Arriving at Milan Malpensa Airport Airport in Province of Varese places you among it all, with nearby cities and landscapes an easy drive away. The area has an easygoing, outdoorsy feel, shaped by wooded hills, clear lakes, and small towns where life moves at a calmer pace. Even with Milan less than an hour away, Varese keeps its own personality: relaxed, green, and quietly elegant. Lake Varese is the local pride, a place where rowers slip across the water at sunrise and cyclists follow the lakeside path that loops around its shore. The Sacro Monte di Varese brings a more historic mood with its hillside chapels and sweeping views toward the Alps. You also feel the influence of nearby Lake Maggiore, especially in towns like Stresa and Angera, where grand villas and old lakeside promenades give weekends a slow, classic rhythm. The region fits short trips well because everything is close. One afternoon you might wander the gardens of Villa Panza, known for its contemporary art collection, and the next you could be tasting mountain cheeses in a tiny village above Laveno-Mombello. Even Como, with its waterfront piazzas and narrow lanes, is an easy drive from Varese and adds another flavor to the mix. A favorite local detail: many bakeries still make Brutti e Buoni, rustic hazelnut cookies originally created in a Varese pastry shop more than a century ago. Standout experiences: - Walking the chapels and viewpoints of Sacro Monte di Varese - Cycling the full loop around Lake Varese - Visiting the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore - Exploring art and gardens at Villa Panza - Taking the cable car above Laveno-Mombello - Strolling lakeside promenades in Angera or Stresa - Sampling Brutti e Buoni from a local bakery - Spending an afternoon by the water in nearby Como