Laveno-Mombello

Laveno-Mombello is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 75 kilometres (47 mi) northwest of Milan and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of Varese. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,991 and an area of 25.9 square kilometres (10.0 sq mi).

History

The name of Laveno comes from two denominations: the first is from the Latin word "labes", that means "landslide"; the second denominations is from the Roman general "Tito Labienus", that give his name to the port (Portus Labienus) and subsequently to the surrounding area. The radix of the name are actually just in the main road of the town, via Labiena. Titus Labienus is considered responsible for naming Mombello too, after a battle against the Gauls ("mons belli" means "war hill"). A different interpretation says that the meaning is "monte bello", that is "beautiful hill".

In the 19th century, Laveno Mombello was home to important ceramic industries. Today, it is a port town that connects the province of Varese with Verbania and the famous Borromean Islands across Lake Maggiore.