Sick (Camillians), the world headqu ...
, a
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
church. The original Romanesque structure (1162) was replaced in the 18th century. The interior has frescoes by Carlo Innocenzo Carloni and a ''Deposition'' attributed to Robert de Longe. * Sant'Agnese, church in Lombard Gothic style (14th century). It includes the ''Galliani Polyptych'' by Albertino Piazza (1520), and has, on the
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
, a rose window decorated with polychrome
majolica In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery. Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, ''maiolica'' was a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...
. * San Filippo,
Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
-style church *Palazzo Vescovile (Bishopric Palace), of medieval origin but rebuilt in the 18th century * San Cristoforo, church designed by
Pellegrino Tibaldi San Sebastiano (Milan) Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527, Valsolda - 27 May 1596, Milan), also known as Pellegrino di Tibaldo de Pellegrini, was an Italian mannerist architect, sculptor, and mural painter. Biography Tibaldi was born in Puria di Valsolda ...
* Visconti Castle (''Torrione''), a medieval castle now partially destroyed *Palazzo Mozzanica (15th century) * Palazzo Modignani, 18th-century urban palace *Torre di Lodi, a modern building high 70 meters about. It is located in the Business District, and is the tallest building in the city. *'' Biblioteca Laudense'', located in Palazzo San Filippo, adjacent to church


Government


Economy

In 1864 Tiziano Zalli founded the Banca Popolare di Lodi, the first Italian
cooperative bank Cooperative banking is retail and commercial banking organized on a cooperative basis. Cooperative banking institutions take deposits and lend money in most parts of the world. Cooperative banking, as discussed here, includes retail banking carr ...
(now part of
Banco Popolare Banco Popolare Società Cooperativa was an Italian bank, formed in 2007 from the merger of Banco Popolare di Verona e Novara (BPVN) and Banca Popolare Italiana (BPI). The bank merged with Banca Popolare di Milano on 1 January 2017. to form Banco ...
group). In 1945, the Italian
petrol Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...
company
Agip Agip S.p.A., acronym for Azienda generale italiana petroli, was an Italian automotive gasoline, Diesel fuel, diesel, Liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, lubricants, fuel oil, and bitumen retailer established in 1926 and Subsidiary company, subsidiary ...
, directed by
Enrico Mattei Enrico Mattei (; 29 April 1906 – 27 October 1962) was an Italian public administrator. After World War II, he was given the task of dismantling the Italian petroleum agency Agip, a state enterprise established by Fascist Italy. Instead, Ma ...
, started extracting
methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...
from its fields, and Lodi was the first Italian town with a regular domestic gas service. Zucchetti S.p.A., the first Italian software house, was founded in Lodi in 1978 and has its headquarters in the Zucchetti Tower. L’Erbolario Società Benefit S.r.l., a company specialized in natural cosmetics and beauty products established in Lodi in 1978, has its production plant and logistics center in the city. ''IBSA'' Institut Biochimique SA, a Swiss pharmaceutical multinational company, has its Italian headquarters in Lodi, as well as a production plant. The Officine Meccaniche Lodigiane were also located in the city.


Culture


Ceramics

The production of
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
in the Lodi area reached its artistic peak in the 18th century, with the production of fine,
tin-glazed Tin-glazing is the process of giving tin-glazed pottery items a ceramic glaze that is white, glossy and opaque, which is normally applied to red or buff earthenware. Tin-glaze is plain Lead-glazed earthenware, lead glaze with a small amount of Tin( ...
maiolica Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. The most renowned Italian maiolica is from the Renaissance period. These works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ("painted with stories") when depicting historical and ...
. The main factories were those of Coppellotti, Ferretti and Rossetti. The best ceramics of the Coppellotti factory date from the period 1735–1740. Some are in monochromatic turquoise and are decorated with
arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...
s, draperies and geometric-floral compositions arranged in a radial pattern. Other ceramics represent local life and scenes, such as fruit, fish, landscapes, castles, peasants, wayfarers, music players, with dogs or birds; some represent oriental figures. The Rossetti factory was active in Lodi between 1729 and 1736. Most of the Rossetti ceramics are in monochromatic turquoise and have decorations inspired by Roman art revisited in a
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style, such as pillars, balustrades, capitals, urns, shells, stylized leaves garlands, divinities and satyrs. Some ceramics feature landscapes in the center, with views of cities and castles, hills, lakes, clouds and birds. The Ferretti factory was active in Lodi in the 18th century until the beginning of the 19th century. Ferretti ceramics are famous for the decoration with naturalistic flowers, with very bright and lively colours. Most frequently these were wild flowers, such as
forget-me-not ''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are colloquially known as forget-me-no ...
,
buttercups ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about 1750 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed worldwide, primarily in temperate an ...
,
Centaurea cyanus ''Centaurea cyanus'', commonly known as cornflower or bachelor's button (among other names), is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Europe. In the past, it often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of "co ...
,
campanula ''Campanula'' () is the type genus of the Campanulaceae family (biology), family of flowering plants. ''Campanula'' are commonly known as bellflowers and take both their common and scientific names from the bell-shaped flowers—''campanula'' i ...
, primroses and
dog rose ''Rosa canina'', the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. Description The dog rose is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from , though it can scramble higher into the ...
; but also cultivated
rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
s,
tulip Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different colour ...
s and carnations were painted. Ferretti also painted other kind of decorations, such as Oriental figures, fruits, fish and still lifes. A large exposition of Lodi ceramics could be visited in The Museo Civico di Lodi until its closure in 2011, when all its content was moved to long-term storage waiting for relocation.


Twin towns

*
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
, Germany *
Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 66,348 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History When a gro ...
, United States *
Omegna Omegna (, , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Verbania at the northernmost point of Lago d’Orta and traversed ...
, Italy *
Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
, France


Climate


Gallery

File:Lodi duomo.JPG, The
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
of
Lodi Cathedral Lodi Cathedral (, ''Basilica Cattedrale della Vergine Assunta'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lodi, Lombardy, Lodi, Lombardy, Italy. It is also a basilica minor. Dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is the seat of th ...
and Piazza della Vittoria File:Prothyrum-Cathedral-Lodi.JPG, Prothyrum of Lodi Cathedral File:Rose-window-Cathedral-Lodi.JPG,
Rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
of Lodi Cathedral File: Tempio dell'Incoronata Interno.JPG, Church of the Beata Vergine Incoronata (view of the interior and
dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
) File:Lodi, Tempio Civico della Beata Vergine Incoronata 001.JPG, Interior of Church of Beata Vergine Incoronata File:Lodi, Tempio Civico della Beata Vergine Incoronata 014.JPG, Painting by Bergognone representing the Visitation in the Church of Beata Vergine Incoronata File:Lodi, Tempio Civico della Beata Vergine Incoronata 013.JPG, Painting by Callisto Piazza representing
Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
presenting the head of Saint
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
to
Herod II Herod II (c. 27 BC – 33/34 AD) was the son of Herod the Great and Mariamne II, the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest, and the first husband of Herodias, daughter of Aristobulus IV and his wife Berenice. For a brief period he was his fa ...
File:Lodi - chiesa di San Francesco - facciata.jpg, Façade of San Francesco Church File:Open-sky-bifora-SanFrancesco-Lodi.JPG, Open sky
bifora The bifora or ''pifara'' was a Sicilian double reed instrument of the oboe family, related to the ancient shawm and particularly to the piffero of the northern Italian Apennines. Much larger than the piffero, and made in one piece, it was employ ...
in the façade of San Francesco Church File:Lodi, San Francesco-Frescos 001.JPG, Frescoes in the Church of San Francesco File:Lodi - chiostro della Farmacia - 02.jpg,
Cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...
of Ospedale vecchio File:Lodi - chiesa di San Filippo.jpg, Façade of San Filippo Church File:Lodi - chiesa di Sant’Agnese - portale.jpg,
Portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...
of Sant'Agnese Church File:Lodi pal Broletto facciata.jpg, Broletto Palace viewed from Piazza della Vittoria File:Piazza Broletto Lodi.JPG, Broletto square in the night File:Lodi castello torrione.JPG, Visconti Castle File:Lodi pal Vistarini.jpg, Vistarini Palace File:Lodi Pal Mozzanica.JPG, Mozzanica palace File:Lodi - monumento alla Resistenza - vista frontale.jpg, Monument to the
Italian resistance movement The Italian Resistance ( ), or simply ''La'' , consisted of all the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic during the Second World War in Italy ...
File:Ponte Lodi.jpg, Bridge on the River Adda


References


Sources

* * * Mario-Giuseppe Genesi, ''Gli Organi Storici del Lodigiano'', Piacenza, L.I.R. Editrice, 2017, pp. 720. * * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Lombardy