Lombardy
The Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom occupied the north-eastern part of the plain of Lombardy, and some adjacent territories. By the middle of the 19th century it formed an integral portion of the Austrian Empire, under the government of a viceroy; and was divided, for administrative purposes, into the two governments of "Milan," or the Lombard Provinces, and "Venice," or the Venetian Provinces; each of which was subdivided into delegations. In the capital of each delegation was a court of first instance, for civil and criminal business; in Milan and Venice were courts of appeal, and at Verona a high court of revision, for the whole kingdom.
The greater part of this portion of Italy, after the fall of the Western Empire, was successively possessed by the Heruli, Ostrogoths, Greeks, and Lombards. In 774, Charlemagne annexed it to the empire of the Franks. From 888 it generally belonged to the Germans, until the erection of the Republic of Milan, in 1150. In 1395, it became a Duchy, and in 1535, came into the possession of the Emperor Charles V. After the wars of the Spanish succession Mantua and Milan were assigned to Austria, to which they have since belonged, with the exception of the short time they formed a part of the Cisalpine Republic and French Empire.
Milan (Milano, Meyland,) the capital of Lombardy, lies on the river Oloao, in the centre of a large plain, noted for its beauty and richness. It contains some spacious slreets, but generally they are narrow, irregular and filthy. Its palaces and elegant mansions, however, redeem it from insignificance, and its public edifices rank among the most massive and gorgeous of any European city. It is intersected by three navigable canals, one of which extends to Pavia. The city is surrounded by broad ramparts, planted with trees, but the principal attraction is the Duomo or Cathedral, a very large building of the mixed Gothic, of white marble, and profusely adorned with pinnacles and statues. This structure was commenced in 1385, by the first duke of Milan, and is yet unfinished, although Napoleon and the emperors of Austria expended large sums for the purpose. It measures 486 feet long, and 293 broad, and to the top of the cupola 258 feet; but it has neither domes nor towers to relieve its massiveness. In a fine subterranean chapel, which is sumptuously adorned, rests the body of San Carlo Borromeo, in a crystal sarcophagus, ornamented with silver gilding. The church of St. Ambrose, the oldest in Milan, is an assemblage of every order of architecture, from the days of Theodosius, who did penance before its gates. Among the other public buildings may be mentioned, the archiepiscopaI palaces; the theatre "del Scaia," one of the largest in Europe; the lazzaretto and great hospital (2,200 beds ;) the several scientific institutions; and the magnificent triumphal arch, which serves as the terminus of the road of the Simplin. Milan was the residence of the Viceroy of Lombardy and the see of an archbishop, and from its favorable situation it has become the general entrepot of the trade of northern Italy. Its commerce is very extensive, and in printing and book-selling it rivals Venice, Turin, and Florence. Milan contained a population of 160,000 in the year 1850, of which the priesthood and other attaches of the church formed no inconsiderable part.
There were several other cities in the Milanese, which are important chiefly from their historical connection. Monza, near Milan, is noted as the place where Charlemagne received the iron crown of the Lombard Kings, which is still preserved in the cathedral. It contains also a fine palace of the Viceroy and a very rich botanic garden. Como, on the lake of the same name, has flourishing manufactures and a large cathedral. Lecco and Dongo are busy commercial towns. Sondrio, on the Adda, is a vast town, and Bdhmio (Worms) is noted for the baths of St. Martin in its vicinity, and its connection with the great military road over Monte Stelvio, or the Stilfersjoch, which commences at these baths, and reaches the elevation of 9,232 feet above the level of the sea. Chiavenna (Cleves,) upon the Main, carries on a considerable trade along the great roads with which it is connected. Pavia, near the left bank of the Ticino, is more remarkable for its antiquity and its historical celebrity as the capital of the Lombard Kings, than from its present importance. It has an excellent university, &c. Population in 1850 was 24,000. Lodi, on the right bank of the Adda, over which there is an ancient bridge, memorable for the " terrible passage" effected by Bonaparte in 1790. The citizens manufacture pottery and silk, and carry on a large trade in Parmesan cheese, which is all made in the surrounding district. Population, 16,000. Bergamo has 3,000 inhabitants, and is chielly engaged in silk manufactures and general trade. Its annual fair, held in August, is one of the best attended in Italy. Brescia, with 3.3,000 inhabitants, manufactures cutlery, arms and silk.
Cremona is a large city on the left bank of the Po. It is chiefly remarkable for its fiddle manufactories. Its cathedral is a most magnificent structure. Mantua is situated in the middle of a lake formed by the Mincio, and connected with the mainland by causeways. It is one of the principal fortresses in Europe. Population, 30,000. In the vicinity are-the magnificent Gothic church of " Santa Maria delle Grazie," on the lake, almost entirely covered with votive tablets, and visited annually by as many as from 80,000 to 100,000 pilgrims ; " Pietole," a fort on the right bank of the Mincio, constructed to maintain the inundation which surrounds Mantua and makes it inaccessible, except at four points, defended by formidable batteries, viz : St. George's Bridge, the Citadel, the Pradella gate, and the Port of Pietole, which is supposed to be the site of " Andes," the birth place of Virgil; and " Peschiera," a fortress on the Mincio, at the outlet of the lake Garda.
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