Holiday apartment in Gallarate: art, churches and tradition
Accommodation in Gallarate
Gallarate is a destination for you if you want to combine contemporary art, older architectural history, archaeology and a long-standing local tradition in a single stay. When choosing your holiday apartment in Gallarate, you can therefore decide which of these facets should shape your days: museum spaces, churches and historic sites, a botanical garden or a local culinary speciality.
Holiday apartment in Gallarate between art and history
MA*GA was officially founded in 1966 under the name Civica Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Gallarate. Museo MA*GA is a museum of contemporary art. For a culture-focused itinerary, you can connect its founding history with its focus on contemporary art.
Museums with archaeological traces
The Museo della Società Gallaratese per gli Studi Patri is located in the preserved part of a Franciscan monastery built in 1234. Roman sarcophagi and a sarcophagus lid, as well as medieval artefacts, are displayed in the Gothic cloister with its portico. The first archaeological room contains prehistoric finds from pile-dwelling settlements in the Varesotto area, as well as a dugout canoe from Lake Monate.
The Chiesa di San Pietro has largely preserved its original Romanesque structure, complemented by Gothic elements added later. Excavations in the area of the apse in the 1960s uncovered several graves with some funerary objects, which are now kept in the Museo della Società Gallaratese per gli Studi Patri.
Churches, monasteries and historic buildings
The Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta is Gallarate’s central church. Its present form was created in the Neoclassical style between 1856 and 1860, based on a design by Milanese architect Giacomo Moraglia; it was consecrated in 1861.
The Palazzo del Broletto was built in the 13th century as a monastery of the Umiliati di San Michele. The Cimitero Monumentale was laid out from 1865 onwards according to designs by architect Camillo Boito and planned around the large tomb chapel of the Ponti family. Some of its tombs are attributed to the Liberty style. An earlier church dedicated to Santa Maria, which later took the name “Faietto”, is mentioned in a document from 974.
Nature, pastries and local tradition
Parco Bassetti is a botanical garden, adding a natural dimension alongside the historic themes. Amaretto di Gallarate is a pastry made exclusively by hand: soft inside, crisp outside and slightly flattened in shape.
The Cuntrada dal Broeud is a tradition that has been maintained in Gallarate for sixty years. On the first Sunday after the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a broth made from meat and vegetables is distributed to the faithful in the square of the Basilica di Santa Maria after being blessed by the parish priest. This established occasion combines religious custom with a specific dish.
This gives you a clear thematic orientation for your holiday apartment in Gallarate: if you plan your stay mainly around art and archaeology, the museums and churches represent different areas of interest. If you are more interested in architectural history and cemetery culture, the Palazzo del Broletto, Cimitero Monumentale and Chiesa di San Pietro come to the fore. Parco Bassetti, Amaretto and the Cuntrada dal Broeud add nature, flavour and tradition as distinct focal points.
You can discover further places for planning your trip with Ardena Di Brusimpiano, Malgesso, Cardano Al Campo, Vergiate, Rancio Valcuvia, Bodio Lomnago, Porto Ceresio and Ternate.
For the higher-level travel overview: Varese.
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