See Edgar Varèse for the composer

Varese is a city in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.

It is the capital of the province with the same name; other important towns in the province are Busto Arsizio, Gallarate , Saronno , Tradate , Vedano Olona .

Geographical features

The province of Varese lies below the Alps, so mountains and hills constitute 32% and 46% of its territory respectively; other common features are rivers (including the Ticino and Olona ) and glacial lake (Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano, Lake of Varese and four other smaller ones). (if you want get an idea on how the lakes around Varese are, visit: www.kayakvarese.it) The southern part of the province is in the Pianura Padana (the flat bottomland of the River Po – see Po river).

Population

In 2001 Varese had 82,282 inhabitants (38,424 male and 43,858 female), with a density of 1497.9 people.km². (Source: ISTAT)

History

In 1859, Giuseppe Garibaldi confronts Austrian forces led by Field Marshal-Lieutenant Carl Baron Urban next to Varese.

Economy

The economy of Varese is mainly based on industry and, to a lesser extent, specialized agriculture; some famous Varese-based firms are:

• Aermacchi (military trainer aircrafts)
• Agusta (helicopters)
• Cagiva (motorbikes)
• former Ignis (now part of Whirlpool) (electronics)

Varese is home to Malpensa International Airport, which serves the international traffic of Milan, Italy

Edgar Varèse (1883 - 1965) was a composer, sometimes known as the father of electronic music.