Important discovery at the Museo della Collegiata in Castiglione Olona (Varese): in fact a Flemish painting that has only recently been recognized as the work of Willem van Herp (Antwerp 1614 - 1677) 86x68) depicting the Resurrection of Christ: it is a painting of remarkable quality previously exhibited in the museum but previously ignored by scholars which will be shown to all in a fully legible guise thanks to the recently completed restoration and accompanied by a new contribution of knowledge.The attribution to Willem van Herp a painter as talented as he is little known thanks to the abbreviated signature on the back and stylistic analysis of the painting The new attribution was bolstered by the interlocution established with the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie) in The Hague which was thus able to include the Collegiate work in its immense online database The model for Van Herp’s Resurrection is Antoon van Dyck’s Resurrection of Christ Van Herp’s copy has a few more elements including the heads of cherubs in the sky and a soldier on the left Van Dyck is believed to have made his Resurrectionshortly after 1630 in Antwerp the city where Willem van Herp spent his entire life and from where he exported many works to various European countries often preferring the copper medium because of its easy portability Copper also enhances the brilliance of colors as shown in the bright whites and bright reds of Van Herp’s Resurrection With vibrant brushstrokes Van Herp paints Christ hovering in the sky accompanied by the banner fluttering around a slender cross amid the awe and amazement of some soldiers Archpriest Don Ambrogio Cortesi says: "We have just concluded to the great surprise and satisfaction of visitors the ’Christmas’ exhibition of a Venetian-Cretan Adoration of the Magi Now the Collegiate Museum is offering everyone an ’Easter’ meditation which had never received proper attention in the past Laura Marazzi for her unceasing work to enhance the local artistic heritage and for her great ability to educate the community’s gaze through ever new discoveries and insights." A presentation of the restoration will be held on Friday It will be attended by Benedetta Chiesi of the Soprintendenza Archeologia directed the restoration in agreement with the Cultural Heritage Office of the Diocese of Milan sponsored by the Beata Vergine del Rosario Parish who will talk about the essential stages of her work explaining the reasons for the new attribution is at the Nuova Scolastica of the Museo della Collegiata (Via Cardinal Branda 1) Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m Last admission half an hour before closing is an Italian eyewear brand that has been increasingly focused on projects aimed at reducing its impact on the environment The enterprise was born in 2004 in Castiglione Olona in an area of Northern Italy that in the mid-1800s was the first Italian eyewear district and that is still the second Italian eyewear district The company has experienced steady growth from 2004 to the present because it is built on a business model according to which and the eyewear sold through the 170 mono brand stores in its network including direct and franchise stores.  the brand has also embarked on a growing internationalization path is a sustainable and socially responsible company and each year it invests ten percent of its profits in social welfare with projects designed to help people or support the environment Launched  eyewear from up to 96% recycled plastic regenerating waste from normal eyewear production and giving it new shape and life recycled plastic collections are certified Recycled Plastic by CSI 30 percent of which is made from bottles fished out of the sea each pair of glasses in this line contains approximately the plastic of five PET bottles.Starting in 2022 the first collection of 100 percent customized Nau They are custom-made and super sustainable eyewear models because they are only made to order on nau.it each customer can see how the eyewear fits thanks to the new 3D configurator with virtual try on as the CO2 produced to make each pair of eyewear sold - for prescription frames pre-mounted reading glasses - is offset through the support of climate protection projects the company has selected the Bukaleba reforestation project an area with one of the highest deforestation rates in the world has already allocated funds to offset two million kilos of CO2 between now and the end of May 2023 $(document).ready(function() { adition.srq.push(function(api) { api.renderSlot("renderSlot_Rectangle-2"); }); }); READ ALSO: The Materials Nestled within the quiet town of Castiglione Olona is one of the true giants of the eyewear business – a company that was founded in 1849 and has survived two world wars and turbulent economic times which has spanned six generations of the Mazzucchelli family remains something of an unsung hero in optics How often has a frame sales rep come into a practice with a case of frames and mentioned ‘Mazzucchelli acetate’ but prefers to quietly go about its business with a small factory manufacturing combs and buttons made from animal horn who eventually passed the company on to his two sons Angelo and Pompeo the company established a factory in Castiglione Olona an area north of Milan where the river Olona supplied factories with materials the company’s technical ability and reputation in celluloid production increased the company signed an agreement with Du Pont for the production of celluloid and began to work on the production of cellulose acetate sheets which would eventually replace cellulose nitrate across many industries due to nitrate’s flammable properties the company started to manufacture other products alongside celluloid This included nitrocellulose for varnish and transparent packaging in the pharmaceutical sector industrial design and the sports sector – producing skis for the Italian national skiing team The mid-1970s saw the acquisition of sunglass and ophthalmic lens producer and a gradual shift of focus towards the eyewear sector Optical acquisitions over the years have included hinge-maker Comotec and GUMA producer of optical sheets for the sport and safety sectors Production facilities in Castiglione Olona and Venegono Superiore is where all of the Mazzucchelli 1849 range of products is manufactured Castiglione Olona also houses product development and research laboratories make cellulose acetate sheets mainly made for the Asian market two showrooms grant support to frame brand customers by displaying the entire range of products and act as windows to monitor local market fashion trends The cellulose acetate produced by Mazzucchelli is not plastic in the traditional sense Flakes of cotton are pushed and squeezed through a large press to create a transparent paste that is used as a base for the large sheets made further down the production line The ingredients needed to produce acetate Parts of the paste sections are cut off and put through heated rollers until it reaches the desired thickness Coloured powders are carefully added and mixed with acetone and spread over the raw transparent acetate The crudely coloured paste is then pressed again Samples of the paste are taken throughout the process so that they can be checked for future reference and production Coloured powders are added to the raw acetate and rolled until colour is uniform At this stage the acetate is still unrecognisable from the sheet form that one typically imagines The coloured paste is rolled and cut into tiny cubes and if there is more than one colour to add The granules of coloured acetate are mixed together and once again subjected to another rolling process Here a completely new piece of acetate is created The piece is placed in a press for around one day and the block is carefully sliced into large sheets which go on to be cut into smaller pieces when they arrive at their frame production stage The acetate created in this fashion is described as extrusion acetate Lamination acetate is made in a similar fashion as extrusion but the sheets are placed on top of one another at the pressing stage and slowly bonded together Mazzucchelli manufactures a wide range of acetate colours but it is the block process that represents the greatest attraction for stylists and designers can create inimitable effects and maximum creativity which is considerably more expensive to purchase can be recognised by the direction of the patterns If the patterns within the acetate move in different directions then the frame uses acetate made using the block technique Extrusion acetate can be identified by patterns which move in one direction across the frame responsible for the company’s sales in the UK market with more brands and designers looking to stand out from the crowd and a colour scheme that cannot be fully recreated helps them do that ‘It’s our expertise in this type of acetate production that we are known and respected for,’ he adds Repeatability is another major strength of the company The details of each master batch will be recorded so that further batches have the same finished colour Having records of each batch also helps when the company is producing colours for frame brands Exclusive use of colours is something that frame brands will often mention when talking about their products a two-year exclusivity period will be granted by the company Should the frame producer order more acetate the company will often extend this exclusivity period the colour option will be open to others after consultation with the original rights holder In the event of a frame brand coming to Mazzucchelli with an idea for a colour or pattern that is too close to an existing rights holder the company will politely explain that this option is not currently available A sample of the 25,000 acetate chips in the archive Innovation and pushing for new quality levels are nothing without a good workforce and says it has a strong commitment to them but quality,’ says Elena Orsi Mazzucchelli Each Mazzucchelli employee feels part of a large family; internal relationships are pleasant and all this leads highly specialised and trained inside the company I belong to the sixth generation of my family but it is not uncommon to find employees who represent the third or the fourth generation of their families in Mazzucchelli the company also set up a fully paid for health centre in which specialists in a range of disciplines are available to visit employees Small acetate chips are pressed together to form block acetate Social responsibility has also featured in the company’s past During WWII when the Italian government no longer had funds and all able bodied men were called upon by the military the company founded a college where locals could train and gather experience of manufacturing The acetate sheet production sector is not particularly large but a company such as Mazzucchelli is not short of competitors ‘We like to differentiate in terms of quality and innovation from both aesthetic and technical perspectives’ ‘The aesthetic quality is achieved thanks to the Centro O product development teams and the prototype laboratories The technical qualities are achieved by our R&D department These two departments are composed of 50 people which represents 10% of our employees in Italy We also have a constant control of the raw materials used in order to guarantee the highest quality of the products.’ When a company has been in business for more than 160 years Orsi Mazzucchelli explains how the company has pushed its sector forward over the years ‘Mazzucchelli has always been a great innovator and listener to the demands of the market Some of the latest product innovations include Art Print the best high definition acetate printing on the market and three new product and manufacturing patent applications The M49 acetate is certified 100% biodegradable and friendlier to the environment Cellulose acetate is already a mainly naturally-derived product but the inclusion of certain plasticisers and pigments means it could be improved there is increasing demand for environmentally friendly products By removing these plasticisers and replacing them with organic substitutes The first eyewear brand to use the new acetate was Gucci furniture producers have used the bio polymer to produce a new line of plastic panels for furnishing producing acetate sheets for the vast majority of the world’s eyewear companies would seem like a perfect scenario client relationships have to be managed delicately Mazzucchelli is organised into different areas of market requirements and specific needs who Orsi Mazzucchelli says have deep knowledge of the market work in the product development department to handle different markets and specific needs These needs will often relate to the size of the company; large multinationals will have different requirements to small brands producing limited runs The company says it has flexible minimum order quantities which allows it to be more flexible in terms of production differentiation – something smaller brands are constantly striving for which has tangible benefits when planning colours and textures for new collections in advance Earlier this month the company updated its website a new corporate website might not sound important but the inclusion of a tool that allows users to compare acetate colour chips from the company’s vast archive makes the process of choosing colours simpler and faster Crespi explains the process of working with frame brands: ‘Designers come to us and tell us what look they are trying to achieve and it’s up to us to try to achieve that for them They could be looking for a pearl effect or a geometric design and with an archive of around 25,000 colours and combinations from roughly the past 30 years Modernisation is something that has happened throughout the company but the machinery used to produce the acetate sheets remains a throwback to days gone by With technology such as 3D printing gathering momentum in optics ‘Innovation has always been part of Mazzucchelli’s DNA,’ says Orsi Mazzucchelli ‘This allows us to be a market leader and to promptly react to all the market changes you must run at least twice as fast as that!”’ Optician magazine is the leading independent Every issue of Optician is packed full of the latest news insights and information for optical professionals The eyewear brand continues on its expansion in by opening in Italy two of which will be in Lombardy and one in Tuscany in Pontedera (PI) in via Umberto Terracini and represents the eleventh point of sale of the brand in the Region and employs more than 800 people worldwide Contact us: info@rli.uk.com The new store recently opened on the central Via Cantù It is a new initiative in the eyewear sector and an example of circular economy for its furnishings only used eyeglasses and sunglasses collected from the brand's over 150 Italian stores These glasses are first brought to the Nau factory in Castiglione Olona following existing logistics flows Here they are analyzed and classified into recoverable or non-recoverable they immediately start a refurbishing process and removing the old lenses to fit new prescription or sunglass lenses old glasses find new life and become Nau!Reloove while still meeting all the quality requirements of current European standards according to a stylistic choice and the idea that inspires the project to love old glasses again are disposed of according to correct procedures required by the current regulations project that expresses the concreteness that has always distinguished us on our path to reducing our environmental impact," said Monica Salvestrin Brogi "We challenge ourselves every day to find new ways to be more sustainable: hence the idea of extending the life cycle of our products taking advantage of our network and our logistics ready to be loved back," added the entrepreneur in an area of Northern Italy that in the 1800s was home to one of Italy's first and largest eyewear districts The brand sells its eyewear through 150 monobrand stores including direct and indirect stores in Italy and since 2022 has been active in projects careful to offset CO2 emissions for each pair of glasses sold has long been involved in various environmentally conscious projects each year the company reinvests at least 10 percent of its profits in projects aimed at people and the environment as well as being engaged in projects designed to balance the two million tons of CO2 produced by the company each year for instance by replanting forests in countries like Uganda and Sierra Leone obtained the ISO 14001 environmental certification and uses energy from renewable sources while trying to reduce its consumption with common-sense actions such as keeping the doors closed in winter and summer to avoid energy waste They constantly study new solutions to minimize packaging and look for alternative and more efficient logistical solutions by reducing the bulk and number of their shipments Almost all of their black glasses are made from up to 92% recycled plastic they made their first recycled plastic eyewear back in 2007 as true pioneers in this field They also use plastic derived from bottles and nets fished out of the seas the first custom made-to-order eyewear only in their factory to avoid waste and remainders.ADDRESSNau!RelooveVia Cesare Cantù $(document).ready(function() { adition.srq.push(function(api) { api.renderSlot("renderSlot_Rectangle-2"); }); }); READ ALSO: The Stores To celebrate summer between July and August 2023 several municipalities in the area are offering festivals and events that will culminate with a fireworks display During the "Palio dei castelli" in Castiglione Olona a fireworks display will be held on the final evening of Sunday FULL PROGRAMME Fireworks display on the water to the rhythm of music FULL PROGRAMME During the 4 days of celebrations on the Laveno lakefront The fires will be "shot" from the lake and will last no less than 20 minutes FULL PROGRAMME TUESDAY 15 AUGUST AND WEDNESDAY 16 AUGUST - PORTO VALTRAVAGLIA  A two-day celebration of Ferragosto and San Rocco The festivities begin on Tuesday 15th August at 12:00 p.m with the opening of the food stall (fish menu but also sausages and chips) the first Palio Remiero delle Frazioni will take place a non-competitive rowing race in which wooden boats of the inglesina type will compete on the waters adjacent to the lakeshore The boats must complete a rowing course and swim to the finish line the food stall will be open and there will be music for dancing by the lake with the delicious fritto misto as the star attraction there will be a lottery draw and at 07:00 p.m the finals of the First Palio Remiero delle Frazioni will take place Italian politician and entrepreneur Gabriele Albertini will be awarded honorary citizenship The evening will continue with dancing and entertainment The grand finale will be a fireworks display over the water at 10:45 p.m From 3 to 10 Maggio - Podestà Square of Varese From 10 May to 11 May 2025 - MalpensaFiere info@vareseturismo.it information and assistance for planning your perfect event or trip Contact us Photocredits: Archivio fotografico della Provincia di Varese-Settore Marketing Territoriale e Identità Culturale-servizi foto a cura di SIAF-CNA VARESE - Archivio Fotografico Comune di Varese - Davide Morello Photography on the border between Italy and Switzerland11 November 2009iStockAll products are independently selected by our editors Milan's recently expanded intercontinental airport hub is within striking distance of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore But there is another less obvious itinerary: the route north into the delightfully languid province of Varese which lies partly in Italy and partly in Switzerland Varese was the Versailles or Windsor of Milan and the era left behind some stunning villas home to one of Italy's finest collections of contemporary art but the most unexpected and rewarding treat is the tiny Tuscan village of Castiglione Olona Senterio di Gandria 21, Castagnola (00 41 91 971 4451; www.elvezialago.ch) The most romantic of the lakeside retreats is this four-star hotel just east of Lugano There are nine simple rooms (go for number nine or number five) and two more slightly more luxurious ones Competent but unexciting dishes such as polenta with porcini are served on the restaurant terrace; but it's the view Via Nobile Claudio Riva, 2, Azzate (00 39 0332 456 223; www.mai-intees.com) This is a converted Renaissance country house in Azzate whose unpromising suburbs conceal a charming hilltop centro storico guests can enjoy the lovely stone-flagged courtyard the fireplace in the frescoed dining room is very inviting Breakfast is less sumptuous than the décor Piazza Cioccaro 1, Lugano (00 41 91 227772; www.romantikhotels.com) This charming 23-bedroom hotel in one of Lugano's medieval squares looks like a Swiss riad inside with a tiny courtyard overlooked by loggias even frou-frou but it is all beautifully clean and well looked-after are well cared for the multi lingual owners Viale Cassarate 3, Lugano (00 41 91 923 5511; www.ristorantealportone.ch) This is Lugano's leading non-hotel restaurant a discreet and cosseted space just east of the centre but all the better to focus on Roberto and Silvio's refined Italo-Swiss cuisine: ravioli stuffed with cardoon (thistle artichoke) and served with grated truffle; duck crépinette served with its own foie gras in balsamic vinegar on a bed of lentils Via Marco da Campione 4, Campione d'Italia (00 41 91 649 7541; www.dacandida.ch) Aside from the casino and the frescoes in Santa Maria dei Ghirli the other reason to visit Campione d'Italia is to eat in the lush antique penumbra of Bernard Fournier's 30-cover shrine to gastronomy A dedication to foie gras betrays Fournier's Gallic origins as do dishes such as onion soup and tournedos and an extensive cheese selection and a good range of Swiss and Italian wines you'll see most of your fellow diners there too Via Olona 38, Induno Olona (00 39 0332 200333; www.davenanzio.com) The approach to this Varese restaurant is hardly encouraging it's at the far end of an industrial estate dominated by a chocolate factory and a brewery But this just makes the elegance of the provincial Art Deco villa It takes its wine and service seriously and The green tortelli filled with ricotta and asparagus 'Circolo Familgliare' is written in faded print outside the main bar and restaurant of this mountain village north-east of Varese The long room inside still has all the trappings of the village social club and in between a few old guys knocking back a restorative grappa or two But owner Luigi Secco is an excellent chef his dishes based on the best produce available locally The antipasto della casa either hot or cold tapas-like introduction to this mountain cornucopia Follow it with tagliatelle with asparagus and taleggio cheese or lamb chops slow-grilled on pietra ollare Torba (00 39 0331 820180) is a great place to stop if you're visiting Castiglione Olona or the nearby monastery of Torba The utterly simple and family-run trattoria does a knock-out primo piatti of ricotta and tomato cannelloni meaty secondi including tasty rabbit in an olive sauce Bisuschio is home to Villa Cicogna Mozzoni an Italian stately home that is still lived in and cared for by a family that has owned it for centuries and is also one of the few villas to have kept its Renaissance sunken garden conceived in scale and layout as a green extension of the villa CASTELLO CABIAGLIO IN CAMPO DEI FIORI MASSSIF A pretty village seemingly untouched by time and tourism about half an hour's drive from Malpensa Although it lies in Lombardy it feels more Sienese Lugano is complicated for tour operators to sell because it lies between two countries and has no obvious resorts But the package operators' loss is the independent traveller's gain; as it is both peaceful and beautiful attracts mostly short-hop tourists such as Germans and Swiss-Germans attracted by the winning combination of Italian lifestyle and Swiss efficiency most of which offer panoramic rides to the top and it is warm enough for palm trees and exotic plants to flourish Lugano city is more about pavement cafes and contemporary art than banks and cuckoo clocks The lakeside Museo d'Arte Moderna puts on some excellent temporary exhibitions such as the recent Jean-Michel Basquiat retrospective This little village at the southern tip of the mountain peninsula has restaurants and cafés clustered in the shade under medieval arcades facing the wooded slopes of Monte Piambello on the Italian shore One of the biggest tourist draws of the region containing sculptures representing the 'Mysteries of the Rosary' the province of Varese was the Versailles or Windsor of Milan a verdant summer retreat from the city for wealthy families the trend left behind some stunning villas including the elegant 18th-century Villa Panza in the city of Varese began collecting US minimalist art in the early 1960s and in 1996 bequeathed the villa and part of his collection to the Fondo Per L'Ambiente Italiano Italy's equivalent of the National Trust The nearest international airport is Malpensa Visit discoverlugano.lugano-tourism.ch "We are proud of the new opening," stated NAU "After the positive performance of our first two New Delhi stores this is another significant stage in our international journey limited edition collections available every two weeks are appreciated and sought-after in a young discerning and constantly expanding market such as India." The latest store joins the other shops open in the Indian metropolis inside the 'MGF Metropolitan Mall' and the 'Ambience Mall' and the Barcelona store opened in the 'Centro Comercial L’Anec Blau' shopping mall.