Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1495-98
At the behest of Ludovico Sforza, Leonardo da Vinci starts work on
Il Cenacolo
. He opts for an experi-
mental new medium (oil paint), and robes Christ in a dazzling ultramarine cloak.
1499
A confederation of Swiss-German cantons wins independence from Austrian Habsburg control. Four
years afterwards they take Bellinzona from the Sforzas.
1510
Pliny, Ovid and Virgil all wrote about mulberry trees. In 1510 entrepreneur Pietro Boldoni realises
their profit-making potential and established the first silk spinning mills on Lake Como.
1515
Milanese and Swiss forces are defeated by François I at Marignano (modern-day Melegnano); the
present-day border between Lombardy and Ticino is established.
c 1550
Following Columbus' return from the New World in the late 1400s with maize, Lombard farmers take
up corn production. Corn, in the form of polenta, becomes a staple.
1630-31
Neglected by Spanish governors, Lombardy sinks into provincial decay and a devastating plague
sweeps across the region, killing almost half the population of Milan.
1713
The Treaty of Utrecht ends the War of Spanish Succession and thwarts French ambitions. Spanish
territories, including Lombardy, are given to Austria to restore the balance of continental power.
1760s
Milan, along with Venice, Turin, Florence and the lakes, becomes an essential stop for British aristo-
crats on the Grand Tour, a trend that continues until the 1840s.
1799
Como's most famous son, Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), invents the electric battery. Professor at the
University of Pavia, he is made a count by Napoleon in 1810.
1805
