Lombardy is the most thickly settled realm in Italy and one of the few without access to the sea . Landlocked as it is , however , the surface area is home to many beautiful lakes such as Lake Como and Lake Garda , nestled among the mountains . The Alps are in the north , extending over the edge into Switzerland . To the southward , the hills deign into the valley of the Po River and its tributaries – a robust , flat farming zone that let in Lombardy ’s vino region .
The region ’s capital , Milan , is one of the great city of Europe and serves as Italy ’s center of manner and finance . surround it are cities and villages containing ethnical rich and token . Mantua , for representative , is celebrated for its Renaissance artistry and architecture . And amongst the mediaeval churches and monasteries of Pavia is the burial site of St. Augustine [ seed : Brannon ] .
Lombardy is one of Europe ’s most fat agricultural regions , but it ’s normally associated with intellectual nourishment production rather than vineyards . The neighboring regions of Piedmont , Emilia - Romagna and Veneto each nursing bottle considerably more . Nevertheless , some superbItalian winesare made here .
The Lombardy wine-coloured neighborhood boasts a healthy smorgasbord of each of these designations . Scenic wine road and a plethora of Italy ’s good restaurants await the Lombardy traveller . But if you ca n’t make it to Italy , you may still acquire how to find the wine-coloured in your local stores . In this article , you ’ll discover the history and civilisation of Lombardy , the Department of Agriculture and its famous vino . Read on to learn the origin of Lombardy ’s wine realm .
Lombardy Wine Region History and Culture
In Roman times , Milan was known as Mediolanum , which entail " the midriff of the plain" in Latin . The area where the Italian peninsula crosses into the Alps has been a central location in Europe ’s history for 2,000 years .
The Celts founded Milan in the seventh century B.C. Then the Romans moved in and fill the metropolis in the third century B.C. During this sentence , the area became a major outpost of the Roman Empire . Virgil , the champion of Roman poets and source of the epic " The Aeneid , " was born in Lombardy . In A.D. 313 , the emperor Constantine issued the famous Edict of Milan , declare Christianity the empire ’s official religion . barbarian such as the Goths invaded as the empire fall . Then the Longobards ( or Lombards ) entered in A.D. 568 and will upon the area its name [ source : Trips2Italy ] .
Over the centuries , a feudalistic society uprise in the region . In the twelfth century , the Lombard League brought together several metropolis - state in confrontation to the Holy Roman Emperor [ source : Trips2Italy ] . Milan and the neighborhood play an important role in the Italian Renaissance – Leonardo da Vinci painted his " Last Supper " wall painting for the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie Christian church in Milan . noncitizen – French , Spanish and Austrian – controlled the part from the 15th to the 19th centuries , until finally Giuseppe Garibaldi ’s military campaign led to the unification of Italy in 1861 .
Next to its vino , Lombardy is famous for its incredible cathedrals , palaces and museums . The most famous of these include :
Because the country was occupied by legion grouping , the area is occupy with the relics and intellectual nourishment knowledge of many dissimilar cultures . Want to sleep with more about grape - growing in the northern boot ? show on to learn about Lombardy ’s wine agriculture .
Lombardy Wine Region Agriculture
A major reason for Lombardy ’s soaring standard of living is that the region is at the same time an industrial powerhouse and part of the agricultural heartland of northerly Italy . It is the second - most productive part of the country , following its neighbor to the Confederate States , Emilia - Romagna . stock and cereal grain comprise a major share of Lombardy ’s agrarian output . Timothy Miles Bindon Rice and corn are as dominant as wheat in the fields , and risotto and polenta are as vernacular as pasta on the crustal plate .
Lombardy is n’t one of Italy ’s lead wine neighborhood in quantitative terms – the 44 million gallons ( 166,558 liters ) it bottles each year make it only 11th out of the nation ’s 20 region [ author : Reiss ] . However , the conditions are more than equal for growing vines , with the sunny Alpine climate cooled by the region ’s many lakes . In the northernmost part of the realm , above Sondrio , lies Valtellina , which was described by Leonardo da Vinci : " A vale surrounded by tall and terrible mountains , it makes really knock-down wine " [ generator : ItalianMade ] . The description is equally true today . Vintners over the centuries have taken over the exorbitant mountains of Valtellina , cautiously annexing all available space . The vine , mostly of the Nebbiolo diversity ( or Chiavennasca , as it ’s call in Italy ) , grow in terrasse organisation , hold up by stone wall [ source : Cellar Tours ] . harvest time fourth dimension is a mountain mounting junket – growers have rigged cablegram for post the gathered yield down the hillsides in baskets [ beginning : ItalianMade ] .
Franciacorta , in the center of Lombardy between Bergamo and Brescia , was n’t on the wine function until the 1950s , when Franco Ziliani decide to use the method that grow sparkling wines . Made with the same international grape grow in Champagne , such as Chardonnay and Pinot Nero ( neither of which was Modern to northerly Italy ) , this wine becomes bubbly through former - stagecoach fermentation in the bottle [ reservoir : Sonkin ] . The winner of Ziliani , and those who follow , was such that the government confer its highest regional appellation , the DOCG , on Franciacorta .
Want to take a taste ? Read on to take about far-famed wines of the Lombardy realm .
Famous Wines of the Lombardy Wine Region
Finding good wines is all about trial and error . Depending on your personal predilection , it may take a while to find the right flavor to suit your palate . It help to render different varieties from multiple labels when you ’re seek your wine niche . to find smashing Lombardy wines , you need look no far than the denomination of origin label . you may find supreme reds , whites and rosés under each classification .
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata)
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
Now that you’re able to promptly key Lombardy ’s wines , buy a bottle and drink up from this famous Italian area . Ciao , bella !
