LECCO, town of Lombardy, province of Como, 32 m. by rail N. by E. of Milan, 673 ft. above sea-level. Pop. (1931) 33,827. It is near the south end of the eastern branch of the Lake of Como, which is frequently distinguished as the Lake of Lecco. From Lecco the line to Colico was one of the earliest in Europe to be run by electricity (overhead wires). Branches run to Chi avenna and Sondrio; and another line runs to Bergamo. To the south the Adda is crossed by a fine bridge originally constructed in 1336-38 by Azzone Visconti and rebuilt in 1609 by Fuentes. Almost the only old building is the castle, of which a part remains. Besides iron-works, there are copper-works, brass-foundries, olive oil mills and a manufacture of wax candles; and silk-spinning, cotton-spinning and wocd-carving.
In the nth century Lecco, previously seat of a marquisate, was presented to the bishops of Como by Otto II. ; but in the 12th century it passed to the archbishops of Milan. During the
13th century it was struggling with the metropolitan city. In 1283 the Visconti drove its inhabitants across the lake to Valmadrera. But in a few years the people returned and Azzone Visconti made Lecco a strong fortress. During the 15th and 16th centuries the citadel of Lecco was an object of endless contention. In 1647 the town with its territory was made a countship. Morone, Charles V.'s Italian chancellor, was born in Lecco.