6 nights at Palace Grand Hotel Varese with breakfast and 3 green fees

Golf and Varese are old acquaintances. It was 1897 when the first 9 holes of the city were marked out in the park of the Grand Hotel Excelsior in the Casbeno neighborhood, today site of the prefectural offices. After a brief transfer north to Valganna, the Golf Club Varese found its definitive location in Luvinate in 1934. First 9 holes, which then doubled in the 1950s, with views that sweep from Monte Rosa to the three lakes – Maggiore, Varese and Monate – and an immense wealth of century-old trees, as beautiful to see as they are penalizing for imprecise golfers The course is indeed narrow with small and well-defended greens, with undulating sloping fairways that are often breathtaking – such as Hole 18 with an uphill climb to a killer green! Dominating it all, the 12th century monastery from which the clubhouse was created. A stop here is a unique experience. You must cross an ancient cloister, as the Benedictine nuns once did who lived here until the 15th century. Going past the old sacristy, you enter the spacious parlor, the bar and restaurant with coffered ceilings and the other walls covered with wooden panels bearing the names of the winners of the club’s most prestigious tournaments. Each hole is completely different from the others and rarely will you find yourself playing a shot with the ball perfectly level. It is often wise to forgo using a driver from the tee, so as not to run too many risks and place the ball in the wider spots of the fairway with an iron or three-wood. Technical Details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6054 meters Architects: Gannon & Blanford Topography: rather hilly, wide fairways, many doglegs, veteran trees Distinctive features: the many doglegs are quite demanding and require a precise game: either a 3-wood or a long iron might help. Pro’s comments The Golf Club Varese thrills golfers especially in autumn, when the trees are brightly colored with red, yellow, brown and dark green leaves. A sight not to be missed, just as the tee shot from Hole 10 overlooking Lake Varese, with a truly breathtaking view. For golf aesthetes, a must-see.

From the very first step into the club house, where you can find the trunk of a monumental plane tree, protected by a glass case and with its canopy reaching for the sky above the roof, you gather that the founder of Barlassina in 1958 wanted something unique. Goal achieved, because the club, with its 70 hectares in the countryside between Milano and Como remained for a long time one of the few Italian private golf clubs, defending an exclusivity of which it’s always been proud. But times change and now even the occasional visitor gets to know this gem of Lombardy golf, where the creator, the British architect John Morrison, assisted by Donald Harradine, took advantage of the hilly land, making it even more scenic. The best time to play the 18th holes in the Groane Park is late Spring: azalea and rhododendron bushes of many pink shades convert it into a delightful lush garden. The green of the 9th hole (a 183 m long par 3), surrounded by flowers, wins the “Oscar” for the best set design. Finally, a treat for the enthusiasts of the cinema: in 1960, the halls of the clubhouse, designed by the architect Luigi Vietti, were chosen by director Michelangelo Antonioni as a set for the dance scene of the award winning movie “La notte”, starring Jeanne Moreau and Marcello Mastroianni. Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6135 meters Architects: Harris, Morrisson Topography: gentle rolling hills, woodland course, numerous bunkers Distinctive features: conceived to suit all levels Pro’s Comments A club of long tradition with a magnificent course. The holes, completely immersed in the woods and in the silence, get better and better. To be mentioned is the 10th, with the tee close to the clubhouse, it’s a very difficult and delicate Par 4 slightly dog-leg to the left, where it’s mandatory to play an accurate tee shot to reach a very far green (from the championship tee, more than 400 meters). A particularity that you will appreciate: no water hazards guarding the greens, but only a few streams in the woods. A joy for the less skilled players. Barlassina is perhaps the only golf club in Italy that still provides members-only lounges in the club-house. For many‚ but not for everyone.

We are midway between Milan and Como, in the heart of the Brianza area, where almost at the same time with the nearby “Barlassina Golf Club”, was created, in 1962, another ambitious project, at the forefront of Italian design. Piero Mancinelli designed the course, Guido Veneziani and Vico Magistretti (personalities that nowadays would be called “archi-stars”) signed the clubhouse project. Keeping the ancient castle of the noble Visconti family (later owned by the Arnaboldi Cazzaniga family ) as its point of reference, a new development of 400 small villas (none taller than the surrounding vegetation) and a golf course were built, in the 60 hectares of woodland. More than 50 years later, the gently undulating course and the club atmosphere confirm their uniqueness, with thanks to the constant evolution and the desire to keep pace with the times. Carimate Golf Club is a very lively club, where the members gather as in a second home and visitors are very welcome. The course, wide and varied, runs amid a botanical heritage of ten thousands plants and has been developed in two different stages: the “Higher” holes, created close to the clubhouse, opened in 1961, and the “Lower” holes, inaugurated three years later. Once seated around the table, at the restaurant, please have a look at the red chairs in wood and wicker: they are rare design pieces, the making of Vico Magistretti, who named them after the Club: Carimate. Since 1962 they are produced by Cassina. Technical Details Place : 18 holes, Par 72, 5850 meters Architect : Piero Mancinelli Topography : flat with very dense vegetation Special features : beautiful course, not to difficult to play, a lust for the eye Pro’s comments A splendid and very tall Atlas cedar makes play on Hole 11, a par 5of over 500 meters, extremely complicated. Positioned in the middle of the fairway around 100 meters from the green, it forces players to be strategically attentive already with the second stroke: better to keep to the right for an easier entrance. A thrilling and unforgettable signature hole.