Varese (Province), Italy

Varese (Province), Italy

Varese (Province) Italy

The Province of Varese is an administrative province in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population about 80,857), while its largest city is Busto Arsizio. The headquarters of AgustaWestland—merged into Leonardo in 2016 and one of the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers—is located in Samarate, a municipality in the province. As of 2015, the province had a population of 889,410 people and covered an area of 1,198.11 square kilometers (462.59 square miles). The provincial president is Nicola Gunnar Vincenzi. In Roman times, the fortified settlement of Castelseprio and the port town of Angera were highly important in the area. In the 13th century, the House of Visconti conquered the region and completely destroyed Castelseprio. The Visconti used the territory largely for agriculture and integrated it into the lands of Milan. Under Visconti rule, Varese became prosperous thanks to intensive trade, although it remained a relatively small town. Before his appointment as duke, Francesco III d’Este, later Duke of Modena, lived in the area during the 18th century. During the period of Italian unification, the Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi sought to establish anti-Austrian control in Varese. In 1859, Austrian forces attempted to invade, leading to the Battle of Varese, in which Garibaldi’s troops prevailed. In the second half of the 19th century, the province experienced strong economic growth with the rise of many factories, especially in the paper, mechanical, and textile sectors. In 1941, Umberto Bossi was born near Varese. He later argued that Lombardy should gain a degree of autonomy, and in 1986 he founded the Lombard League, a regional party that subsequently became part of the Lega Nord (Northern League).
Recommended airport
Lugano (LUG)
Nearby destinations
  • Milan a 48.25 km
  • Monza a 45.52 km
  • Lake Maggiore a 18.77 km