I have visited once the beautiful sanctuary of Sacro Monte ('Sacred Mount') of the Rosary near Varese, one of the nine of the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, forming this WHS. It was an important place of pilgrimage to the headquarters of the eremitic order of Romite Ambrosiane since 1474 and was begun in 1604, on the initiative of the Capuchin friar Giambattista Aguggiari, with the 2 kilometres long steep and winding paved sacred path (that covers a difference in height of about 300 metres), that represents the Mysteries of the Rosary. Thanks to many donations it was constructed very quickly and thirteen chapels were already built in 1623 and the other two were completed by 1698; they are divided in three groups of five, as in the Rosary. Every chapel, well or fountain and also their decoration of sculptures and frescoes, made with strongly educational purposes and realism by local Baroque artists, are different from the others. The main buildings on the path (that has also panoramic terraces, widenings for pauses of the processions and wells for the pilgrims) are: Church of the Virgin (not yet part of the sacred path because it is a sort of introduction to it), Gate of the Rosary, Fountain of the Samaritan, Chapels of the Annunciation, of the Visitation, of the Nativity (there is a painting of 1983 by the famous Italian painter Renato Guttuso on a Baroque fresco in bad state of conservation on its wall), of the Presentation at the Temple, of the Disputation of the Doctors, Arch of Saint Charles, 2nd fountain, Chapel of the Prayer in the Olive Garden, Romites' Cave, Chapels of the Flagellation, of the Coronation of Thorns, of the Ascent to the Calvary, of the Crucifixion, Arch of Saint Ambrose, 3rd fountain, Chapels of the Resurrection, of the Ascension of Jesus to the Heaven, of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, of the Assumption of Mary in the Heaven, Fountain of Moses (optical end of the path, built between 1803 and 1817) and the Sanctuary of Saint Mary of the Mount, on the top of the mountain, containing the last chapel, of the Coronation of Mary. The sanctuary, built in 1474 on an older and smaller church of the 11th century, is entirely decorated with frescos and contains a nice painting of the 14th century and a nice altar. Around it there is the nice small village of Santa Maria del Monte, with narrow streets and nice houses.

I liked very much the Sacro Monte because of its originality and of the monumentality and decorations of buildings that normally have much smaller dimensions (the chapels as isolated buildings). It is worth of visit if you are in Lombardy and justifies its inscription on the WHS, but I think that with the nine Italian Sacri Monti could be inscribed also the two in southern Switzerland (of Locarno and Brissago). The complex has a high degree of authenticity, but there are some modern villas close to the path and in the village, and the monumental buildings, apart from some frescoes, are in a very good state of conservation, but the houses of the village often need a restoration. You can visit only the church inside: the chapels of the path are closed but you can see the interiors from their windows outside and press some buttons to switch on the inner illumination. It is easy to reach Varese by taking the highway A8 that begins in Milan and finishes here. To go to the Sacro Monte you have to take the road SP62 and from there other minor streets. You can reach the top of the mount and park there or leave the car near the beginning of the sacred path or near a close bus station, where are buses that bring you to the funicular railway that reaches the top of the mount. Apart from the WHS, in the town of Varese you can visit the huge Baroque palace Estense with its park or the Cathedral with its Romanesque baptistery.

Photo: Varese - Sacro Monte of the Rosary - Sactuary of Saint Mary of the Mount