Gallarate (Lombard: Galaraa) is a city and comune of Lombardy, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 51,700.
It is the junction of railways to Varese, Laveno and Arona (for the Simplon). Some 10 kilometers to the west are the electric works of Vizzola, where 23,000 hp are derived from the river Ticino. Its territory is crossed by the river Arnetta, and belongs to the Ticino River National Park.
The city in the fir...
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Gallarate (Lombard: Galaraa) is a city and comune of Lombardy, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 51,700.
It is the junction of railways to Varese, Laveno and Arona (for the Simplon). Some 10 kilometers to the west are the electric works of Vizzola, where 23,000 hp are derived from the river Ticino. Its territory is crossed by the river Arnetta, and belongs to the Ticino River National Park.
The city in the first part of 19th century had a strong textile industry.
Founded by the Gauls and later conquered by the Romans, Gallarate was mentioned as an important vicus or village in documents dating back to the Roman conquest of what was then called Gallia Cisalpina. During the Frankish hegemony, a castle was erected upon the remains of the original Roman fortifications located beside the still existing Basilica of Santa Maria. The castle does not exist anymore, but its ancient location is identified through the city’s topography and by the street name...
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