Discover Arcisate: Baptistery and Churches

Arcisate offers several historical points of interest for a trip: archaeological finds from the old peat bogs around the town, the baptistery, and several churches. There is also a hike to Monte Rho, as well as routes for walking and cycling. If you are looking for a hotel in Arcisate, you can choose your destination based on your interests: sacred architecture, architectural details, or time outdoors.

Archaeological traces and the baptistery

Finds from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age have been discovered in the old peat bogs around Arcisate. These two periods add an older archaeological perspective to the study of later church buildings. The finds offer a different way of exploring the area’s history from the individual surviving buildings.

The Battistero di Arcisate is dedicated to San Giovanni Battista and is considered the oldest surviving baptistery in the province of Varese. Its construction is dated to between the 7th and 10th centuries. The ground plan survives; of the chapels, only the one opposite the entrance door remains, with the altar inside. Its dedication, date, and surviving spatial layout describe different aspects of the same building.

Churches and their architectural details

A sundial with a still-visible gnomon survives on the façade of the bell tower of the Basilica di San Vittore – La Pieve. The basilica also preserves two Baroque altars from a disbanded Franciscan monastery in the Como area. This building thus brings together an exterior detail and furnishings transferred from another church setting.

The Lazzaretto o Chiesa di San Francesco da Paola was built between 1727 and 1738. Its chapels have been restored; the original frescoes were replaced with bas-reliefs. The Chiesa di Santa Maria Immacolata in the hamlet of Brenno Useria dates from the mid-19th century: it was built between 1851 and 1856. The Chiesetta di Sant’Alessandro, meanwhile, is notable for a rebuilding that took place in the first half of the 18th century. These different dates make the churches distinct points of reference if you would like to explore Arcisate’s architectural history.

Routes on foot and by bike

The Lazzaretto o Chiesa di San Francesco da Paola can be reached via a Stations of the Cross route that starts in the town. For a different kind of outing, the “In bici tra Arcisate, Velmaio e Cantello” cycling route starts at the roundabout at the end of the Induno Olona bypass, where parking is available. The hike to Monte Rho di Arcisate starts at Piazza della Repubblica and ends back at the car park there. The routes mentioned therefore differ both in activity and in their respective starting points.

When planning your trip, you can first decide whether you would rather focus on the churches and their various details, or on a route on foot or by bike. The information about the churches gives you specific dates and features to consider; for the routes, starting points are provided, as well as the return point for the hike to Monte Rho. This makes it possible to choose Arcisate based on your own travel interests, without combining the cultural sites and routes into a single visit itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Albizzate, Vizzola Ticino, Musignano, Cunardo, Comabbio, Monvalle, Marzio, Gavirate

For the broader travel overview: Varese.