Talent and industriousness: a time-tested story, from roman mines to Leonardo's studies from the old forges to the telescope

Metal veins in the Valsassina and Valvarrone valleys, a forest stand able to supply pit-coal to smelting furnaces, a largen nulmber of watercourses supplying motive power far machine operation, and a trading pIace such as Milan in the neighbourhood.

A successful concurrence of these factors laid the foundations of an iron processing industry in the Lecco area. Its oldest traces date back to Roman times. Studied by Leonardo da Vinci, this industry flourished in the time of the Viscontis and Sforzas.

Supported by the enlightened governments of Maria Theresa af Austria and Jaseph II,.on mid 19th century the Valsassina valley's iron metallurgy commenced a decline without recall. This was not the case with second processing metallurgical industry, concentrated in the lower Valsassina Valley and in Lecco, in the towns along the Vallata del Gerenzone valley, to which the manufacturing industry progressively moved.

A comprehensive system of small drawing mills and forges was thus established, highly specialized and integrated in spite of splinter plants, which ensured a remarkable and diversified production of semi-finished products. This was the time when three great entrepreneurial dynasties - the Badonis, Falcks and Redaellis linked their names to the iron industry in the Lecco District, and were the first to introduce new production technologies and to innovate the business organization in ltaly.

When mechanics gained ground, at the outset of the 20th century, the foundations were laid for an intensive industrial development in the Lecco area, which played a main rate in the period after the second World War. A crescendo of spontaneous enterprises which redoubled thanks to a deep-rooted tradition, and a widespread entrepreneurial attitude: all this associated to skilled technicians and a group of active entrepreneurs devoted to innovation, who have launched the "Made in Lecco" label throughout the world, even in leading areas such as the aerospace industry.