Torrone di Cremona is one of the sweets most closely identified with Lombardy. The famous Cremonese story connects the confection with the 1441 marriage of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza and with the Torrazzo, the city’s great bell tower. That account belongs to local tradition and should be treated as a legend rather than as definitive proof of the invention of torrone. Honey-and-nut confections existed around the Mediterranean long before the fifteenth century.

Around Italy: Lombardia, Italy’s Engine of Elegance, Industry, Lakes, and Alpine Beauty Lombardia is one of Italy’s most powerful and varied regions. It is the country of Milano, Lake Como, Bergamo, Brescia, Mantova, Cremona, the Valtellina, Franciacorta, great Alpine valleys, rice fields, fashion, finance, design, music, and a cuisine far richer than the international image of northern Italy suggests. Milano, the Regional Capital Milano is Italy’s financial and fashion capit