Brusimpiano between Lake Lugano and mountain trails

Brusimpiano lies on the slopes of Monte Derta and Castelletto, overlooking Lake Lugano. The town combines a striking lake landscape with historic paths, sacred art and memories of its former craft and fishing heritage.

Lakeshore, water and distinctive landscapes

Directly on the lake is the municipal lido, a publicly accessible and equipped green area. Along the Trallo, the meditative “L’arcobaleno dei colori” trail follows the course of the waterway and passes visible remains of former mills.

Another distinctive landscape feature is the Cascate del Trallo. After passing between rocks in a section resembling a small cave, the waterfall opens up with a drop of around 20 metres. The Northern Frontier has been enhanced with a series of nature-oriented educational paths and routes.

Hiking with history and panoramic views

In Brusimpiano, the Cadorna Line runs across Monte Derta. This section allows visitors to safely pass through the walkways or galleries of the fortifications and offers views over Lake Ceresio.

The Rodari Trail is a path leading to Ardena. Along its route, it features several famous sentences by Gianni Rodari devoted to the theme of travel. At the Cappelletta, a celebration is held for the Annunciation of Mary on the weekend around 25 March. On Saturday evening, a torchlight procession follows Via M. Bagattini to the chapel; on Sunday, Mass is celebrated.

Churches, frescoes and local heritage

The Chiesa Santa Maria Nascente preserves valuable frescoes from the school of Bernardino Luini, as well as traditional furnishings and liturgical vestments. Its surviving works of art also include original frescoes, statues, marble works and paintings. In the old town centre, several sacred frescoes by local painters adorn the walls of the houses. They commemorate numerous natural disasters that have struck the town.

The Santuario della Madonna di Ardena is also known as Madonna del Latte and was built at the beginning of the 17th century. The Santuario della Madonna dell’Annunciazione e Caverna dell’Eremita, known as the Cappelletta, was built towards the end of the 17th century. San Martino is the oldest church in Brusimpiano and stands outside the town near the Borgo di Brusimpiccolo.

The private Chiesa di Santa Rita has a matroneum from which the former lords watched Mass. In the Chiesa dell’Immacolata “Madonna dei Canicc”, services for the Immaculate Conception are held on 7 and 8 December. The celebration includes stalls selling traditional “Oss de Mort”.

Fishing, crafts and the town’s history

The fish farm owned by the municipality of Brusimpiano was built entirely by fishermen and completed in 1929. It was intended to enable valuable fish fry, such as char, trout and whitefish, to be released into Lake Ceresio. The Unione Pescatori del Ceresio offers angling tourism in Brusimpiano.

With the Lanificio E. Thomas, Brusimpiano commemorates its industrial past. In 1922, Ernesto Thomas founded the eponymous Lanificio E. Thomas in Brusimpiano. It specialised in producing high-quality fabrics that were exported worldwide. Giuseppe Garibaldi and his army also set out from Brusimpiano.

Getting there by bus route N06

Brusimpiano is served by Autolinee Varesine; route N06 runs between Varese, Bisuschio, Cuasso al Monte and Ponte Tresa and operates approximately once an hour.

Other places in the surrounding area

If you would like to plan your trip beyond Brusimpiano, here are some other places: Cunardo, Agra, Barasso, Orino, Casalzuigno, Bedero Valcuvia, Castellanza and Gallarate.

For the main travel overview: Varese.