The Sacro Monte (Sacred Mount) in Varese (in the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park), belongs to the group of nine pre-Alpine mountains Saints in Piedmont and Lombardy; registered in 2003 in the UNESCO list of World Heritage. It consists of fourteen chapels dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary, which lead to the sanctuary of ‘Santa Maria del Monte’, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages, constituting the fifteenth chapel which retains an organ in 1831. The construction began in 1604, along two kilometers of a plot cobbled. The Borgo di Santa Maria del Monte, where the sanctuary is , is connected to the rest of the city by a small road and also by a historic funicular recently restarted.
Tips
You can park your car in the parking lot and if you do not want to continue on foot, there is an elevator that will take you almost to the top. From there, you have a beautiful view of the city and mountains.
If you do not want to drive with the car in the narrow mountain road, there is a bus that will leave you in the parking lot and you can continue by walking trails or just take the elevator if you do not want to do any effort.
Wear preferably sneakers because it is not easy to go through the cobblestone paths with slippery shoes or heels.
