Editing Varese (section)

== Main sights ==
The city is home to the [[Sacro Monte di Varese]] ('the Sacred Mount of Varese'), a place of [[pilgrimage]] and worship. It is one of the [[Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy]], included on the [[UNESCO World Heritage]] list.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1068 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=23 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

===Religious architecture===
[[File:Varese, Basilica di San Vittore 01.jpg | thumb | right | Basilica of Saint Victor, Varese]]

* Basilica of St. Victor (16-17th century)
* Church of St. Martin (1774)
* Church of St. Anthony (1606-1614)
* Church of St. Joseph (1504)
*Church of St. Charles Borromeo (1960-1961)

=== Civic buildings ===
[[File:Palazzo_e_giardini_estensi.JPG|thumb|The [[Palazzo Estense]], now used as the town hall of Varese]]
Varese is rich in castles, many once pertaining to the Borromeo family. The historic centre of the city includes the Praetorian Palace and Villa Cagna, a residential complex that also hosts the Civic Music School of Varese.

After the 19th century, it was enriched by villas and their surrounding gardens, many now open to visitors, including:
* [[Villa Recalcati]] in [[Casbeno]] was built in the early 18th century, enlarged during 1756–77, and was once a luxury hotel. It now houses the offices of the Province of Varese and the Prefecture. 
* Villa Mylius, near the town centre, was once owned by the Jesuit order, and in 1773 the house and park were sold to the notable Francesco Torelli, who transformed a modest building into a large villa, then sold in 1902 to the industrialist George Mylius. After his death, the property was divided among several heirs, who in 1946 jointly sold it to the ''Varesino'' Achille Cattaneo, and he donated to the town of Varese in 2007. 
* [[Villa Toeplitz (Varese)|Villa Toeplitz]], in the Sant'Ambrogio district stands, with a large public park. The complex is named after Giuseppe Toeplitz (1866–1938), a Polish-born banker who bought it in 1914. Already modest country residence of the German family Hannesen, was enlarged by Toeplitz after World War II when his wife Hedwig Mrozowska and his son Louis sold it to brothers Mocchetti of Legnano. The complex with the elegant Italian park passed to the Municipality of Varese in 1972.
*[[:it:Ville Ponti|Ville Ponti]] was built between 1850 and 1870 by Milanese architect [[Giuseppe Balzaretto]] (1801–1874) for Andrea Ponti. In 1976, it was converted into a convention centre. The main building, surrounded by a public park, is decorated internally by [[Giuseppe Bertini]] (1825–1898). Part of the complex, ''Villa Fabio Ponti'' is a [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]]-style villa housed in 1959 headquarters for Garibaldi.
* ''Villa Menafoglio Litta Panza'' in locations Biumo Superiore, opposite the entrance of Ville Ponti, was commissioned in the mid-18th century by the Marquis Paolo Antonio Menafoglio, and is an example of a vacation home in Varese. The villa with the garden was partly transformed during the Napoleonic period (neoclassical hall) when the garden was converted into an English-style garden. Recognized since 1996 as well protected by the [[Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano|FAI]], the building currently hosts the contemporary art collection of the family Panza.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fondoambiente.it/villa-e-collezione-panza-inglese|title=Villa e Collezione Panza|website=www.fondoambiente.it|language=it|access-date=2019-11-09}}</ref>
* Villa Augusta, in the Giubiano neighbourhood, was built in the second half of the 19th century. Already owned by Testoni, passed to the Hospital of Circolo di Varese and then, 30 September 1952, was ceded to the Roman Catholic order of the Sisters of Helpers of Holy Souls who pray for souls in Purgatory. Since 1968, the villa was purchased by the city and houses municipal offices. The park is open to the public from 5 April 1970.
* [[Villa Baragiola]], in Masnago, has a well-visited park. On the north side, in the shadow of Mount Campo dei Fiori, in 1895 the lawyer Andrea Baragiola opened one of the first Italian racecourses, which extended to the area now occupied by the stadium "Franco Ossola" and its ample parking. The villa was renovated in the early thirties, and in the next decade refurbished as a religious seminary. Passed to the Municipality of Varese in 2001, today is a part of its offices, while the park is open to the public.
* [[Masnago Castle]].

In the city centre, there is the [[Palazzo Estense]] with its gardens (built in the 17th century) and Villa Mirabello. Villa Mirabello, the seat of ''Museo Civico Archeologico'' (Civic Archaeological Museum), was built in the late 600s on the top of the hill which carries its name. This site is surrounded by a park which is set close to the park of Palazzo Estense.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Villa Mirabello, Piazza Motta, 4 - Varese (VA) – Architetture – Lombardia Beni Culturali|url=http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/architetture/schede/1d010-00042/|access-date=2020-10-26|website=www.lombardiabeniculturali.it}}</ref> 
<gallery class="center" caption="Some examples of Varese villas">
File:Vialla Panza2 BMK.jpg

File:Villa Toeplitz.JPG
File:VillaAndreaPontiVarese.jpg
</gallery>

=== Natural areas ===
In addition to numerous public parks of the city, often appurtenances of historic villas, there is the [[Parco Luigi Zanzi|Park Luigi Zanzi]] in Schiranna, established in the sixties through a partial filling of the coast of [[Lake Varese]]. It is a large botanical garden located on the banks of Lake Varese, rich in numerous species of trees and birdlife that is partially sheltered in the reeds along the banks. Bathing beach in the summer, the park also offers the possibility of peaceful walks and cycling on the bike path.

Close to the city of Varese is the [[Campo dei Fiori Regional Park]], a natural reserve of over five thousand acres consisting of the massive mountain [[Campo dei Fiori di Varese|Campo dei Fiori]] and Mount Martica, separate from that valley Rasa which is the junction of Valcuvia and Olona valley. Once the peak of the Campo dei Fiori was characterized by extensive grassland, it became the historical destination of tourism of Varese and of Milan. Today is the spectacular blooms - which gave the name to the area - to be one of its main attractions. It is a very diverse place showing aspects of extreme interest, related both to the natural environment, both in history and culture, referring to a past full of events and traditions. There are small farming villages, monuments of rare beauty, cave systems and articulated a well-maintained network of trails: some passable, as well as on foot, on horseback and on bicycle. Inside the park are established six nature reserves enclosing environments most important and characteristic.