The tourist boast of Luino is the picturesque and folkloristic weekly market.

Our third stop is in Luino, the urban centre of the northwestern region of the Province of Varese and the main city on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, famed for its historic centre dotted with Art Nouveau buildings and for its delightful lakefront, which extends for almost 2 km to give the city an almost Mediterranean feel.   A strategic starting point for excursions into the nearby mountains and the region’s postcard villages, the town also owes its cultural liveliness to the literary atmosphere that has always hung over it: Hemingway mentions Luino in his acclaimed novel A Farewell to Arms, the town was the birthplace of the poet Vittorio Sereni and the writer Piero Chiara, and was home to Nobel Prize-winning playwright and actor Dario Fo.  What to see and do in Luino:•    A walk along the lakefront is an absolute must in Luino, with majestic plane trees and the beautiful architecture of the palaces marking out the old Napoleonic port.•    Overlooking the lake itself, the 15th century Church of Madonna del Carmine, the 18th century private Chapel of the Serbelloni family and the Palace Verbania, home the Municipal Archaeological and Paleontological Museum. •    You can help but feel relaxed as you wander around the town’s historic centre, with its artisan shops, Renaissance and Baroque palaces and enchanting streets that are waiting to be discovered.  •    The lively Mercato di Luino (on Wednesdays) is a centuries-old traditional market that is an absolute must for any and all visitors.  

One of the most relevant and strategic advanced projects for contemporary Luino, redefining the relationship between the city and the lake. The idea of the "lakeside park" project was to transform a car park on the lake into a verdant public garden on the shore of Lake Maggiore. The pedestrian promenade is the guiding thread of a homogeneous route capable of giving continuity and linking the park to the lake with different poles through the use of continuous and uniform paving, lighting fixtures, colour and distinctive street furniture. The lawn is a modelled surface, an undulating plane like the lake, which becomes the connecting fabric of the various 'green narratives' that design the park and a space for rest and relaxation. The lakeside park appeals to a wide range of users, from different age groups, in particular to children, for which games have been placed on anti-trauma flooring, along a path that encompasses the entire intervention area. Different types of luminaires were also used to accommodate the different architectural conditions through low energy lamps such as LED and fluorescent lamps. The project of this waterfront recovers the link with water through a sustainable and intelligent use of water resources, consistent with the overall image of the urban landscape. Water as an ecosystem becames fundamental element of the mutant landscape entrusted to a miscellany of crops for educational purposes and direct experimentation for young users. In concrete terms, therefore, water features consisting of flush fountains and systems integrated into the vegetation are used. The wide steps that design the discent to the lake are organised in such a way as to become now simple curbs that design the turf, now wide seats and horizontal paths that cross the park. Reclaiming this piece of the city, previously a 'non-place' - in that it was not lived in, except by cars - has meant the transformation of this area on the fringes of the urban context and life in Luino, to translate it into a valuable opportunity for tourist and recreational development.

The last surviving specimens of Luino's famous lineage of plane trees tower elegantly in one of the city's most beautiful squares.

From the Hermitage of Santa Caterina to the city of Luino

A tour from Lake Maggiore to Lake Lugano (also known as Lake Ceresio), crossing streams, waterfalls and the mills of the Varese valleys. From Luino, you’ll take the cycle path that runs along the Magorabbia stream up to Cunardo, where you can admire its cliffs and the Ferrera waterfalls. Set off towards Ghirla and stop at its “Maglio” mill, one of the best kept in the area. From here, you’ll take the cycle path that descends towards Lavena – Ponte Tresa, running along interesting routes, including the old railway with its galleries and the Argentera park, an amazing place rich in beautifully-frescoed mills. You can also take a detour to visit Ganna and its abbey. Places of interest: Lake Maggiore in Luino Ferrera waterfalls Maglio di Ghirla Argentera Park former Ghirla railway Tresa bridge, Lake Lugano. RECOMMENDED BICYCLE: E-Bike

After a few years of restoration, Palazzo Verbania again gathers the legacy of so much history: it houses the literary archive of Vittorio Sereni and the papers by Piero Chiara, both debtors, of this building, for various reasons. It offers also: art exhibitions, conference room, reading room, video-installations, as well as the tourist office at the entrance.

Luino: from the highlands of Lake Maggiore, passing through Colmegna, to Maccagno

It extends in the northern part of the Province of Varese, to the north of the capital city up to the border with the Swiss territory offering the opportunity to learn about the typical products and to discover the beauties of the landscape of the valleys and lakes

Passeggiate per tutta la famiglia, immerse nel verde, con una splendida vista della zona di Agra e sul lago Maggiore

Monteviasco can only be reached on foot or by cableway from Ponte di Piero. This village is famous for its 18th century mills placed in a natural setting.

The parish church of S. Stefano is of ancient origins whose original Roman structures have however been lost; even the orientation itself is in the opposite direction of its primitive setting. The church has three naves which, in 1899, were covered with frescoes by a local artist named Tagliaferri. Quite noteworthy is the one of the martyr Santo Stefano located in the vault of the apse. In the presbytery, two works by the painter Castelli from Menaggio. Above the altar of the Madonna, at the front of the left nave, you find a copy of a painting by Bernardino Luino depicting Maria with Jesus and an angel. The original work is now at the Louvre. The altar is surrounded by copper medallions representing scenes from the Madonna’s life. In the middle of the right nave there is a large painting of San Giorgio but the artist is unknown. The altar of “Il Sacro Cuore” is embellished with stuccoes of the 17th century by the “maestri intelvesi” (famous sculptors and craftsmen of the Val d’Intelvi who passed their experience from father to son and worked all over Europe). Continue your discovery of Menaggio by following the historical itinerary through the town