Samarate is a medium sized (approx 16,000 inhabitants) industrial town in the Commune di Varese in the Lombardy region of northern Italy set in a reasonably flat area within sight of the Alps to the north. There is plenty of industry in the town with the main employer being AgustaWestland, part of the giant Finmeccanica Group, plus many other firms supplying the helicopter giant and other businesses.
A good selection of hotels and B&Bs cater for all pockets and there are plenty of really good eating establishments. To the north are the majority of the famous Italian lakes: Maggiore 20 miles away, Como 30 miles, Lugano 40 miles and Orto 35 miles. All are well worth a visit and a good day trip can be enjoyed on one of the boats which call in at many towns/villages around the lakes throughout the day.
For the tourist or business traveller, Samarate is served well with Malpensa airport 6 miles away; the A8 autostrada is only 4 miles from Samarate town centre (Milano 25 miles on the A8)), and a train service from Gallarate 3 miles from Samarate (Venice and Switzerland are accessible from this station).
Within Samarate are many local shops and cafes ready to greet you with typical Italian warmth. Among buildings to be seen are the lovely church of St ???? in the Piazza Italian and the Villa Montevecchio built in the late 19th century by Carlo Ricci. |
West of Samarate is the Ticino River flowing out of Lake Maggiore and meandering through the beautiful Ticino valley on its way to join the River Po. About 6 miles from the town is the little village of Tornavento where you can sit in the large piazza and enjoy the lovely views over the river and valley.
Samarate is an ideal place to stay if you’re a motorcyclist as there is so much motorcycle history in the area. Obviously there is the connection with the Agusta factory, and also the Magni factory is in the town. Agusta, where the famous red and silver M.V. Agustas were made under the watchful eye of Count Agusta, now has its museum just outside the factory gates in Cascina Costa. Also the Cascinetta Moto Club meets in a cafe opposite the museum and in July they hold the M.V. revival when they bring out all the racing machines and parade them round a three-quarter mile circuit. Stars such as Ago (and he still attracts the crowds like he is number one), Bonero, Ubialli and many more, all enjoy themselves, with the exhaust notes evoking memories for many watching. Many ex M.V. workers live in the area and attend these meetings and are always keen to chat about their time at Agusta.
During the summer months it is possible to catch one of the many gatherings held around the area in Gallarate, Como and a few other towns, when the M.Vs along with Gileras, Bianchi, Ducati, Benelli, Norton, Matchless Vincent Hondas and many more racing machines from around Europe gather to parade through some closed roads in the town of choice. Once again wonderful sounds, and of course more of the Italian warm hospitality. These events are run with all the passion that Italy always gives to motorcycling.
Not far from Samarate is Varese and beside Lake Varese is where they make the M.V F.4, also Aprillia and Husqvarna. About 160 miles away is the Ducati factory at Bologna and the Moto Guzzi factory at Mandello Del Lario is approximately 60 miles away, both Ducati and Moto Guzzi do factory tours.
There are many good biking roads and locations to be reached from Samarate - the lakes, valleys and, of course, the Alps with all those amazing passes: the Furka, Grimsel and Gotthard passes are about 90 miles away and the Stelvio pass is 150 miles, all good roads.
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