Text and photos by Michel AZEMA Varese Index | Maps | Campo dei Fiori | Sacro Monte | Vellone | Kursaal | Menu
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:
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. |
Copyright 1996 by Michel Azéma, Paris (France) E-Mail: contact