Varano Borghi

The History of Varano Borghi

The area where Varano is located has been populated since prehistory. There are still the remains of prehistoric stilt houses in the nearby Varese lake with a great archaeological site. In the medieval time Varano was a feud from the family Trecchi from Cremona, but the Borghi family is the most relevant in Varano’s modern history.

Varano became a commune in 1808 and thanks to the Borghi’s family it became the second larger automized cotton and silk textile town in Italy in the 1800s. Borghi built the church, the cemetery and the entire town (at that time, the building of the square and few more) for their workers. In 1913 the Borghi family had to sell the company to a larger French/Italian company call Textilox and in 1923, 2,400 workers were employed in Varano Borghi. After the II World War Varano Borghi had a second renascence with yet another Borghi family who created the largest appliances factory in Italy called Ignis, just a mile away. Ignis was sold to Phillips, Whirlpool and today it is the European headquarter of Beko. Most of the manufacturing of Varano moved abroad in 1990s and since than Varano is struggling to find a new identity.

What to do in Varano Borghi

Varano B is close to Malpensa airport, the international airpot of Milan, it is is also located on a beautiful area called “The 7 lakes”, the biggest lake being Lake Maggiore, the George-Clooney-less version of Lake Como.

Here are some things of what to do in Varano:

• Supermercati Migros (Viale Vittorio Veneto, 2 - the main street): Easy walk. You can find all you need for an Italian kitchen. The supermarket follows traditional Italian hours of operation. It is closed on Sunday and it does a lunch break. Open 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and opens again at 3pm to 7:30pm. Have some Prosciutto di Parma or the ham called Grand Biscotto.

• SPA Villa Borghi: Piazzetta Borghi, 1 (left of the villa) Ph. 39 0332 960914 spa@graniero.it. Easy walk. Book the massage in advance if you want it the same day of your arrival, otherwise they should be able to fit you in for the day after. If you just want to use the Spa they will get you in the same day. The Spa offers a swimming pool, jacussi, sauna, doccie emozionali, salt room (for extra $). Ask for a list of their services at the front desk of the Spa.

• Friday morning open air market in the town square. A group of traveling merchants have been gathering in the Piazza on Friday’s morning since the beginning of time. The entire town goes out to visit the market. It is the busy day for Varano. Buy some roasted chicken with fries, some local honey and fruits. There is some clothing as well. 

• Pasticceria Zanchin Viale Vittorio Veneto, 28. Easy walk. This is the pastry shop. It is worth a visit. They have pastries, gelato only in summer, bread (limited), coffee and some wine BTG. A perfect place for an italian breakfast or just a break.

• Bar Tata, Viale Vittorio Veneto, 7. Easy walk. I usually go there for the aperitivo, which is a glass of wine and some snack before I go for lunch. You have to try this. A glass of wine will also get you some free light appetizers. Their wine selection is not vast, but it is good. Tata also has coffee and freshly squeezed orange juices for breakfast and delicious croissants.

• There are 2 coffe shops in the main piazza as well; check them all out!

• Chinese Restaurant - Piazza Matteotti. Easy walk. 

• La Scuderia Restaurant, near Villa Borghi

• Parco di Ternate - This is a large beautiful park by the lake. There is a casual restaurant, tennis courts and often an event. The park is on a bicycle path of 12 km that goes all around the lake. Rent bikes at hotel Montelago by the park.

The Lake District and Milan

Northern Italy’s lake region stretches across the Alpine foothills into one of the most visually striking and culturally rich landscapes in Europe. At its center lies Lake Maggiore, a long, elegant body of water framed by mountains, historic villas, and refined lakeside towns such as Stresa and Arona. Just nearby is the broader “seven lakes” area of Lombardy and the pre-Alps, each with its own character, from dramatic alpine scenery to quiet, wooded shores. Together they form a connected natural and cultural corridor shaped by centuries of trade, aristocratic retreat, and tourism.

The “Seven Lakes” area in the province of Varese includes Lake Maggiore (also known as Verbano), Lake Varese, Lake Lugano (Ceresio), Lake Ghirla, Lake Ganna, Lake Monate, and Lake Comabbio. In the surrounding region, other major pre-Alpine lakes such as Lake Orta—with the charming town of Orta San Giulio and the island of San Giulio—and Lake Como are also nearby and represent some of Italy’s most iconic tourist destinations.

This lake district has a glacial origin: all these lakes were formed thousands of years ago through the retreat of glaciers, which shaped the landscape and created the rolling morainic hills that define the area today. The result is a remarkably diverse natural environment, where water, hills, and mountains blend seamlessly into one another.

Historically, this territory has been a crossroads of civilizations. Over the centuries it has been inhabited and influenced by Celts, Romans, and Lombards, followed by periods under the control of the Milanese duchies and ecclesiastical powers, and later by Spanish, Austrian, and French rule. Even the Fascist period left a visible mark, particularly in the city of Varese, where much of the old medieval center was replaced with the more monumental, rationalist architecture typical of that era.

Anchoring this entire region is Milan, a fast-moving economic and cultural hub only an hour or two from most of these lakes. Milan functions as the gateway: a place where urban intensity, fashion, design, and finance meet the slower rhythm of the water and mountains. The contrast between Milan’s structured modernity and the lakes’ natural softness is part of what makes the region so distinctive—offering both high-density urban life and immediate access to some of Europe’s most serene landscapes.