BUSTO ARSIZIO

Busto Arsizio is a small city located about thirty minutes to the north of Milano.  I chose to stay there, as it is closer to Malpensa Airport than the city of Milano is, and, plus, I’d never been there before.  So, I was interested in seeing just what the place had to offer.  While there is a train that departs from Milano’s  Porta Garibaldi Train Station, I thought I’d take a taxi, and make things a little bit easier on myself.  Boy, was I wrong about that!  The driver of the taxi was an elderly man, who had most likely never been in Busto before.  He got hopelessly lost, in Busto!  And, It is not that big of a city!  What should have taken less than an hour, took almost two hours, and then, I only arrived at the B&B because I phoned them, told them where the taxi driver and I were, and they came to pick me up.  By this time, the driver of the taxi was so flustered and upset that he wanted me to get into another cab, which he offered to pay for!  As it turned out, we were within walking distance of the B&B the entire time, which was only a few blocks away.  Had I known that, I would have left him, and walked the rest of the way, with my luggage.  But, lessons learned!  I wonder how long it took him to get back to Milano!

Anyway, I arrived and checked into my lovely room, at Antica Corte, a family-run B&B set right off of one of Busto’s main piazzas.  IMG_0121IMG_0123IMG_0124The Santuario di Santa Maria di Piazza dates back to 1515.IMG_0125IMG_0126Nearby is the Basilica di San Giovanni Battista, one of the city’s main churches.  It is set in the piazza of the same name.IMG_0132IMG_0140IMG_0149IMG_0148IMG_0147IMG_0146IMG_0159IMG_0135Surrounding the two piazzas, there are streets lined with shops and cafés, all housed in beautiful buildings.IMG_0138IMG_0167IMG_0174IMG_0178IMG_0181IMG_0201IMG_0206IMG_0211One of the things I love best, about aimlessly roaming around a city, is coming upon a piece of art that you never expected to see!IMG_0214IMG_0215IMG_0218IMG_0221IMG_0223IMG_0226IMG_0233IMG_0240IMG_0246IMG_0252I eventually found myself in front of a lovely building, set in its own park, which now is a music academy.  As I strolled around, I could hear a student inside, being given a vocal lesson.  IMG_0278I found the place, and the park that it was set in, to be utterly charming.  IMG_0284IMG_0285IMG_0289IMG_0305IMG_0314IMG_0339IMG_0344IMG_0346Of course, before long, I found myself back at the same spot where the taxi driver had given up hope — in the piazza in front of the Church of San Michele.  IMG_0349IMG_0355IMG_0358IMG_0359IMG_0374IMG_0377IMG_0387IMG_0411IMG_0446IMG_0404

 

Next up:  A brief stop in Milano, before heading south again!

 

 

Note: This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations which may appear.  If you liked this post, please, feel free to check out the archives, for past posts from other great Italian destinations!  Grazie!

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