Art weekend

(2 days - 1 night / saturday and sunday)

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• 1st day: Villa Panza - Galleria Ghiggini - Palazzo Estense

Together with our Travel Specialist, a true connoisseur of local places and experiences, you will enjoy the beauty of ART (in its many forms and expressions) that Varese preserves in the halls of historic houses and art galleries.

We will spend the morning at VILLA PANZA, a prestigious eighteenth-century villa that opens its windows on a magnificent Italian garden and which hosts one of the most famous collections of contemporary American art in the world, African art and international exhibitions. Free visit inside to enjoy a permanent collection (more than 100 works) of paintings and sculptures. The contrast between the exhibits and the environment is strong but perfectly successful. In the old stables you can admire installations created by the great masters of contemporary American art.

The morning ends with a visit to the park: a splendid Italian garden in which various installations of environmental art are scattered. Follow it all, because in every corner you will find something to discover as well as magnificent views of the city of Varese.

In an elegant and refined atmosphere, lunch based on local recipes, will be served at the renowned restaurant adjacent to the Villa: a suggestive location both inside thanks to the bright rooms, both outside immersed in a relaxing context, surrounded by beautiful statues and with an enchanting view of the garden.

In the afternoon, a short walk to admire the religious heart of the city: the Cathedral of San Vittore (with a neoclassical facade and baroque interiors), the Bell Tower also known as "the Bernascone", which with its almost 80 meters high is the tallest monument in the city, and the Baptistery the oldest structure built in the 13th and 14th centuries, on a previous hexagonal baptistery of ancient times (VIII-IX century). We will cross the Arco Mera built in 1850 to connect the religious center to the old village of Varese, adorned with remarkable bas-reliefs. We will join one of the most suggestive corners: the Broletto, a sixteenth-century courtyard which until the end of the nineteenth century hosted the grain market.

You could not to leave Varese without first taking a photo at Palazzo Estense erected between 1766 and 1771 at the behest of the Duke of Modena Francesco III d'Este who, having obtained the lordship of Varese from Maria Theresa of Austria, was eager to build his own summer-autumn residence. Thanks to its majesty and the fantastic Italian gardens that surround it, Palazzo Estense earned Varese the nickname of "Versailles of Milan", given to it by Stendhal.

Visit to the GHIGGINI ART GALLERY located in the heart of the historic center of Varese, which hosts a permanent exhibition of paintings, sculptures, photographs and prints. Galleria Ghiggini exists in Varese since 1822, whose activity has significantly diversified over the years, developing its centennial commercial history from crafts to art. It was born as a workroom starting with the decoration of carriages and painting of prestigious buildings selling brushes and colors, to become an art gallery dedicated to the proposal and sharing of the work of modern and contemporary artists.
Dinner and overnight stay at the Hotel

• 2nd day: Masnago Castle - Pogliaghi Museum

After breakfast at the hotel, always in the company of our travel Specialist, we will reach the Castle of Masnago, a medieval fortress.
Free visit inside the Museum which hosts the civic collection of painting, sculpture and graphics, mostly made by artists from the Lombard area (Morazzone, Hayez, Cremona, Ranzoni, Pellizza, Enrico Baj). A pleasant walk inside the Mantegazza park which is also a small botanical garden, with 103 different varieties of trees and shrubs. Here it is possible to know and admire numerous rare plants and some typical of Mediterranean vegetation, among which majestic specimens of holm oak beeches, horse chestnuts, oaks, hornbeams and cedars that dominate the meadows with their mighty foliage.

Lunch in restaurant.

In the afternoon we well reach the SACRO MONTE, a devotional complex consisting of 14 Chapels, the Sanctuary and the Crypt, erected between 1604 and 1698 and which since 2003 is part of the UNESCO world heritage sites. We will reach the historic village of Santa Maria del Monte where, in addition to going through its narrow streets, you can enjoy a splendid view of the Lombard lakes and the Sky-line of nearby Milan.

Visit to the Pogliaghi House-Museum. A real museum that the multifaceted artist - painter, sculptor, architect and set designer - (1857-1950) conceived as a home and laboratory-museum dedicated to the collection, study and exhibition of the fruit of his collecting passion. The building, designed by Pogliaghi himself, reflects the eclectic taste of the time and the owner's interest in all forms of art preserved in it. Short stop for tasting the "Elixir al Borducan", the digestive based on oranges and herbs from the Sacro Monte mountains appreciated by people from Varese.

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Duration: 2 days / 1 night
When: all year (except August) only on Saturday (subject to availability)

Reservation required.
What is included: travel specialist at your side for the duration of the tour, entrance fees, 2 typical lunches and 1 dinner (drinks not included), Elixir tasting, overnight stay in the hotel with breakfast.

NOT included: transfers during the tour will take place by your own car or on board public transport whose ticket can be purchased on site
On request it is possible to organize a private transfer service (car or minivan) from / to Varese city or other places of origin.

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Price per person:

• € 370,00 per person
• Extra charge for Single Room: € 30,00

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For families with children, price on request.

For private tours, price on request.

For large GROUPS, price on request.

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The availability is subject to confirmation. The tour operator will confirm you within 24/48 hours from booking. Therefore no charge will be made until you receive confirmation of the booking.

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