Funiculars of Varese (Italy)

Text and photos by Michel AZEMA Varese Index | Maps | Campo dei Fiori | Sacro Monte | Vellone | Kursaal | Menu

History and geography

Sacro Monte and Santa Maria del Monte. Note the stations of the Cross in the background and the vestiges of the funiculare Vellone-Sacro Monte in the foreground.
(Photo taken from the Campo dei Fiori)

Varese is located in Lombardia, in the north of Milano, near the Swiss border (near Como and Lugano).

This area is famous for the great number of lakes (Orta, Maggiore, Varese, Lugano, and Como).
The Monte Campo dei Fiori is a mountain in the north of Varese, it is a place where there is a great panorama to Varese area and Milano.
Just below the Campo dei Fiori is a small hill called Sacro Monte with the small village Santa Maria del Monte where people from Varese used to go on in pilgrimage.
The stations of the cross starts at Prima Cappella and climbs up to Sacro Monte.

The society « Societą Prealpina per Imprese Elettriche » was created in 1903 to manage the lines Varese-Masnago and Varese-Prima Cappella.
The traffic of the line Varese-Prima Cappella was insufficient so it was decided to prolong to Campo dei Fiori and Sacro Monte.
The engineer Ernando Strada was chosen to build an electric transportation.
His project (1905) was an electric train which was supposed to link Varese-Masnago-Velate-Prima Cappella-Sacro Monte without any transfer but with four sections:

adherence section
28% funicular section
6% adherence section
27% funicular section
This project was judged too complicated and the engineer Vittorio Brazzi was chosen to conceive a new project.
His solution was to prolong the actual line Varese-Prima Cappella to Vellone. From Vellone, two funiculars would be built. One up to Sacro Monte and Santa Maria del Monte and the second one up to the Monte Tre Croci and Monte Campo dei Fiori.
This project was proposed the 2nd August 1907 and accepted only the 6th April 1911.

The two funiculars and the train Varese-Vellone were stopped the 31st August 1953.

Map of the area. Note, in black, the funiculars and the train Varese-Vellone are still visible.
Shema of the funiculars and the train Varese-Vellone.
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Copyright 1996 by Michel Azéma, Paris (France)

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