Monza is located in the high plains of Lombardy, between Brianza and Milan, at an altitude of 162 metres (531 feet) above sea level.

It is 15 kilometres (9 mi) from the centre of the region's capital, although when considering the cities borders, they are separated by less than 5 km (3 miles).

The fork is known as Lambretto and it rejoins the main course of the Lambro as it exits to the south, leaving Monza through the now-demolished ancient circle of medieval walls.

Monza has a typical submediterranean climate of the Po valley, with cool, short winters and warm summers; temperatures are very similar to nearby Milan, averaging 2 °C (36 °F) in January, the coldest month, to about 23 °C (73 °F) in July, the warmest.

[6] Precipitation is abundant, with most occurring in the autumn and the least in winter and summer; despite this, the city and surrounding area usually does not suffer drought in any season.

Funerary urns found in the late 19th century show that humans were in the area dating at the least to the Bronze Age, when people would have lived in pile dwelling settlements raised above the rivers and marshes.

During the 3rd century BCE, the Romans subdued the Insubres, a Gaul tribe that had crossed the Alps and settled around Mediolanum (now Milan).

According to the legend, Theodelinda, asleep while her husband was hunting, saw a dove in a dream that told her: modo (Latin for "here") indicating that she should build the oraculum in that place, and the queen answered etiam, meaning "yes".

Under Berengar's reign, Monza enjoyed a certain degree of independence: it had its own system of weights and measures, and could also seize property and mark the deeds with their signatures.

Berengar was very generous evident by the donation of numerous works to the Monza Cathedral, including the famous cross, and by giving large benefits to its 32 canons and other churches.

Frederick declared that Monza was his property and also gave the Curraria (the right to levy customs on the streets), a right usually granted only to royal seats.

In 1185 Henry VI, son of Barbarossa, was crowned king at Monza, on the occasion of his marriage to Queen Constanza of Sicily, heir to the Norman kingdom.

The same year, Luchino Visconti and Francesco Garbagnate demolished the walls of Monza to prevent it from defending itself against attacks from the Milanese.

The Castle of Monza was later expanded to such a degree that it was necessary to demolish the St. Mary of Ingino church as space was needed for new buildings.

In 1380 Gian Galeazzo Visconti donated the castle to his wife Catherine, who died there after having been jailed by her son Giovanni Maria (1404).

De Leyva became Lord of Monza in 1529, devoting himself to the government regulation of ecclesiastical affairs, controlling their taxes and duties and shutting the doors of those who did not pay.

The choice of Monza was due not only to the beauty of the landscape, but also its strategic position and the fact that it was connected to Vienna as well as its proximity to Milan.

Two-thirds of the gold and silver treasures of the Monza Cathedral were delivered to the mint of Milan, which turned them into coins used for military expenses.

On 26 May 1805, the Iron Crown was in Milan for the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte, who put it on his head, uttering the famous phrase "God gave it to me, woe to anyone who touches it."

In the fall of the First Empire (1815), Austria annexed the Italian territories to the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, Monza being included in the province of Milan.

But the treasure and the Iron Crown had been transferred to Vienna by the Austrians and was returned to Monza only after the conclusion of the Third War of Italian Independence (December 1866).

To commemorate the spot of the crime, his successor Victor Emmanuel III ordered the construction of an Expiatory Chapel on Via Matteo da Campione.

Between the two world wars, the city's industrial structure did not undergo substantial change while recording significant increases in production volumes.

The Second World War, between 1940 and 1945, caused several bombings of Monza, with civilian casualties; after the September 1943 Italian Armistice, the area was occupied by the Germans.

The foundations remain under the crossing of nave and transept, but at the close of the 13th century, the chapel was enlarged by enclosing the former atrium within the building.

The treasury also contains the crown, fan and gold comb of Theodelinda, and, as well as Gothic crosses and reliquaries, a golden hen and seven chickens, representing Lombardy and her seven provinces.

Though the interior has suffered changes, there is a fine relief by Matteo da Campione representing a royal Lombard coronation, and some 15th-century frescoes with scenes from the life of Theodelinda.

[7] The Italian Grand Prix has been hosted at the Monza circuit in every single year of Formula One history bar one (1980), and although no Italian has won the race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966, the local support is for the Ferrari team, which has taken many historical wins on the circuit, especially with Michael Schumacher winning five times between 1996 and 2006.

Italy's last Formula One champion Alberto Ascari also died at the Monza circuit in 1955, but it was during a test of a road car rather than during a race.

Monza railway station is located on Enrico Arosio Road, on the southern edge of the historic city centre.