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Our top 5

  • Sacro Monte di Varese

the Sacro Monte a religious complex - now UNESCO Site - composed of 14 Chapels, the Shrine and the Crypt. 

It's very nice to walk up to the village along the 2 km pilgrims’ trail. You start walking from here. 

Once on the top: 

Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi and Museo Baroffio

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Eat: there are many restaurant in the village such as Il Convivio, Ristorante Montorfano, Ristorante Sacro Monte and many others.

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  • Borromeo Isles on the Lake Maggiore:

They are 3 different isles with botanical gardens, parks, villas. Just the smallest, Isola dei Pescatori, is inhabited.

Isole Borromee - https://www.isoleborromee.it/en/

The easiest way is to drive to Laveno Mombello, park the car and catch the boat here.

here boat timetable  https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/tickets-and-timetables-lake-maggiore/)

 

Perched on a sheer rock face overlooking the lake, the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is without a doubt one of the most evocative settings on Lake Maggiore.​

 

  • Castiglione Olona and the Collegiate Church Compound:

https://www.museocollegiata.it/home-3/​

“The Tuscan island in Lombardy”: this is the famous definition given by the XIX century writer Gabriele d’Annunzio to Castiglione Olona, town that still preserves the character of a Renaissance jewel. The most important monument founded by Branda is the Collegiate church, built on the top of the upper hill of the village, on the site of the ancient castle. Masolino's frescoes are one of the most important part.​​

 

The old defensive castle and the The Museum of Dolls and Toys

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Just outside the door

  • Waterfall Fermona (Ferrera di Varese) about 2 km from the apt. you can bath.

https://www.varesedoyoulake.it/it/cascate-della-ferrera

you can park here and reach it with a short walk. The biggest waterfall is not the first you meet, it's about 50 mt ahead.

If you like walking you can reach it along the bicycle lane near the lake. â€‹On the QR Map is called "Cunardo - Ganna, Badia San Gemolo"

  • Cassano Valcuvia Document Center relating to the Northern Frontier defense line "Cadorna Line" and the Battle of San Martino during II World War. From Cassano Valcuvia there are many trails along which you can walk in trenches and defensive galleries. For Example the Ridotto di San Giuseppe

Lake Maggiore

  • Borromeo Isles on the Lake Maggiore:

They are 3 different isles with botanical gardens, parks, villas. Just the smallest, Isola dei Pescatori, is inhabited.

Isole Borromee - https://www.isoleborromee.it/en/

The easiest way is to drive to Laveno Mombello, park the car and catch the boat here.

here boat timetable  https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/tickets-and-timetables-lake-maggiore/)

 

Perched on a sheer rock face overlooking the lake, the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso is without a doubt one of the most evocative settings on Lake Maggiore.

​

The old defensive castle and the The Museum of Dolls and Toys

​

Best places for beaches:

  • Porto Valtravaglia

  • Caldè

  • Cerro

  • Reno

  • Arolo​

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Luino

To see:

Palazzo Verbania

Chiesa del Carmine - Link

Chiesa di San Giuseppe - Link

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Shopping:

Clothing and sports clothing: Crespi Sport 

For kids: VIK - Very Important Kids

Delicatessen: Salumeria Ramon 

Ice cream: Gelateria Cagliani

Restaurant: Al Cantinone

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From Luino you can enjoy some scenic hiking trails like:

  • Luino - Colmegna gpx here

you can go and come back from the same track or catch the train to come back. There is the train station both in Luino and Colmegna. From Colmegna is it possible to continue and reach Maccagno - Gpx here.

  • ​Luino - Brezzo di Bedero gpx here. Easy path to reach the center of Bedero by going up the Alto Verbano path along the valley of the San Giovanni stream, crossing the Bosco delle Fate in a shaded environment rich in flora and fauna and then discovering the part of the fortifications of the Cadorna Line around the Canonica. 

Varese city tour and surroundings

What to see in the city: 

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Just outside the city

  • The Sacro Monte a religious complex - now UNESCO Site - composed of 14 Chapels, the Shrine and the Crypt.

It's very nice to walk up to the village along the 2 km pilgrims’ trail. You start walking from here. 

Once on the top: 

Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi and Museo Baroffio

 

If you want, you can easily reach Varese from Cunardo by bus.

The Bus stop is here and you can buy ticket here (tickets on board are sold with a surplus)

Other

Lago Maggiore - costal route Luino-Angera

Driving along the coastal route from Luino to Angera you can stop in those sites:​

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Most famous beaches along the route:

  • Porto Valtravaglia

  • Caldè

  • Cerro

  • Reno

  • Arolo

Lago Maggiore - costal route Piedmont side

Driving along the costal route on the Piedmont side those are some nice places to stop:​

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Milano

You can easily reach the centre of Milan by train from Varese or from Induno Olona in about 50 minutes.

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You can ask for the ticket called “io viaggio ovunque in Lombardia - 1 Giorno” 

This ticket allows you to travel with local public transport services throughout Lombardy for the whole day.

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Train timetable here: http://www.trenord.it/it/home.aspx

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Como

You can easily reach the centre of Como (Station is called Como S. Giovanni) by train from Induno Olona in about 50 minutes.

Note that this route pass through Switzerland: do not forget your ID.​

​Train timetable here: http://www.trenord.it/it/home.aspx or here: https://www.sbb.ch/en

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​To see in Como:

  • City center

  • Como Cathedral - Duomo

  • Basilica San Fedele

  • Villa Olmo

  • Pinacoteca Civica: Paintings, sculptures and more, from the Middle Ages to contemporary times and then to 20th-century studies related to futurism, rationalism and design - Link

  • Tempio Voltiano:  is a monument dedicated to the inventor of the electric battery Alessandro Volta. Inside you can enjoy the exhibits of a rich sample of equipment, machines and instruments, which allow the visitor to easily and comprehensively identify the themes that were the subject of Alessandro Volta's studies and research, starting from the invention of the pile, to continue with the fundamental contributions in the field of electrology, in the study of gases and their properties - Link

  • Funicular Como-Brunate. In Brunate you can admire the view on the flat lands below. From Brunate you can walk about 1,5km uphill to San Maurizio to the Faro Voltiano (another monument dedicated to Alessandro Volta). Eat tip for traditional Lombardy meal: La Polenteria - https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uqn6629oDdeNyHtr6

 

A typical sweet you can find only in Como is "La Nuvola" 

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