Lecco

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Comune di Lecco
Image:Lecco-Stemma.png Municipal coat of arms
Country	Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Lecco (LC)
Mayor	Antonella Faggi (North League Party)

Elevation	214 m
Area	45 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)	46,477
- Density	1,011/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	45°51′N 09°24′E
Gentilic	Lecchesi
Dialing code	0341
Postal code	23900
Frazioni	Acquate, Belledo, Bonacina, Castello, Chiuso, Germanedo, Laorca, Lecco, Maggianico, Malavedo, Olate, Pescarenico, Rancio, San Giovanni, Santo Stefano
Patron	San Nicolò
- Day	December 6
Website: www.comune.lecco.it

Lecco is an Italian city set in Lombardy 50 kilometres north of Milan; it lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch named Lake of Lecco). The prealps rise to the north and east. Lecco is the capital of the province of Lecco.

Image:Lecco e il Monte San Martino.JPG

The lake narrows to form the river Adda, so bridges were built to improve road communications with Como and Milan. There are three bridges crossing the river Adda in Lecco: the Azzone Visconti Bridge (1336-1338), the Kennedy Bridge (1956) and the Alessandro Manzoni Bridge (1985).

On January 1 2001, Lecco had 45,827 inhabitants (Source: ISTAT).

Its economy used to be based on industry (iron manufacturers), but now it is mainly tertiary.

Alessandro Manzoni set the events in the first half of "The Betrothed" in Lecco, a town he knew deeply since he had spent part of his childhood there.

We voyaged by steamer down the Lago di Lecco, through wild mountain scenery, and by hamlets and villas, and disembarked at the town of Lecco. They said it was two hours, by carriage to the ancient city of Bergamo, and that we would arrive there in good season for the railway train. We got an open barouche and a wild, boisterous driver, and set out. It was delightful. We had a fast team and a perfectly smooth road. There were towering cliffs on our left, and the pretty Lago di Lecco on our right, and every now and then it rained on us