Holiday apartment in Marnate: churches, mill and woodland paths
Accommodation in Marnate
Marnate in the Valle Olona
Marnate lies in the Valle Olona on flat terrain above the river valley to the west. To the east, the terrain rises gently towards the wooded district of Nizzolina.
The Chiesa S.Ilario preserves an old 15th-century fresco of Saint Hilary. The church also has an organ dating from 1770, made by the Carrera organ-building company from Legnano. Both details give a visit a clear cultural and historical focus.
Churches, frescoes and organ music
The Lazzaretto S.Rocco contains an 18th-century fresco. It depicts Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Child Jesus, Saints Roch and Sebastian, as well as the Poor Souls in Purgatory. The building is thought to date from the beginning of the 18th century and was erected in memory of those who died in the plague of 1630.
The new Chiesa Santa Maria Nascente was put into use in 1983 and blessed by Cardinal Martini in September 1984. Today’s Chiesa San Sebastiano is probably the result of a major renovation at the end of the 19th century by the architect Camillo Crespi Balbi, who came from Marnate. He designed the new façade in a neo-Gothic style using exposed brick.
Historical traces around Nizzolina
The area’s older past is also part of its character. In Roman times, Marnate had a military river port. Archaeological finds from 1972 at the foot of the hill of Nizzolina Alta indicated the presence of a small cemetery dating from around 300 BC. This means that the history of the area extends far beyond the visible churches and more recent buildings.
Parco Ex Mulino
Parco Ex Mulino is freely accessible via entrances from Via Valle and Via Roma. Its cycle paths lead to the ruins of the mill, the waterworks, the basin for the water wheels and the drainage channel. The park also includes the former railway track bed of Val Morea. Parco Ex Mulino contains the ruins of the old Balbi Mill, which already existed in 1469 and remained in operation until the end of the 1920s.
Paths through woodland and the municipal area
Marnate is the endpoint and starting point of the Sentiero della Nizzolina, which connects the municipality with Gorla Minore. The Percorso verde dei fontanili consists of two circular routes through the woodland, allowing you to explore the area around Marnate. This gives you the option of focusing your stay on cultural and historical attractions, cycle paths or woodland circular routes.
The right accommodation for your travel plans
When choosing accommodation in Marnate, you can first consider whether churches and historical sites or Parco Ex Mulino and the woodland paths should be the focus of your days.
More destinations for your planning
For further orientation, you can also explore Rasa Di Varese, Maccagno, Cocquio-Trevisago, Valganna, Luino, Brinzio, Monvalle and Ispra.
For the overarching travel overview: Varese.
