The Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC) is an independent, state-recognised institution situated in the small town of Castellanza, within easy reach of Milan and the Malpensa International Airport. The university is housed in a nineteenth century cotton mill which has been beautifully restored by the world famous Italian architect Aldo Rossi and is surrounded by over 90,000 square metres of parklands. It is only 1 kilometre from the train station that links Castellanza to Milan in 35 minutes and just over 1 kilometre from the motorway.
The town has a population of approximately 15,000 inhabitants and since the late 1800s has been one of the main industrial centres in the province of Varese. With the beautiful backdrop of the Alps and the famous Italian lakes of Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como, the province of Varese is also home to 23,000 manufacturing and craft industries that export over 30% of their production worldwide and generate employment to approximately 175 thousand people.
The University is an important example of the tradition for initiative and entrepreneurship in this part of Italy. It was founded on the initiative of the Industrial Association of the Province of Varese and was immediately recognised for its close relationships with the business world.