[2] The headquarters of AgustaWestland, the company merged into Leonardo since 2016 and the world's largest producer of helicopters, is based in Samarate, a comune (municipality) of the province.

During the second half of the 19th century, the area saw considerable economic growth with the birth of numerous factories, especially in the paper, mechanical, and textile industries.

[4] The agriculture of this sub-Alpine region is based on livestock farming and the economy mainly relies on the industrial sector, with many people commuting daily to Milan.

[5] In the past the province was famous for its textile industry, especially in the Olona Valley and the Busto Arsizio-Gallarate area, but this has gradually declined since the 1970s.

Likewise, Varese was the birthplace of some of Italy's main aircraft manufacturers; in addition to the already-mentioned Aermacchi and AgustaWestland, Savoia Marchetti was also born here.

'crumbs')[8] an Italian single-course meal[9] of the Lombard, Piedmontese, and Ticinese cuisines based on finely chopped beef cooked for a long time.

[18] Based on finely chopped beef and cooked for a long time (from 2[18] to 4 hours[15]) on a low flame, the other ingredients of the dish are butter, garlic, fennel seeds, and lard or pancetta.