Saronno (; ) is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

, Italy, in the

province of Varese The province of Varese () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population of 80,857 inhabitants), but its largest city is Busto Arsizio. The headquarters of AgustaWestland, the compa ...

. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960. With an estimated population of inhabitants, it is the most densely populated among the big municipalities in its province. The place is well known for its apricot kernel biscuits ( ''amaretti'') and liqueur (''

amaretto Amaretto ( Italian for 'a little bitter') is a sweet Italian liqueur originating from the ''comune'' (municipality) of Saronno. Depending on the brand, it may be made from apricot kernels, bitter almonds, peach stones, or almonds, all of whi ...

''), produced by ILLVA Saronno locally. It is also a relevant

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

town.

Main sights

Madonna dei Miracoli

The pilgrimage church of the ''Madonna dei Miracoli'', begun on 8 May 1498 by Vincenzo Dell'Orto, has a dome with very fine architecture on the outside. It was built at three times: the Renaissance part from 1498 to 1516; it includes the apse, the chancel, the dome and the bell tower; in 1556 the sacristy was added; in the end from 1570 to the beginning of the XVII century two other spans were added to the aisles and the facade was erected. During the same period, "l'Hostaria dell'Angelo” was built to restore pilgrims. The bell tower is high. Internally the dome is decorated with fine frescoes by

Gaudenzio Ferrari Gaudenzio Ferrari ( – 11 January 1546) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance. Biography Gaudenzio was born to Franchino Ferrari at Valduggia in Valsesia in the Duchy of Milan. Valduggia is now in the province of Vercelli in P ...

, representing The Concert of Angels, while those in the choir are by

Bernardino Luini Bernardino Luini (/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described as having taken ...

and are among his finest works. These include the ''Adoration of the Magi'', ''The Presentation'', ''The Marriage of the Virgin'' and ''Jesus Discussing with the Doctors in the Temple''. Most likely Luini started these frescoes in the spring of 1524. The dome is based on a very particular dodecagonal tambour that could be appreciated also from the outside. It was completed in 1666. In January 1923

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

elevated the church to the status of

Minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

The Church of St. Francis is the oldest church in Saronno, with medieval origins. It was a small church outside the walls. In 1154 it was taken over by the friars of the

Franciscan order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

, and in 1297 the Archbishop of Milan, Francesco Fontana da Siena, invited the parishioners to contribute to the building of a bigger church as the existing one was not sufficient for the needs of the friars. There are no traces of this church today because in the 15th century radical changes and restoration were carried out. It was during these changes that the lavish decorations that we see today were added. The church has a central nave with side aisles. The chancel and high altar is at one end of the nave, facing the main doors that are at the other end. The side aisles are lined with richly decorated chapels. The facade is baroque but the sloping roof is a sign of its medieval origins. There are two niches on the facade containing statues, one of St. Anthony and the other of St. Francis. These statues are copies but the originals can be seen in one of the chapels inside the church.

Museo Giuseppe Gianetti

The

Museum Giuseppe Gianetti The Museum Giuseppe Gianetti () is a ceramics museum located in Saronno, Italy. The Museum includes collections of different types of porcelain, majolica, and ceramics that belonged to the Italian industrialist Giuseppe Gianetti. These showc ...

is dedicated to the collection of 18th-century

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...

gathered by the late Giuseppe Gianetti since 1933. Its permanent collection includes highly notable pieces of

Meissen porcelain Meissen porcelain or Meissen china was the first Europe, European hard-paste porcelain. Early experiments were done in 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger continued von Tschirnhaus's ...

and

Doccia porcelain Doccia porcelain, now usually called Richard-Ginori (or Ginori 1735; previously known as the ''Doccia porcelain manufactory''), at Doccia, a ''frazione'' of Sesto Fiorentino, near Florence, was in theory founded in 1735 by marchese Carlo Ginori ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

and Japanese ceramics, objects from important Italian and European manufactories and a representative selection of

Maiolica Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. The most renowned Italian maiolica is from the Renaissance period. These works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ("painted with stories") when depicting historical and ...

milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

ese. Side by side with Giuseppe Gianetti’s collection, the museum now displays a new section on contemporary works of art made by local and national artists who mainly work with

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

materials.

Others

*Palazzo Visconti (16th century). *Church of St. James (finished in 1612). It has frescoes by Stefano Maria Legnani. *Church of St. Anthony, known since 1385.

Climate

Transportation

Saronno railway station is an important junction of the

Ferrovienord Ferrovienord (prior to 2006, Ferrovie Nord Milano Esercizio) is an Italian transport company managing the network of regional railway concessions owned by the group in northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Ferrovie Nord Milano. History The compa ...

railway network. This railway has frequent trains to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

Varese Varese ( , ; or ; ; ; archaic ) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559. It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or exurban part ...

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

and

Malpensa Airport Milan Malpensa Airport "Silvio Berlusconi" is an international airport in Ferno, in the Province of Varese, Lombardy, Italy. It is the largest airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria, as well as the Swiss canton of Ti ...

. It is also served by the suburban lines S1, S3 and S9. Saronno Sud railway station is another Ferrovienord station in the southern suburbs of the town, only served by the suburban lines. Saronno has also various bus lines that connect with nearby towns.

Sports

Saronno is home to the Saronno Comets, the first Italian tchoukball club; their team, Saronno Castor, won 7 of the 9 championships played so far in Italy. Their football club, FBC Saronno, were also inspired by their founder's trip to Sheffield, England, where he was awarded a blue and white striped shirt by

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...