Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June, Varese will be animated by the World Rowing Championships, a competition that can also become an opportunity to discover the territory, starting from the five main cities of the province.
The first is Varese itself, known as Garden City for derives from the many parks and gardens that are located within the municipality, largely pertaining to villas here built between the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. It is also located at the foot of the Sacro Monte of Varese, which is part of the Campo dei Fiori and is home to an astronomical observatory, as well as the pre-Alpine geophysical centre. The homonymous lake marks the lowest edge of the city, lying on seven hills: San Pedrino, Giubiano, Campigli, Sant'Albino, Biumo Superiore, Montalbano and Miogni. The monuments of Varese consist of a rich historical and artistic heritage, of which numerous Romanesque architecture scattered among the hamlets of the city, and important evidence of the Baroque and Lombard baroque. Of particular importance is the basilica of San Vittore with its bell tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista. There are villas - Mirabello, in the complex of Palazzo Estense, Recalcati, Toeplitz, Panza, Ponti and Baragiola - and castles - of Belforte, Mantegazza; we also invite you to visit the Tower of Velate, among the FAI assets, and take a tour in the many parks, not least the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park, a naturalistic area of over 5,000 hectares. For those who do not give up a cultural moment, we suggest the Civic Archaeological Museum of Villa Mirabello, the Pogliaghi, that of Villa Panza and, finally, the Astronomical Observatory.
From Varese, by car or bus, we arrive in Luino, an ancient medieval village of Roman origin overlooking the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore or Verbano and nicknamed "Costa Fiorita". This location makes it a popular tourist destination. There are several monuments and points of interest to visit, including the churches of San Giuseppe and Madonna del Carmine, in which there are respectively a late Baroque organ of 1683 and a neoclassical one of 1857, in addition to Palazzo Verbania, Liberty building of the early '900 overlooking the lake, and the Statue of Garibaldi, the first to have been dedicated in Italy, erected in 1867 when the hero of the two worlds was still alive. From Luino, boats leave for Cannero Riviera, Cannobio, Locarno and Stresa.
Industrial and commercial center, Busto Arsizio, already inhabited in Roman times, was known in medieval times for the tanning of skins. Known in the sixteenth century for the processing of kegs, it developed in the nineteenth century thanks to the numerous spinning and weaving of cotton. Essentially an industrial city, Busto Arsizio preserves numerous ecclesiastical monuments, including several churches, a civic temple, a sanctuary and a basilica. Do not miss the Palazzo Mariani-Cicogna, of sixteenth-century origin), the shoe factory Giuseppe Borri, the cotton mill and the many villas and palaces. There are parks and green areas and about 80 farmhouses. Busto Arsizio can be reached from Varese by car or train.
Far away in time are the origins of Gallarate, reachable from Varese by car or train: archaeological evidence, in fact, dates it to the second millennium BC, although most of the finds are of Celtic-Gallic nature. Over the years, the city has become an increasingly industrial center, as we see from the many Art Nouveau buildings, now abandoned or converted and in the many chimneys. In some cases, the city’s factories built workers' villages, such as Villaggio Bellora, which became real new neighbourhoods, such as Cascinetta. In the city, you can admire several examples of religious architecture (the Basilica and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, churches, the Convent and the Sanctuary) and civil (the Monuments to the Fallen and the Resistance, the Civic Library), in addition to the Boschina, green and agricultural area of botanical and environmental interest and the Bassetti Park, considered the green lung of the city. Gallarate is also part of the Ticino Park. Do not miss the MA*GA, Museo Arte Gallarate, where you can admire different works of modern art - and, after the visit, give us an amaretto, typical of the area.
Saronno is the most densely populated municipality in the province of Varese, a city 27 kilometers away. The old town developed around the sacred buildings; among them, the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Miracles and the Church of St. Francis are worth a visit. As for the civil architecture, examples are Palazzo Visconti, dating back to the 16th century, Villa Giannetti with its style that recalls the typical features of the Romanesque Renaissance, the seventeenth-century Villa Koelliker and the working-class village of De Angeli-Frua. There are monuments such as the one "to gratitude", erected in 1830, the Fallen, dating back to 1925, the Fallen of the Resistance, inaugurated in 1968, and Garibaldi, a bronze bas-relief of 1883 - in addition to the MILS Museums - Museo delle Industrie e del Lavoro del Saronnese and Giuseppe Gatti, the latter centre for documentation and research in the field of visual and plastic arts. Typical product of the city is the Disaronno, a liqueur with an amber color and a typical taste of amaretto. Saronno can be reached from Varese by car or train.
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