The Sacro Monte of Varese is located on the slopes of the Parco dei Fiori and is a site recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The one in Varese is part of the nine sacred pre-Alpine mountains present in Lombardy and Piedmont. The Sacro Monte of Varese consists of a devotional route that climbs to the summit of the village of Santa Maria del Monte passing through 14 chapels. This Via Sacra consists of a two kilometer cobbled road that can only be traveled on foot.
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Sacro Monte di Varese: how to get there and where to park (free)
How to get there, with E-VAI, it's very easy: just rent a car E-VAI in one of the over 150 stations in Lombardy, the electric charging will be complete and included in the price.
Once you jump aboard E-VAI, you need to reach the A8 “dei laghi” motorway, Varese exit; from there cross the city center and follow the signs for Sacro Monte. The directions will lead to the Sant'Ambrogio district, and before reaching the First Chapel it is possible to park the car in the car park located in Piazzale Montanari or in the adjacent streets and subsequently. If you want to drive to the top, there is a car park adjacent to the village of Santa Maria del Monte.
To park your car at the Sacro Monte di Varese there are parking spaces located in Piazzale Montanari or in the streets preceding the arrival at the first chapel. These are the two options for those who want to do the Sacred Way on foot. If, however, you wish to reach the village of Santa Maria del Monte there is a car park at the top regulated by a parking meter; but with E-VAI all paid parking is free thanks to its partnership with the Municipality of Varese.
Sacro Monte di Varese: walk of the chapels
From here begins the first part of our wonderful route which winds for 2km and encompasses 15 chapels (as many as the mysteries of the rosary) built in the 17th century, the last one resides inside the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte alla end of the climb unlike the first 14 which are on the classic route.
Each chapel is a work of art in its own right. Each one different from the other, meticulously cared for by the genius of Giuseppe Bernascone who filled them with frescoes and sculptures that will fill your eyes.
Many define it as "the best sacromonte of all the Sacro Monti".
If the art and beauty of each chapel were not enough, here there is an incredible glimpse of Varese and Milan to keep you company. On clear days it lets you savor the entire Milanese skyline with its beautiful golden Madonna, the modern skyscrapers, the Apennines and the Alps, from Monviso to Monte Rosa. Once you reach the top, after the 14th chapel, you reach the village of Sacro Monte, with a beautiful fountain depicting an impervious and solemn Moses.
Sacro Monte di Varese: the abandoned hotel
Going towards the mountain you can find a small bar-restaurant, for a refreshment, and right next to it there is a small road that goes up into the woods.
Once this climb is finished, an abandoned hotel stands out against the sky, eerie and disturbing.
We are in the early 900s, an economic boom in Milan and its surroundings makes the Sacro Monte and Campo dei Fiori one of the most sought-after destinations in northern Lombardy.
Giuseppe Sommaruga, a great architect of the time, was the creator: a large 200-room Art Nouveau hotel, connected to the city by an emerald green funicular capable of blending in with the trees that surrounded it.
Construction was completed in 1912.
From 1950 the hotel began a downward curve that led to its abandonment, while in 1968 the hotel officially closed its doors. The structure was mainly used as a reception center for the sick and wounded during the Second World War.
Today, for many, the hotel is still alive: some rumors tell of a structure haunted by the ghosts of all the people who died during the world conflict.
The legends about the abandoned hotel have now been handed down for 3 generations: they started to make so much noise that they were the inspiration for the Suspiria theater and Luca Guadagnino's film.
Today the hotel is permanently closed, but the FAI, Italian Environment Fund, gives the more adventurous the opportunity to take guided tours inside.
Sacro Monte di Varese: ladder in the sky and cannon
Going back down a few steps from the hotel square, skirting the entire mountain, you reach one of the most evocative places in the entire flower park, the so-called "staircase in the sky".
The view is electrifying: the stairs are built into the rock, with a metal handrail that prevents the leap into the void, to which hundreds of colored cloth handkerchiefs are attached.
At the end of the staircase, which is not very easy, you arrive at the cannon square which acts as the pupil of an iris made up of the beauties of the area: Valcuvia, Valtravaglia, Luino and the Sass de Ferr above Laveno.
In reality, the very famous cannon was taken away in 2017 for restoration, but the name of the square remained as such.
Sacro Monte of Varese: Orino Fort
At the end of the climb you find yourself in front of a stupendous viewpoint, one of the most beautiful points of the entire walk: from here you can see Lake Varese, Lake Comabbio, Lake Monate and a small piece of Lake Maggiore.
To the right of the viewpoint, here is the beginning of an aphrodisiac walk: the very famous path 301.
Surrounded by a forest with centuries-old trees, populated by beeches and conifers, there are also some natural wells from which you can see the heart of the Sacred Mountain, obviously all the wells are made safe.
Here we are at the end: after about an hour of walking, we finally arrive at the Orino Fort.
It is an incredible medieval structure, perched on this strip of rock and which has remained attached to the mountain for centuries, and which, seen from below, seems to touch the sky with its mighty spires and meticulously decorated battlements.
You realize you have arrived at the Orino Fort precisely because you reach the end of the road. Here the spectacle is once again magnificent: walls of snow-capped mountains that surround your entire field of vision.
Sacro Monte di Varese: why go there with E-VAI
E-VAI is the electric car sharing active within the Lombardy Region: it allows you to travel throughout the European Union and Switzerland using latest generation low environmental impact cars with harmful emissions reduced to a minimum. The cars of E-VAI they are a sustainable and at the same time comfortable choice: in addition to guaranteeing eco-friendly travel, they allow those who drive them to have free access to Limited Traffic Zones and free parking on blue and yellow lines. The cars of E-VAI they can be rented not only from Milan or Varese, but from each of them over 70 destinations covered throughout Lombardy. Reaching Varese will be simple even for those arriving from far away: in fact, car sharing E-VAI it is perfectly connected to the three regional airports and all the most important railway junctions.
