Discover Viggiù: Holiday apartment in Viggiù for culture and hiking trails

Viggiù combines art, local history and trails in a landscape of glacially formed moraine hills, deciduous forests, hay meadows and limestone quarries. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Viggiù, you will find points of interest for days spent exploring sculpture, religious buildings and hiking routes.

Holiday apartment in Viggiù among sculpture and religious buildings

The Museo del ’900 presents an anthology of 20th-century sculpture from Viggiù. The two central halls are dedicated to the master Buzzi Reschini; they also house his most representative work, the monumental group „Il bene che atterra il male“. The plaster cast collection of the sculptor Enrico Butti displays around 80 plaster models as well as his paintings. Villa Borromeo, an elegant late Neoclassical building in the heart of Viggiù, houses the Museo dei Picasass in its former stables. The villa’s orangery also houses the Museo della Scultura Viggiutese dell’Ottocento in the historic centre of Viggiù.

The churches also give the town a multifaceted cultural character. The Chiesa di Santo Stefano Protomartire developed from a medieval Romanesque building into its present form, with three naves separated by columns made of Saltrio stone. The Chiesa di San Siro preserves 16th-century frescoes, including an Annunciation and a Christ Pantocrator with the four Evangelists. The Chiesa di Sant’Elia is an 11th-century Cluniac hermitage on a hill 665 metres high. An impressive paved road, known as a „rizzada“, leads to the Chiesa di San Martino; its entrance is marked by an 18th-century archway.

Landscape between quarries and Monte Orsa

Viggiù lies at the foot of the 998-metre-high Monte Orsa. Around sixteen calcarenite quarries are located west of the town; their high-quality stone is known as „pietra di Viggiù“. The connection between stone processing and the world of work also shaped the area’s history: between Italian unification and the First World War, an average of 90 workshops with more than 600 employees were operating in Viggiù. Established in 2014, the PLIS Valle della Bevera protects around 1,500 hectares distributed across six municipalities; 15 per cent of this area lies within Viggiù.

Hiking trails for different day plans

Viggiù’s network of hiking trails ranges from easy family walks to hikes in the low mountain range. The approximately 7-kilometre Sentiero della Pace route leads from Viggiù to the observation posts on Monte Orsa and to the fortification system between Monte Orsa and Monte Pravello. Route 2 of the Sentiero della Pace starts in Viggiù and forms a circular route around the town. The route to Monte Orsa starts at the Mulattiera „Sentiero degli Alpini“ and leads through the forest to a viewpoint overlooking Porto Ceresio and its lake. The approximately 4-kilometre Sentiero del Silenzio is marked with memorial totems; some bear QR codes through which visitors can hear accounts from people who fled through this area. The trail leads to Monte Pravello, where a memorial plaque and a sculpture commemorate the tragic events of the past century. It begins at Via Roma 2 in Viggiù, in the park of the former Albergo Viggiù.

For visits to the Museo della Scultura viggiutese dell’Ottocento on other days and at other times, the reservation form can be used. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment in Viggiù can set their priorities between museums and churches, nature observation and trails of different lengths. For families with children of different ages, the approximately 4- and 7-kilometre routes provide a clear basis for comparing options when planning the day.

Other places in the surrounding area

Malnate, Varese, Marzio, Cassano Magnago, Casorate Sempione, Besnate, Tronzano Lago Maggiore and Gornate Olona

To the higher-level travel overview: Varese.