town, Lombardia ( Lombardy) regione, northern Italy. It lies at the southern end of the eastern arm of Lake Como, at the outflow of the Adda River. Earlier the seat of a marquessate, Lecco was granted to the bishops of Como in the 11th century and passed to Milan in the 12th century. It was fortified by the Visconti Family in the 14th century and was an object of continuous contention until it became a countship in 1647. Little remains of its past except for the Ponte Grande, a bridge (1336–38; modernized) over the Adda; a tower from the former Castello Visconteo, housing the historical museum; and a 17th-century palace, housing the civic museum. There is a monument to Alessandro Manzoni (Manzoni, Alessandro), who took Lecco and its environs as the setting for his novel I promessi sposi (1825–27; The Betrothed).

Lecco is a tourist centre and has metallurgical, mechanical, textile, and food-canning industries. The local cheese market is noted for its Gorgonzola. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 46,857.