In the Wonders of a Garden City: A Day in Varese

Who would ever have said that from Campo dei fiori you can admire the seven hills? If in Rome this is not possible, it is instead so in Varese, a splendid Lombard garden city, built on seven hills just like the capital. The municipality is in fact in a characteristic position, at the foot of the Sacro Monte di Varese, which is part of the Campo dei fiori massif, and its territory lies between 238 and 1150 metres above sea level, a condition that takes visitors to the city pleasantly up and down beautiful panoramic roads that had enthused even Stendhal. The place name Varese reveals Celtic origins, a language in which "vara" stands for "water", in this case the water of Lake Varese.

In fact, if we had happened to be in these parts around 5000 BC, we would have found a series of fascinating pile dwellings built on the lake, in particular near the Isolino Virginia, inhabited by prehistoric peoples already aware of the fact that Varese was a very pleasant place to live. Today the lake is a stunning corner of peace, inhabited by charming swans and ducks. Our walk continues towards the middle part of the mountain, where we visit the hamlet of Santa Maria del Monte, whose small fortress was at the centre of bitter struggles between papacy and empire during the Middle Ages. Today few traces of the stronghold remain, visible among the private houses and incorporated into the famous Sanctuary, the culminating point of the Via del Rosario.

The Sanctuary, a destination for numerous pilgrims and also chosen as a place of hermitage, was founded between the eighth and ninth centuries AD, and was then enlarged and restructured several times over the course of history. We continue discovering Varese in the historic centre, very rich in monuments to visit. Among them stand out the Basilica of San Vittore, built between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries on a pre-existing fourteenth-century structure, and the Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, erected between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Inside the Basilica we admire several precious seventeenth-century works of art by Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, Giovanni Battista Crespi and Francesco Cairo.

From the thirteenth-century atmospheres of the Baptistery we move to Piazza del Podestà and from there go to visit several other beautiful churches, including that of San Giuseppe and that of Sant'Antonio Abate in Piazza Motta. After these artistic beauties, a short walk is enough to reach a green oasis, namely the Estensi Gardens. We visit the sumptuous Palazzo Estense, seat of the Town Hall, and once the residence of Francesco III d'Este, who, during a visit to Varese in 1755, was so fascinated by the city that he asked Maria Theresa of Austria for it as a fief, and she granted it to him. So Francesco had the villa restored and created the splendid garden. After having wandered far and wide around Varese, we think we deserve a nice dinner, so we move to the nearby Viale Valganna, and after parking in front of the venue, we settle in at the Ristorante Pizzeria La Vecchia 2001.

Our table is next to a stunning painting depicting the Valley of the Temples, a decoration that reveals that we will be able to taste numerous Sicilian specialities, given the Agrigento origins of the owner Salvatore, who has run the restaurant since 2001 together with his partner Elena, Andrea and their long-standing collaborator, Ivano. "This venue was inaugurated about forty years ago by Giorgio, and it is one of the oldest pizzerias in Varese. Before we took it over it had futuristic decor, inspired by the film "2001: A Space Odyssey"," Salvatore tells us. We begin by tasting some excellent pizzas, including the Principe, with vegetables and a Palermo-style gratin, the Mamma Teresa, with porcini, peppers, spicy salami and goat's cheese, and the Mascalzone, so called because it is half pizza and half calzone.

The rest of the group, who opt instead for the restaurant specialities, begin to let themselves go with a very rich appetiser in the name of the flavours of warm Sicily. We take the warm Palermo-style octopus with oil and lemon, the moscardini alla Luciana, and the "Fantasia mista", a dish that brings together many seafood specialities. We continue with the house "strozzapreti 2001", with king prawns and porcini mushrooms, the paccheri with langoustines, fresh tomatoes and raw grated courgettes, as well as the fantastic orecchiette with friarielli. We wash down these goodies with wines from all over the national territory, giving precedence to some good Sicilian wine such as the Mille e una notte.

Among the main courses we taste the Messina-style tuna and swordfish, stewed with tomato, garlic and aromas, the Palermo-style swordfish, breaded and grilled, and a lovely fillet with Nero d'Avola. We conclude in great sweetness with the house tiramisù and a superb original Sicilian cassata. In this wonderful garden city there is still much to discover: it will be a pleasure to do so during the warm weekends of the season.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante La Vecchia 2001 Viale Valganna, 160 Varese (VA) Tel.: 0332/499310