University of Insubria

Student Life

Como

Como is an important industrial center, active especially in the textile sector, but it is also a holiday resort with thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.
Its municipality has a population of 78,680, according to the results of the 2001 national census.

Museums

Archaeological Museum “P. Giovio”

This museum includes a number of sections organized on the basis of historical periods, starting from pre-history and protohistory to Roman art, a collection including precious stone slabs and tablets. The section of Mediaeval art is particularly rich of sculpture findings. The museum also includes a library specializing in archaeology.

Historical Museum “Giuseppe Garibaldi”

This museum has two sections. The exhibits in the “Risorgimento e Storia contemporanea” (Risorgimento and Contemporary History) section are items dating back to the late Napoleon period until World War I; the “Etnografia e Quadreria” (Ethnography and Paintings) section includes items which are specifically related to local culture at different levels from the 16th to the 19th century.

Pinacoteca Civica

This Art Gallery, which is located in Palazzo Volpi, exhibits a collection of Romanic and mediaeval sculptures as well as paintings from the 14th to the 20th century. A group of works of the 20th century, including an important collection of drawings by the futurist architect Antoni Sant’Elia and the works by the abstract painters of the “Como Group”, are of special interest.

Cinema and theatre

* CINEMA CINEPLEX ASTORIA
* CINEMA ASTRA
* EUROPLEX CINEMAS COMO 9
* CINEMA TEATRO GLORIA
* CINEMA MULTISALA LUX 2000
* TEATRO NUOVO
* TEATRO SOCIALE
* COOPERATIVA TEATRI CITTÀ MURATA

Libraries

Biblioteca Comunale
(Municipal Library)

380,000 ancient and modern books, including incunabula, sixteenth-century editions, collections of scripts and scores.


Biblioteca dei Musei Civici
(Library of the Municipal Museums)

Monographs and journals concerning archaeology, pre-history and proto-history of classic, medieval and post-medieval ages.

Shops

Shops are open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and are closed on Sunday and Monday morning.

On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday there is a market in the open air.

Varese

Varese is an important center, active in many sectors (mechanical, electro-technical, food processing, wood, textiles, clothing, shoes, leather, paper, graphic arts-publishing and plastic materials). In the tertiary sector, business is particularly brisk also due to adequate road, highway and railway connections to Milan.
In the area surrounding Varese the landscapes are magnificent. The border with Switzerland is nearby, and affords great advantages. The view of the Pre-Alp lakes is indeed unique.
The municipality of Varese has a population of 85,687, according to the results of the 2001 national census.

Museums

Musei Civici - Castello Di Masnago

The historical castle is decorated with Lombard frescoes dating back to the 15th century. Today, the castle hosts the Varese Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, where contemporary sculptures and paintings are exhibited.

Musei Civici - Villa Mirabello:
Archaeological Section

The archaeological section of the Villa Mirabello Museum exhibits ancient local findings dating back to pre-history and to the Roman Age.
Of special interest are the “diatreta cagnola”, a Roman transparent glass cup for ointments, the “bambino di Varese” (Varese child), one of the best preserved Italian mummies, and the “warrior’s tomb”, of Celtic origin.

Museum “L. Pogliaghi”

This house-museum had been the home of the Milanese artist Lodovico Pogliaghi (1857-1950) from 1885 until he died.
This villa shows clear features of end of 19th century eclecticism, and hosts archaeological findings, some sculptures by Giambologna, two paintings by Magnasco, an important collection of ancient tapestries, and Pogliaghi’s works.
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Museo Baroffio e del Santuario del Sacro Monte sopra Varese

Exhibits include works from different collections, which were donated to the Museum at different times, and were kept in two different museums.
This Museum acquired eight new exhibition rooms (currently only five may be visited).
Exhibits are shown in three different storeys, and include a great number of paintings and sculptures, findings dating back to early stages of the Sanctuary, and a room devoted to contemporary artistic interpretations of the Holy Virgin, including works by Bodini, Buffet, Cantatore, Carrà, Carpi, Guttuso and many others.

Fondazione Russolo-Pratella

This Foundation has a rich collection of tapes, films, photographs, materials by futurist directors, musicology studies. The whole collection is the result of the studies conducted by the futurist artist Luigi Russolo (1885-1947), a painter and a musicologist.
This Foundation organizes the International Competition Luigi Russolo for young composers of electro-acoustic music and computer music.

Sala Veratti

Sala Veratti, built in 1599 when the refectory of the ancient monastery was devoted to S. Anthony, was purchased by the Varese Municipality in 1986.
It currently shows its ancient splendour, due to the restoration work completed in 1995. Here, the Authorities responsible for Varese Museums organize temporary art exhibitions, which also favor a visit to this magnificent hall.

Museum of Contemporary Art at Villa Panza

This Museum is hosted in a typical suburban villa of the 18th century.
Exhibits include 21 items of primitive African and Pre-Colombian art and a contemporary art collection, and 113 works of art dating back to the ‘60s through the ‘90s collected by Conte Giuseppe Panza from Biumo.

Cinema and theatre

* MULTISALA IMPERO (9 halls)
* CINEMA POLITEAMA
* CINEMA NUOVO
* CINEMA VELA
* VARESE THEATRE

Library

Biblioteca Civica
(municipal library)

Here an inter-library lending service is available.

Shops

Shops are open 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m., and are closed on Sunday and Monday morning.

On Monday, Thursday and Saturday there is a market in the open air.
On the first Sunday of the month there is a street market of antique objects, books and prints.