Fondazione Ugo Da Como - Rocca di Lonato (Brescia)

Ugo Da Como

Born in 1869 in Brescia, he graduated in Rome in law. He was a faithful friend and continuer of G. Zanardelli in the liberal democratic current.

After being deputy for Lonato and undersecretary of the Treasury several times, he was named Senator in 1920.

He created the National Fund for the Social Insurances in 1923 and held this office thereafter.

In the mid-twenties he gradually departed from the political life and began to stay in Lonato more frequently. He devoted himself not only to his collections and to his books, but he also carried out some historical researches to rediscover important chapters of the past of Brescia, especially those regarding the Risorgimento and the Napoleonic period.

When he died in 1941, he provided the establishment of an autonomous body which would promote and support culture. That’s why he assigned to the "Casa del Podestà" the enormous collection of books, built with great passion and attention. The Library he left, with its 30000 volumes, is one of the most important private collections in northern Italy and the books are datable from the 12th century on.

His life has also to be reminded for the particular consideration he had for the unlucky social classes: great examples are his activity for the Association "L’Amico del Popolo" ("The Friend of the People"), where he helped poor people with legal problems, and the creation of a library, named after his father Giuseppe da Como, intended to encourage education by the poor.