Description
Connected with Varese since 1953 by a funicular, the Sacro Monte lies in the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park instituted in 1984 to preserve the environmental and monumental treasures of the mountain massif that overlooks Varese.
The Sacro Monte was conceived in the late 16th c. by the Capucin monk A.B. Aguggiari around the pre-existing path that led to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte. The sanctuary had been rebuilt in 1472 over a small church that tradition says was built by Sant'Ambrogio.
The route winds for about 2 km. on which 14 chapels illustrate the mysteries of the rosary (Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation in the temple, Dispute in the temple, Discourse in the garden, Flagellation, Crown of Thorns, Calvary, Crucifixion, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption of the Virgin).
The chapels are an example of the Counter-Reforming spirit of the Borromean era and were designed by the Varese architect Giuseppe Bernascone.
Decorated with frescoes and terracotta statues on which the best Milanese, Ticinese and Venetian artists worked (including C. Prestinari, C. Nuvolone, G. Ghisolfi and B. Ghiandone), the elegance of the architecture and beauty of the panorama make the chapels the most traditional of outings around Varese.
Note the Eclectic and Art Nouveau villas along the route (Villa Borani, Villa Agosteo, Villa Pogliaghi) that add to the beauty of the Campo dei Fiori park.