devotional routes

Santa Maria del Monte upon Varese
The Holy Mount UNESCO Property

Among the nine Pre-Alps Holy Mounts of Piedmont and Lombardy, ours has been counted among the goods of UNESCO Mankind Property since 2003.
The about 2km-long cobbled route is dedicated to the cult of the Virgin and it is made up of 14 marvellous chapels of XVII cent., housing terracotta statues and frescoes telling the 3 mysteries of the Rosary. The Sanctuary is perched on the top of the walking path. It is rich in works of art and, around it, there are a monastery, still now housing some Ambrose (?) hermit nuns, and a village full of history and charm as well as dotted with scenic views from where you can admire the natural beauty of the land.

Length: full day
Car parking: free
Monuments admission free (except Baroffio and Sanctuary Museum)
Packed lunch or at a restaurant of typical local cuisine
Tour suitable for school-children, individual tourists, groups, pilgrims

For more information ask for the programme:
chiarapalumbo@arteparte.com

 

monasteries and cloisters

St.Gemolus’s Abbey at Ganna
Benedectine Fructuariensis Monastery in Valganna

The monastic complex, developed time after time from XII cent. on, was born from the cult of Gemolus martyr and it is made up of the fine Romanesque church with the 14th-15th centuries frescoes, of the heavy bell tower and of the peculiar and cosy pentagonal cloister that clashes with the wider guest quarters. The complex is enriched with a small parrish museum and a pleasant walk through the area of the Wildlife Reserve of Ganna Lake, a zone of particular botanical and naturalist value which leads you to the spot where the Saint was beheaded, so it is told.

Length: 1/2 day or  full day
Car parking: free
Monuments admission free
Lunch at a restaurant of typical local cuisine
Tour suitable for school-children, individual tourists, groups, pilgrims

Other monasteries and cloisters: St. Catherine Hermitage - Leggiuno, St. Michael’s Monastery - Voltorre, St. Antonino’s Cloister - Varese

For more information ask for the programme:
chiarapalumbo@arteparte.com

 

churches and sanctuaries

Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Miracles in Saronno
The craddle of Marian Renaissance

Among the most famous destinations of pilgrimage for the devotion to the Virgin, the Sanctuary was built in 1498 and it was dedicated to the “Madonna of the Miracle” ( a second half-XIV cent.-statue, which was thought to be able to recover sick people). The imposing Renaissance building houses precious paintings and sculptures by the best artists of that period, working in the Lombard duchy: Bernardino Luini, Gaudenzio Ferrari, Bernardino Lanino, Andrea da Milano, Giulio Oggioni and many others.

Length: 1/2 day
Car parking: free
Monuments admission free
Tour suitable for school-children, individual tourists, groups, pilgrims

Other Marian churches and sanctuaries : Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Piazza- Busto Arsizio, The Church of Madonnina in Prato  - Varese, Sanctuary of Madonna della Ghianda - Somma Lombardo, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta - Gallarate, Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte upon Varese.

For more information ask for the programme:
chiarapalumbo@arteparte.com