What to see and what to do in Sesto Calende

Sesto Calende is a town in the province of Varese that rises in a very suggestive location at the exact spot where Lake Maggiore becomes the river Ticino.

Sesto, located on the national road and the Simplon railway line, is a key hub of road communication to the PO valley and the Simplon and Gotthard passes. The double iron bridge over Tessin, built in 1868, is the monumental symbol of this vocation for transportation. Thanks to it, the city also represents a privileged starting point for visiting both the Piedmontese shores of Lake Maggiore, from Arona to Cannobio, and the Lombard ones, from Angera to Luino.

What should be seen and visited in Sesto Calende

Abbey of San Donato

As far as sacred architecture is concerned, the Abbey of San Donato is very interesting. It is a Romanesque church built at the request of the Bishop of Pavia Liutardo De 'Conti between the 9th and 10th centuries on the remains of an ancient pagan temple intended for the worship of the gods.

The church houses numerous frescoes from the most disparate periods. The most valuable are "The Madonna dei Limoni" by an unknown artist, the "Dispute of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria" by Bernardino Zenale and a "Last Supper" by Giovanni Battista Tarilli da Cureglia. Also beautiful is the Chapel of Santa Caterina, which is located on the right as you enter, with fascinating stuccoes inside it dedicated to the life of the Saint.

Provostal church of San Bernardino

It was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and consecrated by Blessed Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster on the day of the birth of the Italian Republic, June 2, 1946. Inside are the remains of the Cardinal of Sesto Angelo Dell'Acqua, who covered the important role of vicar during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI.
The marble altar, the various frescoes attributed to Arduino representing scenes from the Gospel and the life of San Bernardino and a fantastic organ with more than 2,500 pipes made by Giorgio Maroni are also worthy of a look.

Oratory of San Vincenzo

The Oratory of San Vincenzo, also called “dei Re Magi”(Magi kings) is a small church located north of Sesto Calende, on a grassy knoll, overlooking the Ticino valley, Lake Maggiore and Sesto Calende from above.

Garibaldi Obelisk

Inaugurated on October 6, 1861, the obelisk of Garibaldi was first placed on the present Piazza Garibaldi behind the ancient church of San Bernardino, which was later demolished. Later it was transported halfway down the river into Viale Italia called alea by the Sextesi. The monument, made of pink Baveno granite, has a square base and a pedestal which, with four bronze spheres, originally bullets collected after the battles of 1859, supports a truncated pyramid at the top of which is a seven-pointed bronze star.

The faces of the obelisk have three inscriptions:

• "Garibaldi disembarked here with his soldiers on the night of May 23, 1859 to disperse the foreigner."
• "These clods in Lombardy were the first to be bathed in Italian blood in the war. 1859"
• "Here the brave captain C. De Cristoforis defied the dangers of unequal confrontation with the Austrians on May 25, 1859"

Sass de Preja Büja

Sass da Preja Büia (literally: stone of dark stone) is a large erratic boulder formed by talc schist and serpentine, transported by glaciers during the glaciations, sculpted with many engravings by the peoples of the early Iron Age. It is possible to observe circular chapels and other forms, symbols of fertility, used for sacred rites. This is an extremely rare example of a megalith characterized by symbolic and cultural petroglyphs.

Ticino Park

The natural beauties offered by this area are stupendous: lake, river, hill, mountains and Monte Rosa in the background. Furthermore, the Sesto Calende area is immersed in the greenery of the Lombard Park of the Ticino Valley, a park equipped for picnics and outings in the open air.

The Ticino Park extends along the Ticino river and has an area of 91,410 hectares in Lombardy and 6,561 hectares in Piedmont. The Park is characterized by a remarkable biodiversity: the variability of environments made up of streams, conifers, heaths, wetlands, in fact allows 4,932 living species, including animal, plant and fungal kingdoms, to find their own habitat. inside the Park.

The flora of the Park are very varied and made up of various floral species such as mallow, tridentata orchid and violets, but also numerous plants such as oak, hazel, hawthorn, mulberry and poplars. The wildlife, present in water as well as on land, is very rich and varied. Many of the birds are aquatic: the red heron, the white stork and the mallard duck; while others are predators like the sparrowhawk and the peregrine falcon. Among the nocturnal birds of prey are the tawny owl and the owl. Among the mammals, it is possible to see squirrels, wild rabbits, foxes and stone martens. Last but not least, there are insects like moths and moths.
The waters of Ticino are home to amphibious species such as frogs and snakes but above all numerous fish species such as bleak, eel, carp, chub, trout, whitefish and perch.

For those who love nature, the Park offers the opportunity to undertake numerous activities: guided tours to discover the natural beauties, bicycle or horse rides along the Via Verdi, but also rides on board a hot air balloon flying over the Park. You can also venture into the waters of Ticino by canoe or dinghy.

What to do in and around Sesto Calende

• visit the Rocca Borromea di Angera: on the way back from the valleys to the lake, it is worth making a stop at the Rocca d'Angera, the Borromean fortress perched on a spur of rock overlooking the lake, which houses the extraordinary Museum of dolls and toys, one of the most important exhibitions in Europe of toys of all types of materials and workmanship
• visit the Visconti Castle of San Vito in Somma Lombardo: built in the century. XIII, it was inhabited by the Visconti family since 1251. Compared to the original architecture over the centuries a part of the west facade has been modified, together with the interiors, renovated according to the Baroque style, with frescoed and richly furnished rooms. Today in the rooms of the castle it is possible to admire various collections including a rich and bizarre collection of shaving plates, a beautiful ornithological collection with 360 stuffed birds, a collection of weapons and armor of the '500 of Spanish origin and an interesting collection of finds of the Golasecca civilization
• visit the MAGA (Museo Arte Gallarate): the Museum was founded in 1966, following the acquisitions of the National Prize for Visual Arts of the City of Gallarate established in 1949 and still active today, it preserves more than 5,500 works including paintings, sculptures, installations, books on artist, photographs, design objects and graphic works that offer visitors a rich and articulated panorama of the main artistic orientations from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, with openings on contemporary international research
• visit Arona: on the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, in front of the fortress of Angera, Arona is one of the main centers of south-western Verbano, also famous for being the birthplace of San Carlo Borromeo. The historic center, elegant and lively, offers interesting works of art, including the collegiate church of the Nativity of St. Mary the Virgin, which houses notable works such as the polyptych of the Nativity of Mary by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the paintings by Morazzone and a beautiful organ and the church of SS. Martyrs, of Romanesque origin, with a Gothic interior and a Baroque facade. The heart of medieval Arona is Piazza del Popolo, elegant and with a magnificent view of the lake, with the old courthouse and the church of Santa Marta. The walk along the lakefront is wonderful
• spend a day at the Safari Park: the Safari Park located in Pombia is a fun and leisure destination for adults and children; open every day from March 15th to October 15th from 10.00 to 16.00 or 19.00 (depending on the period). The ticket allows you to visit the zoological safari with your own vehicle; the different pavilions; rides for children; animal visits in the pedestrian area; live shows; live animal demonstrations
• visit the Park and the Museum of Flight of Volandia: the Park and Museum of Flight of Volandia is the largest Italian aeronautical museum, as well as one of the largest in Europe [1], with over 100 aircraft over a total area that exceeds 250,000 m² - 32,000 m² of which indoor -. The museum, located in Somma Lombardo and adjacent to the Milan-Malpensa Airport, is developed in the buildings of the historic Caproni 1910 Aeronautical Workshops. Since its foundation in 2010, the park-museum has been enriched with numerous collections, including the Ogliari Collection and the Flaminio Bertoni Museum; it also houses the Bertone Collection, which collects some of the most famous cars designed by the Turin bodywork

Tips about where to sleep in Sesto Calende

These are just some of the accommodation facilities in Sesto Calende. You can find all the hotels, B & Bs and campsites where you can spend a stay or a holiday in Sesto Calende on Lake Maggiore here.

Curiosities about Sesto Calende

The name "Sesto" (lat. Ad Sextum) derives from the fact that the city was six Roman miles from Somma Lombardo (lat. Ad sextum lapidem, or "the sixth milestone"), another important locality along the Mediolanum-Verbannus road. The specific "Calende" derives from the Latin Kalendarium, with a reference to the "calende", which recalls the period in which the public market was held in this city in Roman times.

How to get to Sesto Calende

It is possible to reach Sesto Calende:

• by car: take the A26 Gravellona Toce motorway or the A8 Autostrada dei Laghi motorway to the Sesto Calende exit
• by train: Sesto Calende railway station is located on the Milan-Domodossola-Sempione railway line and on the Novara - Luino railway line

Milan Malpensa Airport is the closest, only 12 km away.