Fortresses and castles

As a frontier land, Varese is punctuated with fortresses and castles, which, having lost their defensive function, became delicious places where to spend some peaceful days.

Fortresses and castles rise high on the hills: once inaccessible, today they are available for anyone who wishes to capture their architectural and artistic beauties.

The itinerary begins in the lowest part of the Province of Varese, where to discover the Visconti Castles of Cislago - with the town’s typical U form-, of Fagnano Olona - which still preserves a remarkable historical tower-, of Jerago and of Somma Lombardo.

Few kilometers off we find the Masnago Castle, today hosting the Contemporary Art Gallery of Varese, and a little further, the Tower of Velate, whose origins date back to the Eleventh century. We can then move to Induno Olona, to discover the castle Medici di Marignano, with its inner high quality and remarkable manufacture furniture.

In Angera, the magnificent Rocca Borromeo rises upon a rocky spur from which it is possible to admire a splendid foreshortening of Lake Maggiore. Inside the Rocca, the prestigious Museo della Bambola (Doll Museum) gathers wooden and tin toys, books and journals for kids, and iconographic material from Eighteenth century until today.