CITY HOTEL - LAKE VARESE
CITY HOTEL – LAKE VARESE
25km - 2,5 hours - medium difficulty
A medium difficulty itinerary leading to the discovery of some lesser-known corners of the Province, hidden in plain view just outside the city of Varese.
Soon after leaving the hotel, having crossed the city center in Piazza Monte Grappa, beating heart of Varese’s city life, we cycle in front of the Palazzo Estense, seat of the City Government, with its splendid Italian-style gardens.
At the roundabout, turning to the left, we continue on towards Piazza Libertà, with another great palace testifying to the wealth flowing through Varese in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Villa Recalcati, now housing the Provincial Government, is an elegant building with vast landscaped gardens embellished by exotic and rare botanical specimens.
An easy downhill stretch crosses the neighborhood of Bobbiate, moving in the direction of the Varese Lake. But we are not going to the lakeshore: taking Via del Molino and then making a left turn towards Lissago, we must tackle a short uphill stretch, flanked by ancient residences in pure Lombard style and arriving to a secret treasure. We are now in the village of Mustonate, ancient rural settlement on the banks of Lake Varese, fully restored in style, with many beautiful private residences.
This is a good place to take a break and admire the view over the lake, the hills and the crown of Alps beyond. A short visit of the small church of San Lorenzo, mentioned in ancient chronicles as far back as the Twelfth Century and on we go towards the cycling lane around Lake Varese, which we will encounter in just a few minutes.
Just enough time to get accustomed to the soft up-and-down track and a detour will lead us to admire the second "gem" of today's itinerary. We are referring to the Voltorre Cloister, part of a flourishing Benedictine monastery, established here since at least the Twelfth Century, nowadays often employed to host major art exhibits, events and festivals.
Leaving Voltorre in the direction of Barasso we must tackle an uphill section, where we will certainly come to appreciate the assistance of our electric bikes. A few minutes of tough pedaling and we will be crossing the SS2394 road, which we will take in the direction of Varese. Soon we will pass in front of the Luvinate Golf Club, another former monastery, lovingly restored, and leave the trafficked road at the streetlight marking the crossroads with Via San Vito, where we will take a left.
For a couple of kilometers we will be pedaling along a quiet road in a residential area - at the first roundabout we must keep to our left, taking Via Poggio and then Via Pani dell’Occo. The last part of the latter road is unpaved. Afterwards, an easy ascent on a paved street, slowly winding up the hill, will take us right in front of the sports center "Il Poggio", which we will leave to our left, taking a semi-hidden unpaved path (the n. 10 route of the Campo dei Fiori Nature Reserve). It is an opportunity for a leisurely pedal on a soft track immersed in a pristine natural environment.
After a while we must get off our bikes and carry them for about 10 meters up a small set of stairs leading back to a paved road and then onwards on a cobblestone path. We are now in the vicinity of Velate, a neighborhood leaning on the first hills around Varese. In olden times, Velate was an independent municipality, before being absorbed in the town of Varese, and was know as the traditional starting point for pilgrims setting out for the Sacro Monte. A series of criss-crossing paths, in any case leading in the same general direction, will quickly take us to the center of the village, where we may choose to visit the massive church dedicated to Saint Stephen.
From here on, we will be cycling back to the hotel, going downhill all the way, passing in front of the F. Ossola stadium, then along Via Crispi and straight into the city center. A quick glance at the window-fronts of Corso Matteotti, Varese's main shopping street, and we will soon find our way back to the hotel.
