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.  The Santuario di Santa Maria di Piazza dates back to 1515.Nearby is the Basilica di San Giovanni Battista, one of the city’s main churches.  It is set in the piazza of the same name.Surrounding the two piazzas, there are streets lined with shops and cafés, all housed in beautiful buildings.One 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!I 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.  I found the place, and the park that it was set in, to be utterly charming.  Of 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.  

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!