Visiting Cuggiono

This page will be a compilation of information from internet research and people who have visited Cuggiono and the province of Lombardy. It was created as a response to the many inquiries from the ITA-Cuggiono mailing list on Rootsweb, and the internet in general, regarding the availability of accomodations near Cuggiono. As always, I owe Mark Spezia, Tom Fortin, Giovanna Maria Fagnani, Gianluigi Garavaglia, and others a tremendous thank you for providing wonderful information to create this site.

From Malpensa to Cuggiono: the town is near Malpensa airport, about 20 minutes by car. Starting at the end of May 2006, there will be a direct bus line from Malpensa to Cuggiono. As this is new, I do not have the time schedule yet, but will get it as soon as it is available. The only other way to get to Cuggiono from the airport is to take a taxi or rent a car. Familiar rental car agencies are inside the airport. Taxi drivers are sometimes not eager to take a fare to Cuggiono as the likelihood of having a return fare is very slim. As in the US, time=money! They may refuse to take you, or may charge an exhorbitant amount to do so. It may be a good idea to approach the taxi driver within earshot of an airport security person or police officer, or request their assistance if necessary.

From Milan to Cuggiono or from Magenta to Cuggiono: There are buses that run to Cuggiono from Milan and Magenta, but they are very infrequent and usually correspond to worker's travel times. They are not very expensive, but be sure to purchase tickets before you board the bus!

I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE QUALITY OF ANY HOTEL OR RESTAURANT MENTIONED ON THIS PAGE! My purpose is only to let you know that they exist, and do not assume that this list contains all available accomodations - it doesn't! I am not recommending any one place over another either - just providing information passed on to me from others who have been there. Watch for updates to this information.

To my knowledge, there are no hotels in Cuggiono. Below is a list of places near Cuggiono sent to me by people who live nearby or have visited the area.

Prestige (I could not find a website for them)
Via Autostrada 1
Phone: +39 0297 55750

Hotel Excelsior Magenta is the biggest town near Cuggiono (10 km). There are several bus lines from Magenta to Cuggiono and Milan, a railway station, restaurants, libraries, pubs and cinemas and also a long shopping street. The Hotel Excelsior is just opposite the railway station near the center of Magenta.

Hotel Cervo - Located about a mile from the airport. The room cost includes all taxes and breakfast. This hotel is good for the day you arrive or depart since it is very close to the airport and they provide a shuttle service to and from the hotel for 3 euros per person. The hotel is quite nice. Breakfast is light, they offer breads, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit, cereal, and beverages, enough to get the day started. It is about a 20 minute drive to Cuggiono.

Hotels in Milan You will find many hotels in Milan on the internet, they are generally expensive by our standards. American companies have their hotels only in larger cities such as Milan, so if you want American standards, you should choose one of them. Cuggiono is quite far from Milan and to get there you will have to travel by bus or by train for at least 1 1/2 hours. The bus going directly to Cuggiono is not very frequent and close to students and workers times (7-9 am, 5-9 pm). The train goes to Magenta Station, and from there, you have to take a bus. You can probably find more luxurious accomodations that those in the smaller cities, but consider the travel difficulties to and from Cuggiono if your interest is in Cuggiono.

Cuggiono is a very small town, about 8,000 people live there. It is part of the Ticino River Park. It is divided in two parts: Cuggiono and Castelletto. The museum, the churches and Villa Annoni are in Cuggiono, but Castelletto is home to ancient houses, beautiful woods and many restaurants on the river's banks.

San Giorgio - the basilica in Cuggiono. San Giorgio is celebrating it's 400th year in 2006! It is a beautiful church, and masterfully maintained to preserve it's beauty. More information to come regarding it's history.

Civic Historical Museum:
The Museum is open to the public every Sunday (excluding holidays) from May through October. The hours are 1500 to 1800. If you're unable to visit during those hours, please contact Mr. Garavaglia. He may be able to arrange a special tour for you.

Cemetery: The cemetery is open 800 - 2000 April through September, and 800-1800 October through March.

General information while in Cuggiono:
The following information may come under the "silly" heading now, but it may be very important to you later. There aren't very many public buildings in Cuggiono and you may have some difficulty locating a restroom while you're out wandering around. Try the Bar Centrale in the Piazza San Giorgio. It's only open for customers, so I always buy something when I visit. The door to the bathrooms is all the way in the back, behind the bar. That door will take you into a function room. You'll see another door on the opposite side of the room and that's where you'll find the bathroom. It isn't fancy, but, as they say, when you gotta go, you gotta go! There's another bar across the street that may also have usable facilities, but I'm not sure. There is another bar/restaurant 2 doors away from Bar Centrale with restrooms, as well as a couple more across the street.

Energy conservation: (cost containment) is a big emphasis in many European hotels. To that end, some hotel rooms will have a wall mounted card slot on the interior wall next to the entry door. The lights and the heat/air conditioning won't work until you insert your key card. This can be a bit of a nuisance because the room can get quite hot during the summer, and cold during the winter if you're away for any length of time. It then takes a long time to get the room temperature back to a comfortable level. It's also a problem when two or more people are staying in a room and one person wants to leave with the key. If you have multiple keys it really isn't a problem, but if you find yourselves with only one key, the work around is fairly simple: Just about any card will work in the slot. Don't use a credit card because you might forget it. Use your BJ's, Sam's, etc. card or something else that isn't important. Most of us have a collection of old hotel key cards that we've forgotten to turn in. That's probably the best solution. Don't stuff a piece of cardboard or anything else into that slot. It probably won't work and you may jam the mechanism. Not only will you lose your lights and climate control, you'll probably incur a repair charge.

Italian faucets are frequently labeled "C" and "F."
"C" is for CALDO = HOT. (think SCALDO!)
Don't get burned!

Showers: Every European hotel tub and shower has an emergency call pull cord. If you're in the shower and need emergency assistance, simply pull the cord. An alarm will sound and within a few seconds your phone will ring. The phone call will be a staff member calling to determine your status. If you don't answer the phone and cancel the alert, someone will be sent to your room immediately. That's the good part. Now for the down side... What usually happens is that you'll inadvertently brush against the cord and trip the alarm. You'll realize what's happened as soon as you hear the loud buzzer. You can reach up and reset the switch and the buzzer will stop. Unfortunately, that doesn't terminate the alert. Moments later your phone will start ringing. Your heart's already pounding from the initial startle and now you're jumping out of the tub, all wet and soapy, to run across the room and grab the phone! This is when you're most likely to fall and break your neck! But don't worry, someone is probably already on the way to help you! If you do trip the alarm, it isn't a big deal. Just take your time and be careful. You'll have a good story to tell at the dinner table!

Additional information from GIOVANNA MARIA, a Milan journalist:
Food & Drink: in Italy we have two kinds of food places: "Ristoranti" and "Pizzerie". In the Pizzerie, you will find dozens kinds of pizzas and only a few other courses. They are usually cheaper than the ristorantis, but food and service are good. In Ristoranti you can try the Italian 2-3 course meal/dinner. However, if you are in a hurry, you can find sandwiches or warm courses also in some bars (pubs in your way of saying). Eating in Italy is usually cheaper than in the US. The word "Osteria" is a tavern, bar, pub, etc.

Places to See: When you have seen everything in Cuggiono (two or three days should do) and met everyone you hoped, you should take a trip to Milan, just to see the Duomo square, the Castle and DaVinci's "Last Supper". Morimondo, Bernate, Abbiategrasso are lovely places to visit too.

Shopping: if you want to buy something, the best place is Milan, with elegant shops and big stores, but also in Magenta you will find almost the same items at a cheaper price.

After Dinner: some theaters in Milan offer the same musicals as in New York/London. Other performances, like films or dramas, are only in Italian.

Slippers: many hotels use tile on the floors without rugs, so you may want to bring a small pair of slippers. Tile can be cold and is slippery when wet. Some hotels do not have shower doors or even a curtain, just a drain in the floor, so the water sometimes splashes a bit. The hotel Mariuccia had shower doors and the hotel Cervo had a curtain, but several other hotels we stayed at in Italy had neither.