Above Varese, on the flank of the Campo dei Fiori, a cobbled path climbs two kilometres or so through woods and past fourteen chapels to a medieval sanctuary and the tiny village of Santa Maria del Monte. Each chapel contains a life-size scene of the mysteries of the Rosary, with painted terracotta figures and frescoed backgrounds, and the whole ensemble, built in the seventeenth century under the architect Giuseppe Bernascone, is one of the nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2003.
The Sacri Monti were built in the age of the Counter-Reformation as a kind of pilgrimage substitute, bringing the Holy Land and the mysteries of the faith to the Alps in a form ordinary people could walk through and understand. At Varese the effect is theatrical and moving: the path opens up as you climb, the chapels become grander, and the views over the lakes and the Po plain widen with every bend. At the top, the village is a cluster of old houses, a church and a few cafés, with views reaching on a clear day to the Monte Rosa.
Varese has a special place in motorcycle history. MV Agusta builds its bikes on the shores of the Lake of Varese, and the area has a long tradition of motorcycle and aircraft manufacturing. The roads above the city are a favourite with local riders: the climb to the Sacro Monte and further up to the Campo dei Fiori, with its old Art Nouveau hotel and astronomical observatory, is a twisting, steep road through chestnut and beech woods. Weekends are busy, with cyclists and walkers on the narrow sections.
The surrounding area is full of lakes: Maggiore to the west, Lugano to the north and the small Lake of Varese below the city. Roads around them offer endless combinations of curves, views and villages, though traffic and Swiss border crossings add complexity.
Induno Olona, four kilometres away, and Varese itself have fuel and all services. The region's food is Lombard: risotto, polenta, cured meats and cheeses, and the local amaretti and sweets. A coffee at the top of the Sacro Monte, after the climb, with the lakes shimmering below, earns its place in the day.