In 568, the Lombards invaded and split Italy in two: Lombard north and Byzantine south. This division shaped Italian regional identity for 1,400 years.
Plan a history trip →Capital: Pavia. The Lombards (Longobardi) were a Germanic people from Pannonia (Hungary). They conquered most of northern and central Italy. Southern Italy remained Byzantine. The border zone became the Papal States (the Pope played Lombards and Byzantines against each other). 774: Charlemagne conquers the Lombard Kingdom, absorbs it into the Frankish/Carolingian Empire.
7 Lombard UNESCO sites ("Places of the Power of the Longobards in Italy"): Cividale del Friuli (Tempietto, extraordinary 8th-century stucco), Brescia (Santa Giulia monastery complex, €10), Monte Sant’Angelo (Gargano, Sanctuary of Michael the Archangel), Benevento (church of Santa Sofia), Spoleto (Basilica of San Salvatore), Castelseprio (near Varese, frescoes), Campello sul Clitunno (tiny Tempietto). The Lombard crown (the Iron Crown of Lombardy) is in Monza Cathedral.
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