Varese

See Edgar Varèse for the composer

Varese is a city in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.

It is the capital of the province with the same name; other important towns in the province are Busto Arsizio, Gallarate, Saronno, Tradate, Vedano Olona.

Geographical features

The province of Varese lies below the Alps, so mountains and hills constitute 32% and 46% of its territory respectively; other common features are rivers (including the Ticino and Olona) and glacial lake (Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano, Lake of Varese and four other smaller ones). (if you want get an idea on how the lakes around Varese are, visit: www.kayakvarese.it) The southern part of the province is in the Pianura Padana (the flat bottomland of the River Po – see Po river).

Population

In 2001 Varese had 82,282 inhabitants (38,424 male and 43,858 female), with a density of 1497.9 people.km². (Source: ISTAT)

History

In 1859, Giuseppe Garibaldi confronts Austrian forces led by Field Marshal-Lieutenant Carl Baron Urban next to Varese.

Economy

The economy of Varese is mainly based on industry and, to a lesser extent, specialized agriculture; some famous Varese-based firms are:

• Aermacchi (military trainer aircrafts)
• Agusta (helicopters)
• Cagiva (motorbikes)
• former Ignis (now part of Whirlpool) (electronics)

Varese is home to Malpensa International Airport, which serves the international traffic of Milan, Italy

Edgar Varèse (1883 – 1965) was a composer, sometimes known as the father of electronic music.