Risotto alla Milanese rice, saffron, beef marrow and butter, creamy and soft
Rice, saffron, beef marrow and butter: Milan's golden dish, tied by legend to a glassmaker of the Duomo in 1574.
Read more →Varese as a province is a twentieth-century invention: created by decree in 1927 out of towns that had belonged to Como and Milan. Four cities appear on its coat of arms, Varese, Busto Arsizio, Gallarate and Saronno, and the first two are almost identical in size. 138 municipalities and close to 872,000 residents sit between the Swiss border to the north and Milan to the south.
Varese itself and Saronno are the easiest bases if you are coming from Milan, while Busto Arsizio and Gallarate carry as much weight as the capital does. Samarate, a town of just over sixteen thousand, is home to the world's largest helicopter manufacturer, which tells you what kind of province this is. Mid-sized towns like Tradate and Somma Lombardo are worth a stop, because no single city dominates here.
Towns in the province of Varese
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138 towns
Agra Albizzate Angera Arcisate Arsago Seprio Azzate Azzio Barasso Bardello Bedero Valcuvia Besano Besnate Besozzo Biandronno Bisuschio Bodio Lomnago Brebbia Bregano Brenta Brezzo di Bedero Brinzio Brissago-Valtravaglia Brunello Brusimpiano Buguggiate Busto Arsizio Cadegliano-Viconago Cadrezzate con Osmate Cairate Cantello Caravate Cardano al Campo Carnago Caronno Pertusella Caronno Varesino Casale Litta Casalzuigno Casciago Casorate Sempione Cassano Magnago Cassano Valcuvia Castellanza Castello Cabiaglio Castelseprio Castelveccana Castiglione Olona Castronno Cavaria con Premezzo Cazzago Brabbia Cislago Cittiglio Clivio Cocquio-Trevisago Comabbio Comerio Cremenaga Crosio della Valle Cuasso al Monte Cugliate-Fabiasco Cunardo Curiglia con Monteviasco Cuveglio Cuvio Daverio Dumenza Duno Fagnano Olona Ferno Ferrera di Varese Gallarate Galliate Lombardo Gavirate Gazzada Schianno Gemonio Gerenzano Germignaga Golasecca Gorla Maggiore Gorla Minore Gornate Olona Grantola Inarzo Induno Olona Ispra Jerago con Orago Lavena Ponte Tresa Laveno-Mombello Leggiuno Lonate Ceppino Lonate Pozzolo Lozza Luino Luvinate Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca Malgesso Malnate Marchirolo Marnate Marzio Masciago Primo Mercallo Mesenzana Montegrino Valtravaglia Monvalle Morazzone Mornago Oggiona con Santo Stefano Olgiate Olona Origgio Orino Porto Ceresio Porto Valtravaglia Rancio Valcuvia Ranco Saltrio Samarate Sangiano Saronno Sesto Calende Solbiate Arno Solbiate Olona Somma Lombardo Sumirago Taino Ternate Tradate Travedona-Monate Tronzano Lago Maggiore Uboldo Valganna Varano Borghi Varese Capital Vedano Olona Venegono Inferiore Venegono Superiore Vergiate Viggiù Vizzola Ticino
The top 15 places in Varese
Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Basilica di San Giovanni Battista 📍 Busto Arsizio Baroque basilica after Richini, begun in 1609, with a fifteenth-century bell tower. 
2 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Basilica di Santa Maria 📍 Gallarate Gallarate's nineteenth-century basilica, with a single nave 89 metres long and a fifteenth-century bell tower. 
3 🏰 Castles & palaces Castello di Belforte 📍 Varese Castle above Belforte in Varese, host to Barbarossa in 1164 and 1175; today in a state of neglect. - 4 Chiesa di Madonna in Campagna Busto Arsizio · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 5 Chiesa di San Francesco Gallarate · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 6 Chiesa di San Francesco Saronno · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 7 Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo Busto Arsizio · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 8 Chiesa di San Pietro Gallarate · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 9 Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate Saronno · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 10 Palazzo Marliani-Cicogna Busto Arsizio · 🖼️ Museums
- 11 Palazzo Visconti Saronno · 🏰 Castles & palaces
- 12 Sacro Monte di Varese Varese · 🌋 Nature & views
- 13 Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli Saronno · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 14 Santuario di Santa Maria di Piazza Busto Arsizio · ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries
- 15 Villa Mirabello Varese · 🖼️ Museums
Varese and around, on the map
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
🍝 At the table: Lombardy
Sbrisolona crumbly almond and cornmeal cake, broken by hand
White and yellow flour, almonds, butter and sugar, broken by hand: sbrisolona is Mantova's cake, already served at the Gonzaga court.
Read more →✨ Lombardy by theme
🛶 Lakes 6 🏛️ UNESCO heritage 4 🏘️ Villages 3 🏔️ Mountains 3 🍷 Food & wine 2 ♨️ Spa towns 2
Tours, tickets and experiences
Bookable on GetYourGuideProvince of Varese
Upcoming events in Varese
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Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo
📅 Every year, on 4 November
On 4 November Cazzago Brabbia celebrates its patron Saint Charles Borromeo; the town borders the Palude Brabbia nature reserve and preserves the Ponti pile-dwelling site.
Feast of Saint Martin
📅 Every year, on 11 November
On 11 November Barasso celebrates its patron Saint Martin, to whom the church in the town centre is dedicated.
Feast of Saint Martin
📅 Every year, on 11 November
On 11 November Besano celebrates its patron Saint Martin; the town hosts the civic fossil museum, linked to the finds of Monte San Giorgio.
Saint Martin the bishop, patron of Besnate
📅 Every year, on 11 November
Besnate celebrates Saint Martin the bishop on 11 November, in the church dedicated to him.