 Immediately after, however, the Lombards came down from Friuli and in 569 conquered Milan.A contingent from the Byzantine Empire, under the command of "magister militum" Francione, resisted in Esino Lario for 20 years, avoiding the large reprisals that followed the death of king Alboin and housing wealthy Roman refugees.In the end, Francione had to repair in Isola Comacina and, after six months of siege, surrender.