Cairate

It is placed on a terrace of the Wurm glaciation on the medium Olona Valley. Its hamlets, Bolladello and Peveranza, are on higher previous terraces of the Riss glaciation. The morenaic hills in the back are more ancient, from the Mindel period, and formed by glacial sediments such as slime, gravel, pebbles and clay.

The archeological finds testify that it was inhabited by Celtic populations in Roman Times.
Its foundation probably dated back to the III century B.C. and it had a fortification near the famous route of communication Como-Novara. Also the Longobard gave importance to the village and had their settlements in Peveranza, near the Monastery of Santa Maria Assunta built in 737 by Manigunda, a Longobard noblewoman. For about a thousand years, the Monastery, which owned the two-third of the territory and the four mills, was the economic and social centre of Cairate. It survived until Napoleon ordered its suppression with the following sale by auction of the properties. The Monastery is under repairs by the Varese Province.

To see:

- the Monastery of Santa Maria Assunta, built in 737 was re-established in the fifteenth century and frescoed by A. Luini

- the Sanctuary of San Calimero, at Bolladello, dated XIV century.