Merate (/məˈrɑːteɪ/; Brianzöö: Meraa) is a municipality of 15.020 inhabitants in the province of Lecco, in the northern Italian region of Lombardy.

The name Melatum appeared for the first time in the 4th century; it may be derived from the Greek for black/gloomy/dark because of the presence of woods, or from the Italian for apple (mela): an important fruit from the region.

During the fighting between the Torriani and the Visconti families for the supremacy of Milan, Merate (in particular the castle) suffered considerable damage.

Starting from the end 19th century light pollution from Milan disturbed the activities of the Brera astronomical observatory.

Nonetheless, the observatory is still used for research activities (leader in the production of X-ray optics), as well as course- and thesis-work for the students of Milan University.