Lago di Varese
Six kilometres from Varese, the lake curves in a shape that maps have always likened to a shoe — nine municipalities sharing its shores, each with its own sliver of reed bed or boat ramp. The water was unswimmable for sixty years, thick with industrial run-off from the factories that had lined these banks since the 1880s. In July 2022, that changed: the beaches at Schiranna and Bodio Lomnago reopened for swimming, experimentally, for the first time in a generation.
Out on the water, a small island called Isolino Virginia holds one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in northern Italy — pile-dwellings going back to 3500 B.C., now part of a UNESCO World Heritage designation shared with dozens of similar sites across the Alpine arc. The island has boardwalks, explanatory panels, and a Civic Prehistoric Museum reachable only by boat from Biandronno.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to arrive early at Schiranna for the rowing — Canottieri Varese trains on the same stretch of water that has hosted World and European championships since 2012, and watching a crew move in the flat morning light costs nothing. The 28-kilometre cycle path around the lake is the other reason regulars return, especially in September when the thunderstorms have eased.
The story behind Lago di Varese
The basin formed around 15,000 years ago as the Verbano glacier retreated. People were building on stilts above its water by 3500 B.C., and the pile-dwelling remains — discovered in 1863 — are now conserved at the Museo Ponti and recognised by UNESCO as part of the prehistoric Alpine arc designation granted in 2011.
For centuries the lake was known as Lago di Gavirate, with Gavirate the dominant municipality on its shores. The Litta family owned the lake in the 1700s; the Ponti family, industrialists, held it in the 1800s. In 1878, Andrea Ponti renamed the central island Isolino Virginia after his wife, Virginia Pigna. When Varese became a provincial capital in the 1920s it acquired significant lakefront, and the name shifted accordingly. The first factories built on the shores at the end of the nineteenth century brought prosperity and, eventually, the pollution that closed the beaches for six decades.
Good to know
Bus line N direction Calcinate del Pesce stops at Schiranna-dei Prati; by car, park at Piazzale Roma. Mid-April to mid-June and September are the most reliable months. To reach Isolino Virginia, pick up the boat from Biandronno — it's worth the detour if the museum is open.
Summers are warm and sunny but afternoon thunderstorms build quickly, particularly in May and June. The swimming season runs June to August when water temperatures hold above 20°C; mid-April to mid-June and September offer the most comfortable conditions for cycling or walking the shore without the summer crowds.
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What travellers say about Lago di Varese
Very nice place but not proper for swimming
Varese Lake is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, in the north of Italy. It has an area of 14.5 km². It hosted the World Rowing Under 23 / Under 19 Championships in 2022. The cycling route winds its way around the lake for about 30 Km, offering a fantastic way to keep fit or simple enjoy the picturesque countryside. One of the gems on Lake Varese is Isolino Virginia, do not miss it!
Wonderful lake for rowing. Sadly it's to dirty to swim.
If you want to be alone in the nature then this is the right place for you.
Marvellous landscape, do not come here if you are in a hurry. There is too much beauty to for you to rush through. Preferably don't come alone, bring someone with whom you can share the beauty. I loved the surrounding "village". If you have a canoe bring it - your experience will be exponentially enriched.
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