Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Varese (Italy). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Villa Toeplitz, Palazzo Estense, and Masnago Castle. Also, be sure to include Sacro Monte di Varese in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Varese (Lombardy).
Table of Contents
Villa Toeplitz
Villa Toeplitz is a historic villa located in Varese, Lombardy, Italy. It was built in 1901 and subsequently named after the banker Jósef Leopold Toeplitz, who bought the villa in 1914. It previously belonged to the Hannesens, a German family that used it as a country holiday house.
Villa Toeplitz is considered one of the ten most beautiful parks in Italy thanks to its carefully designed gardens, scenic fountains and water features. The villa also houses the headquarters of the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the University of Insubria, as well as the Ethno-Archeological Museum Castiglioni.[1]
Address: Via Gian Battista Vico, Varese
Palazzo Estense
Elegant estate with formal gardens. The Palazzo Estense is a Baroque palace built for Francesco III d'Este and the House of Este in Varese, Italy.
The palace was designed by architect Giuseppe Bianchi and was completed in 1760. It became the home, by purchase in 1765, of Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena who was also Austrian governor of Lombardy.
Today, the palace houses the civic administration of the local municipal council and hosts conferences and concerts. In May 2010 it hosted a meeting of G6 Interior Ministers.[2]
Masnago Castle
Museum in Varese, Italy. The Castello di Masnago is a castle, now a civic art museum, located atop a hill on Via Cola di Rienzo number 42 in Mantegazza Park in the quartiere of Masnago of the town of Varese, region of Lombardy, Italy. The oldest part of the castle is an 11th-century crenellated tower, much rebuilt over the centuries. On the ground floor, there is a frescoed room, the Sala degli Svaghi, and in the first floor two exhibition rooms – Sala dei Vizi and delle Virtù. Some of the latter frescoes pertain to the 15th-century school of Bonifacio Bembo.
The art museum has works by the Procaccini family, del Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (commonly Morazzone e di Pietro Antonio Magatti, among more modern artists are Innocente Salvini, Enrico Bay, and Renato Guttuso.
The Castello di Masnago stands on the top of a large lawn, a perfect place to read a book in search of some peace and quiet.[3]
Address: 42 Via Cola di Rienzo, Varese
Sacro Monte di Varese
Historic chapels with information and art. The Sacro Monte di Varese is one of the nine sacri monti in the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont which were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2003. It has an altitude of 807 metres above sea level.[4]
Address: Via dell'Assunzione, 21100 Varese
Civic Tower
Also known as: Torre Civica di Varese
Tower in Varese, Italy. "The Civic Tower has well-defined characters. His position is made according to the best points of view, in a harmonious whole, emotionally, and control, in the context of urban and architectural Square.. "
The Civic Tower of Varese or Littoria Tower (Italian: Torre Civica o Torre Littoria) is a square-shape tower, designed and built in the Fascist period. It is part of Piazza Monte Grappa.
It was designed by the Roman architect Mario Loreti and inaugurated in 1933, as part of the construction of Piazza Monte Grappa at the promotion of Varese as the provincial capital.[5]
Address: Varese, Piazza Monte Grappa
Villa Recalcati
Palace in Varese, Italy. Villa Recalcati is a Baroque palace in Varese, in the neighborhood Casbeno, in Italy. It is the headquarter of the Province of Varese and one of the two locations of the Prefecture of Varese.
Villa Recalcati was built in the first half of the eighteenth century next to an existing structure by Marquis Milanese Gabrio Recalcati, heir to an ancient lineage which was also part of Francesco Recalcati, Secretary of Ludovico il Moro.
Antonio Luigi Recalcati commissioned an enlargement of the structure between 1756 and 1776. The villa's illustrious guests included composer Giuseppe Verdi.
At the beginning of the 20th century the villa and its grounds were purchased by Giacomo Limido, Gerolamo Garoni and Eugenio Maroni Biroldi that transformed the building in the Varese's Grand Hotel Excelsior. Varese in 1927 became the capital of the Province and in 1931 the provincial institution bought the entire building.[6]
Address: Piazza Liberta n. 1, 21100 Varese
Palazzo and estensi gardens with Villa Mirabello
The Villa Mirabello Civic Archaeological Museum is a museum in Varese, housed since 1949 in the Villa Mirabello of the same name.
Address: Piazza della Motta 4, 21100 Varese
Villa Cicogna Mozzoni
Tourist attraction in Bisuschio, Italy. The Villa Cicogna Mozzoni is a rural patrician residence in Bisuschio, near Varese, Province of Varese, region of Lombardy, Italy. It is an example of Lombard Renaissance architecture.[7]
Address: Viale Cicogna, 8, 21050 Bisuschio
Villa Panza
Museum, Architecture, Art gallery, Shopping, Art museum, Park, Historical place
Address: Piazza Litta, 1, 21100 Varese
Induno Olona
Town in Italy. Induno Olona is a town and comune in Italy, in north-western Lombardy, 60 kilometres north of Milan, in the Province of Varese. It has a population, in 2007, of c. 10,200.[8]
Casa museo Lodovico Pogliaghi
Museum, Specialty museum
Address: Via Beata Giuliana, 5, 21100 Varese