Discover Montecatini: Nature, Trails and Culture

The area around Montecatini combines protected landscapes, trails and places with archaeological, local and religious history. If you do not want to limit your trip to a single theme, you will find opportunities here for nature experiences, a walk with a manageable elevation gain, a cycling tour, as well as museum and cultural experiences. The individual destinations each have a different focus: landscapes and water, trails and mobility, historic spaces and remembrance culture.

Palude Bruschera Natural Area

In the area around Montecatini, Palude Bruschera covers 164 hectares and is one of the most important wetlands in the Province of Varese. It is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the Habitats Directive and part of the Natura 2000 network. Reed beds, riparian forests and wetlands characterize this natural area. For your planning, this provides a clear landscape theme that differs from the area's historic destinations.

Trails and Bicycles

In the area around Montecatini, the Sentiero delle Erbe e degli Alberi is an easy circular trail of approximately 7 kilometres with an elevation gain of 50 metres, partly following unpaved paths. The Sentiero delle Erbe e degli Alberi is also part of the recognized trail network of Regione Lombardia (614E) and the CAI. The approximate trail length, elevation gain and surface can therefore be taken into account together when planning your day.

In the area around Montecatini, the tourist information point in Angera offers city bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes for rent in summer for a fee and by reservation. Helmets, baskets, child seats and locks are also available. The specific choice of bicycle is therefore subject to seasonal availability, payment and reservation.

Rocca di Angera and Museums

Rocca di Angera stands on a rocky outcrop above the southern shore of Lake Maggiore, in the area around Montecatini. Rocca di Angera houses the Museo della Bambola e del Giocattolo, considered the largest doll and toy museum in Europe. The Civico Museo Archeologico in Angera covers the history of the Angera area from prehistoric times to the end of the Roman era.

Water, Remembrance and Tradition

In the area around Montecatini, Isolino Partegora cannot be visited, but it can be viewed from Angera's lakeside promenade or along the Bruschera oasis. On the last Sunday in June, Angera commemorates the martyrdom of Saint Arialdo with a procession of illuminated boats between Madonna della Riva and Isolino Partegora.

In Taino, memorial plaques mounted on houses associated with deported residents form a decentralized remembrance trail. Also in the area around Montecatini, the Museo di Storia Locale “Il Luogo della Memoria” presents the history of the Polveriera, the factory where generations of Taino residents worked. Together, these two destinations lead from visible memorial signs in the town to a museum about local industrial history.

Getting to Angera

To travel to Angera from the direction of the Piedmontese shore, it is recommended to get off at Arona railway station and take a boat from the Navigazione Lago Maggiore pier.

Discover More Places

For your further travel planning, you can also discover Gavirate, Azzate, Arcisate, Brezzo Di Bedero, Monvalle, Maccagno, Malgesso and Rasa Di Varese.

For the overview of the wider travel area: Varese.