Busto Arsizio

Busto Arsizio (Lombard: Büsti Grandi) is a city of 83,000 people (2017) in Varese Province, in the Lombardy region of Italy.

Understand
Busto Arsizio is at the northern limit of the Po Valley.

Climate
The climate of Busto Arsizio is continental. Winters are cold and have many frosty days. Summers are hot and muggy. The phenomenon of fog is frequent, although less and less.

Get in
The main accesses to the city consist of the two stations (both in a fairly central position) and the Busto Arsizio exit of the A8 motorway north of the city, which allows you to enter the town via the SS33 del Sempione or from viale Repubblica and via Quintino Sella.

The main parking areas (generally paid) near the historic centre are: San Michele car park (free, along via Michele Amari), Einaudi car parks (free), Lualdi and Vanzaghi (in corso Europa), Giussano car park (near the square Trento and Trieste), Facchinetti car park (along via Giuseppe Mazzini), Landriani car park (in via Landriani, crossroads of via Andrea Zappellini), Culin car park (in via Roberto Culin, corner of via San Giovanni bosco) and smaller parking areas in piazza Trento e Trieste, piazza Garibaldi, via Giovanni Battista Bossi, via monsignor Paolo Borroni and via Fratelli d'Italia.

By train
Busto Arsizio has two railway stations: Busto Arsizio (RFI/FS) on the east side of the city centre, and Busto Arsizio Nord (Ferrovienord/FNM) on the south side of the city centre. At Busto Arsizio FS station, Platform 4 is used by trains arriving from Milan and trains departing for Varese (and other northbound destinations). Platform 5 is used by trains arriving from Varese and trains departing for Milan (and other southbound destinations).

TiLo operates the S30 train service from Malpensa Airport up the eastern side of Lake Maggiore to Bellinzona in Switzerland. It stops at both the stations in Busto Arsizio.

By plane
Milano Malpensa Airport is close by. A bus departs the airport every two hours between 06:46 and 18:46, with an extra departure at 09:46, taking 33 minutes to Busto Arsizio Nord FN and 38 minutes to Busto Arsizio FS. The buses depart Busto Arsizio FS every two hours between 8:39 and 20:39, with an extra one at 11:39. Check the timetable at Muoversi in Lombardia by entering the line name "Malpensa Aeroporto - Busto Arsizio Fs (56)" or "Busto Arsizio Fs - Malpensa Aeroporto (271)".

Get around
The main points of reference are the Sempione course and the Milan-Gallarate-Varese railway. Their intersection takes place precisely in Busto Arsizio, in an important road junction called "the Cinque Ponti". Also in Busto Arsizio, the Milan-Gallarate-Varese railway (which runs from south-east to north-west) intersects the Milan-Novara railway (which runs from east to west and cuts the city horizontally).

Other key points of Busto Arsizio are, in addition to the three historical centers, the hospital (to the north, near the "Cinque Ponti"), the monumental cemetery (to the west, along the SS527) and the Buon Gesù locality. partly under the municipality of Olgiate Olona and constitutes the area in which the municipalities of Busto Arsizio, Olgiate Olona and Castellanza meet at the intersection between the SS33 del Sempione, corso XX Settembre (one of the main bustocche streets) and viale don Giovanni Minzoni (important road axis of Castellanza).

See
The most important buildings of the city are the churches. There are several built in the last millennium, many of which are reconstructions of former churches.
 * The shrine of Santa Maria di Piazza: The most remarkable building of the Renaissance period – indeed the only remaining – is the shrine of Santa Maria di Piazza ("Saint Mary of the Square"), also called shrine of the Beata Vergine dell'Aiuto ("Blessed Virgin of the Help"). The building stands in the city centre. It was built between 1515 and 1522. The village of Crespi d'Adda, built up for Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, is home to a smaller version of the shrine.
 * The church of Saint John the Baptist: Paintings in Saint John the Baptist church. The church of Saint John the Baptist, in the city centre, was built between 1609 and 1635 by Francesco Maria Ricchini, but the bell tower is older (between 1400 and 1418). The façade, finished in 1701 by Domenico Valmagini, has many statues and decorations. In the interior are numerous paintings by Daniele Crespi, a celebrated painter born at Busto Arsizio, such as Cristo morto con San Domenico and Biagio Bellotti. The square in front of this church was built over the ancient cemetery.
 * The church of Saint Michael the Archangel: The third biggest church in the city is the Church of Saint Michael Archangel (San Michele Arcangelo). Its bell tower, built in the 10th century, is the oldest building in Busto Arsizio; built as part of a Lombard fortification. The present church was built by the architect Francesco Maria Richini. In the church there are some relics, the most important of which is the body of San Felice Martire.
 * The church of Saint Roch: Built after the 1485 bubonic plague and dedicated to Saint Roch, invoked against the plague, it was rebuilt from 1706 to 1713 thanks to donations by the lawyer Carlo Visconti. Inside the church, there are frescos by Salvatore and Francesco Maria Bianchi (1731) and Biagio Bellotti.

Buy
The streets of the historic centre are home to numerous bars and various shops, especially clothing, underwear, accessories and jewellery, especially along via Milano, corso Europa, via Felice Cavallotti, via Cavour, via cardinale Eugenio Tosi, via Stefano Bonsignori, via Montebello, piazza Santa Maria, piazza San Giovanni, via San Gregorio, via Daniele Crespi, via Giuseppe Mazzini, piazza Trento and Trieste, piazza Garibaldi and Corso XX Settembre. Spaces for shops are planned in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.

On Thursday and Saturday mornings in piazzale dei Bersaglieri, near the Busto Arsizio north station, there is the largest market in the city.

Go next

 * Cascina Elisa
 * Castellanza
 * Dairago
 * Gallarate
 * Legnano
 * Olgiate Olona
 * Quattro Strade
 * Sacconago
 * Samarate
 * Villa Cortese