Lombardy

This review finds that Lombardy is the most prosperous region in Italy. But the region faces long-term challenges emerging from an ageing population, immigration and slow adaptation of practices and technologies to enhance productivity.

When Austrian soldiers first set foot in Lombardy-Venetia in October, 1813, they were greeted everywhere as liberators and friends. In the spring of 1815, when Joachim Murat's efforts to establish a united Italy ended in miserable failure and when the Habsburgs announced the main features of the regime they intended to establish in their Italian provinces, the Venetians were still strongly pro-Austrian, but considerable anti-Habsburg feeling had developed among the Lombards. This carefully documented study of the first two years of Austrian reoccupation of Lombardy-Venetia examines all aspects of the Habsburg provisional regimes and draws some conclusions about the reasons for the different attitudes in the two provinces. In detailed sketches of the provisional governments of Venetia (Chapter I) and Lombardy (Chapter II) and an examination of Austrian economic policies and practices in both provinces (Chapter III), the author shows that although the governments of the two provinces shared many common traits, they differed in a number of significant ways. Actually, Venetia was much less efficiently governed than Lombardy; and the Lombards enjoyed at least a small measure of self-administration that was largely denied the Venetians. The Lombards were much more prosperous than their neighbors, yet they paid much less in taxes and were exempt from most of the burdensome military requisitions that the Austrians inflicted on the Venetians. In spite of these advantages, the relatively small nationalist movement in Austria's Italian provinces was almost entirely confined to Lombardy. The author examines public opinion in Lombardy-Venetia about liberal intrigues (Chapter IV); the relationship of secret societies to liberalism (Chapter V); the Brescian-Milanese conspiracy (Chapter VI) and the Austrian handling of that affair (Chapter VII); and the fiasco of Joachim Murat's "War of Italian Independence" (Chapter VIII).

This book explores the issue of ecclesiastical authority in Romanesque sculpture on the portals and other sculpted “gateways” of churches in the north Italian region of Lombardy. Gillian B. Elliott examines the liturgical connection between the ciborium over the altar (the most sacred threshold inside the church), and the sculpted portals that appeared on church exteriors in medieval Lombardy. In cities such as Milan, Civate, Como, and Pavia, the liturgy of Saint Ambrose was practiced as an alternative to the Roman liturgy and the churches were constructed to respond to the needs of Ambrosian liturgy. Not only do the Romanesque churches in these places correspond stylistically and iconographically, but they were also linked politically in an era of intense struggle for ultimate regional authority. The book considers liturgical and artistic links between interior church furnishings and exterior church sculptural programs, and also applies new spatial methodologies to the interior and exterior of churches in Lombardy. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, medieval studies, architectural history, and religious studies.

This book is aimed at promoting the Region of Lombardy and raising awareness of the triumph of flavours, emotions, traditions and quality preserved in the fruits of its lands. With 1.3m hectares of agricultural territory, our region has the largest area dedicated to this sector in Italy. This primary position results not only from thousands of years of evolution, but also and above all from a laboratory fomenting future-oriented ideas, innovations and technology, which guarantee the production of healthy, genuine foodstuffs that are certified and protected. Leafing through the recipes is like going on a journey, just as the title suggests – by following Lombardy’s 12 Wine and Food Roads, the reader is led to rediscover the region's typical dishes which, handed down through the generations with great love and enthusiasm, contribute to the enhancement of a unique heritage consisting of 248 excellent agricultural products and foodstuffs, of which 31 have PDO or PGI status (13% of the branded products of Italian origin), and 42 wines with DOCG, DOC or IGT denominations. Each route includes an introduction to the area in question and 5 recipes with wine pairings, which enables the planning of a complete menu.