Province of Varese

Last updated
Province of Varese
Varese - Villa Recalcati 0474.JPG
Villa Recalcati, the provincial seat
Flag of the Province of Varese.svg
Provincia di Varese-Stemma.svg
Varese in Italy.svg
Map highlighting the location of the province of Varese in Italy
CountryFlag of Italy.svg Italy
Region Lombardy
Capital(s) Varese
Comuni 138
Government
  PresidentMarco Magrini
Area
  Total1,198.11 km2 (462.59 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2021)
  Total878,059
  Density730/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
GDP
[1]
  Total€25.779 billion (2015)
  Per capita€28,960 (2015)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
210xx, 21100
Telephone prefix02, 0331, 0332
Vehicle registration VA
ISTAT 012

The province of Varese (Italian : provincia di Varese) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population of 80,857 inhabitants), but its largest city is Busto Arsizio. [2] The headquarters of AgustaWestland, the company merged into Leonardo since 2016 and the world's largest producer of helicopters, is based in Samarate, a comune (municipality) of the province. As of 2015, it has a population of 889,410 inhabitants over an area of 1,198.11 square kilometres (462.59 sq mi). The province contains 139 comuni (SG: comune ).

Contents

History

In Roman times, the fortified settlements of Castelseprio and the port of Angera were of high importance in the region. The House of Visconti conquered the region in the 13th century and completely destroyed Castelseprio. [3] The House of Visconti used the land for agricultural purposes and as part of the territories of Milan. During this Visconti rule, Varese became prosperous due to high levels of trade in the region but remained small. Prior to his appointment as Duke, Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena lived in the region during the 18th century. While the unification of Italy was initiating, Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi attempted to install anti-Austrians in Varese; in response to this, the Austrians attempted to invade in 1859, and a battle occurred in Varese, resulting in Garibaldi's victory. During the second half of the 19th century, the area saw considerable economic growth with the birth of numerous factories, especially in the paper, mechanical, and textile industries. Umberto Bossi was born in 1941 near Varese, who believed that the region of Lombardy should have a degree of independence; in 1986, he founded the Lombard League which became a component of the Lega Nord ("North League"). [3]

Geography

The province of Varese is one of twelve provinces in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. It is the most northwesterly province in the region and its northern border forms the international boundary with Switzerland. The province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region lies to the northwest and the province of Novara, also in Piedmont, to the west. To the south lies the Metropolitan City of Milan, and to the east, the province of Monza and Brianza, and the province of Como. The provincial capital is the city of Varese, which is situated beside Lake Varese at the foot of Sacro Monte di Varese, part of the Campo dei Fiori di Varese mountain range; the city is also close to the Cinque Vette Park. [4]

Economy

The agriculture of this sub-Alpine region is based on livestock farming and the economy mainly relies on the industrial sector, with many people commuting daily to Milan. [5] Among the main companies headquartered in the province are Alenia Aermacchi (aeronautics), AgustaWestland (aeronautics), Bticino (metalworking), Cagiva (motorcycles), Birrificio Angelo Poretti (brewery), Ignis (home appliances), Vibram (footwear soles). [5] In the past the province was famous for its textile industry, especially in the Olona Valley and the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate area, but this has gradually declined since the 1970s. Likewise, Varese was the birthplace of some of Italy's main aircraft manufacturers; in addition to the already-mentioned Aermacchi and AgustaWestland, Savoia Marchetti was also born here.

There are local cheeses made from goat's milk and local meat dishes, and there are freshwater fish caught in the many lakes. [6] Other local products are a local variety of asparagus, chestnuts, berries and honey, and grapes grown locally are made into traditional red and white wines. [6]

Cuisine

Bruscitti served with polenta porridge Polenta e bruscitti (2).jpg
Bruscitti served with polenta porridge

Common in the whole Insubria area are bruscitti , originating from Alto Milanese, which consist in a braised meat dish cut very thin and cooked in wine and fennel seeds, historically obtained by stripping leftover meat.

Education

In Gorla Minore, a municipality in the province of Varese, there is Collegio Rotondi, a Catholic charter school established in 1599.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombardy</span> Region of Italy

Lombardy is an administrative region of Italy that covers 23,844 km2 (9,206 sq mi); it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is located between the Alps mountain range and tributaries of the river Po, and includes Milan, its capital, the largest metropolitan area in the country, and among the largest in the EU.

Varese is a city and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km (34 mi) north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Piacenza</span> Province of Italy

The province of Piacenza is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Piacenza. As of 2016, it has a total population of 286,572 inhabitants over an area of 2,585.86 square kilometres (998.41 sq mi), giving it a population density of 111.38 inhabitants per square kilometre. The city Piacenza has a population of 102,269, as of 2015. The provincial president is Patrizia Barbieri and it contains 48 comuni. The province dates back to its founding by the Romans in 218 BCE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Como</span> Province of Italy

The province of Como is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It borders the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni to the north, the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the East, the province of Monza and Brianza to the south and the province of Varese to the West. The city of Como is its capital—other large towns, with more than 10,000 inhabitants, include Cantù, Erba, Mariano Comense and Olgiate Comasco. Campione d'Italia also belongs to the province and is enclaved in the Swiss canton of Ticino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busto Arsizio</span> Comune in Lombardy, Italy

Busto Arsizio is a comune (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italian region of Lombardy, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the fifth municipality in the region by population and the first in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insubria</span> Historical-geographical region in Europe

Insubria is a historical-geographical region which corresponds to the area inhabited in Classical antiquity by the Insubres; the name can also refer to the Duchy of Milan (1395–1810). For several centuries this name stood for an area stretching approximately between the Adda river in the east and the Sesia river in the west, and between the San Gottardo Pass in the north and the Po river in the south, thus it was a synonym of the Milan region and the surrounding countryside corresponding with Lombardy in modern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallarate</span> Comune in Lombardy, Italy

Gallarate is a city and comune of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olgiate Olona</span> Comune in Lombardy, Italy

Olgiate Olona is a town and comune located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. The town is bathed by the river Olona. The nearest city to Olgiate Olona is Busto Arsizio, about 3 kilometres (2 mi) away.

Rescaldina is a comune (municipality) that is part of the Metropolitan City of Milan, in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, with a population of 14,211 distributed over about 8 km2, and located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of Milan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oltrepò Pavese</span> Territory of the province of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy

The Oltrepò Pavese is a historical region making up the southern portion of the province of Pavia, in the northwest Italian region of Lombardy. The area is named after its location south of the River Po as considered from the provincial capital Pavia and in general from the rest of Lombardy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malpensa Express</span> Italian railway service

The Malpensa Express is an airport rail service linking the city of Milan with Malpensa Airport, in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallarate railway station</span>

Gallarate railway station serves the town and comune of Gallarate, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Opened in 1860, it is part of the Domodossola–Milan railway, and is a terminus of two secondary railways, Luino–Milan railway and Porto Ceresio–Milan railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombard cuisine</span> Italian cuisine from the Lombard region

Lombard cuisine is the style of cooking in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy. The historical events of its provinces and of the diversity of its territories resulted in a varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range from risottos to soups and stuffed pasta, and a large choice of second course meat or fish dishes, due to the many lakes and rivers of Lombardy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milan Malpensa Airport</span> Main airport serving Milan, Italy

Milan Malpensa Airport is the largest international airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria, as well as the Swiss Canton of Ticino. The airport is 49 kilometres (30 mi) northwest of Milan, next to the Ticino river dividing Lombardy and Piedmont. The airport was opened in 1909 by Giovanni Agusta and Gianni Caproni to test their aircraft prototypes, before switching to civil operation in 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volandia</span> Aviation museum in , Italy

Volandia Park and Flight Museum is the largest Italian aeronautical museum, as well as one of the largest in Europe. Volandia displays over 100 aircraft. The museum covers an area of ca. 60,000 m2 of which 20,000 m2 are indoors. It opened in 2010, after a 10-year preparation phase.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Cremona in the Lombardy region of Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Fiorini</span> Italian businesswoman and educator (1927–2022)

Esterina Olga Fiorini was an Italian businesswoman and educator who founded the homonym professional school in Busto Arsizio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Lombardy</span>

The flag of Lombardy is one of the official symbols of the region of Lombardy, Italy. The current flag was officially adopted on 4 February 2019, although it has been used de facto since 12 June 1975.

The history of Busto Arsizio, according to the hypotheses advanced by some historians and later re-proposed by local history scholars, would have seen its beginnings with the Ligurians. The later presence of the Romans, mentioned by many authors, is shown by the town's urban distribution.

References

  1. Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional Gross Domestic Product (Small regions TL3), OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  2. "Busto sorpassa Varese E' lei la città più popolosa". La Provincia di Varese (in Italian). 13 January 2011.
  3. 1 2 Roy Palmer Domenico (2002). The Regions of Italy: A Reference Guide to History and Culture . Greenwood Publishing Group. p.  202. ISBN   978-0-313-30733-1.
  4. The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World (13 ed.). Times Books. 2011. p. 76. ISBN   9780007419135.
  5. 1 2 "Economia provincia di Varese". www.vareseturismo.altervista.org.
  6. 1 2 Regione Lombardia (2014). Journey amongst the flavours of Lombardy. Regione Lombardia. pp. 15–. GGKEY:JXUAE69SHRX.

45°49′N8°50′E / 45.817°N 8.833°E / 45.817; 8.833