Varese is a city in northern Italy on the border with Switzerland which is part of Lombardy. The province of Varese is located in the Laghi area between southern Ticino in Switzerland and Lake Maggiore, Italy. Varese is situated over 7 hills and the foothills of the sacred mountain Sacro Monte, which is part of the Campo dei Fiori (a nature reserve) and is home to, among other things an astronomical observatory.
With its 80,000 inhabitants is certainly worth a visit. The city has many small surrounding villages and offers both a cozy town center, the opportunity to enjoy spectacular views of Lake Varese and the Alps. Take the opportunity to jump on a bike or walk the landscaped 28km path around the lake. Varese is located not too far from Milan, Como, Lake Maggiore and the major Swiss cities like Lugano, Locarno and Bellinzona - and is a perfect base for visiting other places of northern Italy and southern Switzerland.
Varese is a city full of parks, and therefore it is known as "La Città Giardino" - "The Garden City" because it has a myriad of enchanting parks where there are playgrounds for children and benches for the adults. One of the nicest parks / gardens are at the "Palazzo e Giardini Estensi" which has often been referred to as Italy's most beautiful, built in the 18th century. The garden belongs to the town hall and is open to all, which you should take advantage of and enjoy.
The city's biggest tourist attraction is probably holy mountain "Sacro Monte", which is known for its 14 chapels that were built on a route up the mountain in the 16th and 17th centuries. This route of approximately 2.5 km to the top was enrolled at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list, along with the eighth and ninth pilgrimage route in Lombardy and Piedmont.
The village of Santa Maria del Monte is located at the top and is worth a visit because of the magnificent view from which, on a clear day, see as far as Gallarate, Milan, Novara, Torino, the whole chain of the Alps to the border the Mediterranean Sea - and it is a "must" to visit the church of "Santa Maria del Monte", which is a very old, built in 1472 and most artistically interesting.
In the city center, there is often social events on offer where the entire pedestrian area can be full of exhibitors showing their paintings or the flea market where there's opportunity to find numerous bargains. Most of the side streets that connect the pedestrian zone offer many small remote cafes and quaint local shops through winding narrow streets. Italy at its best!
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