Having in mind the comparison between, for instance, Lombardia and Sicily, some say that there are two Italies, one in the north and one in the south, south of Rome. There is some truth in it, but is that not true in most countries of the Old Continent? Are Germany, France and Spain really so much more homogeneous? Yes, of course there are regional particularities, and in Lombardia they are quite peculiar, with the metropolis of Milano (which is still on our bucket list of planned visits), its surrounding cities like Cremona, Pavia and Bergamo, and the lake resort hotspots like Como, cosmopolitan, stylish and prosperous. For centuries Lombardian cities have played an important role in European culture and history, a history which has not always been gentle and pleasant, though: the Dukes of Milano and the Doges of the Repubblica Marinara di Venezia spent most of their time and energy, indeed, on fending off each other's threats and responding by reprisals in an endless vicious circle of violence. And there can be no doubt that the ferocious struggle for power over Italy between the Ghibellines of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Guelphs on the pope's hand, made life miserable for most of the population of those wonderful Lombardian places we now visit in awe. May therefore our admiration for the refined and tasteful urban architecture of those days and the bucolic enjoyment of natural landscapes on the southern edge of the Alps be a humble tribute to the people who paid heavily in old times and did not themselves enjoy ... with the idea in mind that, after all, things have not really changed everywhere all that much...