Sacro Monte di Varese

The Sacro Monte di Varese is one of the 9 sacri monti within the Italian areas of Lombardy and Piedmont which had been inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2003. It has an altitude of 807 metres above sea-level. The Sacro Monte of Varese is placed a few kilometers from the metropolis and nestled in the regional park "Campo dei Fiori" which literally translates to "Field of Flowers". It consists of the Holy Road and the Sanctuary, in addition to the small medieval village surrounding the Sanctuary. The Holy Road with its 14 chapels, upward thrust up the mountain to the little village of Santa Maria del Monte and it ends with the Sanctuary devoted to the Virgin Mary.

The upward push is 2 kilometers along on a pebbly route, and each chapel represents one of the Mysteries of Jesus Christ’s lifestyles. You can find on the mountaintop the Sanctuary, the Cloister of Monache Romite Ambrosiane, The Museo Baroffio-e-del Santuario, the Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi, the permanent nativity scene, and specific restaurants, bars, a pizzeria, three resorts and a bed & breakfast. The lately restored Vellone-Sacro Monte funicular operates between a car parking zone at the first chapel "Prima Cappella" and the top of Sacro Monte on Saturdays and Sundays during most of the year.