1931 : VARESE near MILAN, ITALY

Varese Sacro Monte funicular train

* There are no photos of Meher Baba taken in the Varese area on his visit.

This visit occurred a couple of days prior to Meher Baba boarding a ship the

SS Roma in Genoa for New York.  All of these visits occurred of his 1st visit to the West.

1931

On Sunday, 18 October 1931, Baba took the group by train on a trip to the Italian Alps. At Varese, they changed to a mountain funicular, and went up the steep gradient, enjoying the marvelous scenery.

After returning to the city, that evening, they went to the Odeon Theater in Milan, where they saw a film (The Divorcee). Two days later (20th), they drove to Lake Como for a short pleasant stay and returned in a few days.

Note :

It's unclear what vehicle he used to visit to the base of Saint Maria of the Mountains. More than likely, it was a bus, similar to the one he used to visit the church near Pavia the day before.

 On 25 October 1931, after a tea party at Enid's apartment in Pensione Agostini in the afternoon, Baba and his companions left Milan on the 6:40 train. The group arrived in Genoa after two hours and stayed at the Milano Terminus Hotel.

Baba, Meredith, Ali and Chanji boarded the SS Roma at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, 27 October 1931, bound for New York City. The cabins they were given (400 & 421) were cramped and uncomfortable; but the next day, after leaving Naples, they were shifted to two outward facing, spacious cabins (272 & 274). Meredith introduced a young woman from Toronto named Louise Skey to Baba. Louise was quite taken with Baba and visited his cabin several times.

VARESE near MILAN, ITALY

Church of Saint Mary of the Mountain