Ippodromo delle Bettole
On a summer evening at the Ippodromo delle Bettole, the grass track catches the last of the Lombardy light and the grandstands fill with a crowd that knows the difference between a good race and a great one. This is a working racetrack, 185,000 square metres of it, set between the Biumo Superiore district and the Sangallo neighbourhood on ground chosen for its panoramic reach toward the pre-Alps.
Two tracks run here — a 1,280-metre grass loop for summer gallop racing and a sand track for winter — and the whole operation carries the particular weight of a place that has been doing this, in one form or another, since 1878.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to arrive early enough to watch the horses work the training track before racing begins. The five-euro admission is one of the better deals in the province. The outdoor snack bar is the practical choice over the restaurant. Bring cash for the totalisator — the Ippodromo installed Italy's first mobile version, and the tradition runs deep.
The story behind Ippodromo delle Bettole
The roots go back to 31 January 1878, when Count Gian Pietro Cicogna wrote to Varese's mayor Francesco Magatti to announce the founding of the Società Ippica Varesina. A first track went up in Casbeno, then moved to Masnago in 1896, then relocated to the current Bettole site in 1911 — each move chasing better ground and better sightlines.
During the First World War the facility was requisitioned for military camps, fuel depots and materiel storage. It recovered, kept racing, and by mid-century had grown significant enough that the UCI Road Cycling World Championships used it as a start-finish zone in both 1951 and 2008 — in the latter year it was temporarily rebranded the Mapei Cycling Stadium. A new management company, Varese Turf & Sport S.r.l., took over operations on 1 January 2026.
Good to know
Racing runs seasonally — the summer grass-track season typically opens in early July, winter sand-track dates run cooler months. Check the schedule before visiting; administrative offices are weekdays only. Admission is €5. Driving is easiest; four parking areas hold around 400 cars total.
Summer race evenings are warm — July highs around 28°C — but Varese is among the rainiest cities in Italy, and afternoon thunderstorms roll in fast; a light layer is worth carrying. The sand track's winter season runs in genuinely cold conditions, with temperatures that can drop below freezing after dark.
Where is Ippodromo delle Bettole?
More tickets & tours for Ippodromo delle Bettole
Book directly at the provider
What travellers say about Ippodromo delle Bettole
Nice local racecourse, good atmosphere
Ma is not the same way I know that the people of America 🇺🇸 the world 🗺 and they are not even in the world of their own business as a means of a new generation of the world to the world their business lives to in the world same as 9th century generation in the world their business and the world is not a good thing idea to us be there for in the future world of. Oggi and they 53 5 52 53 5 to the make up of the 👆 and the then they are have to in order of to make it sure that they are the only ones that one can 🥫 be the way to go with it and for the them to be get the most important thing in to do their own work in the a way that they they are will they be able need to be do to help make them feel better about themselves them as well
Bellooooo
Rock Street food
TOP!!
More of Varese
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Varese →More attractions in Varese
All of Varese →
Background adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ratings & place photos via Google · other photos with per-image credit. Ticket links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.