SOS Children's Villages has been present in Italy since 1956, when an SOS Holiday Camp was built in the north of the country. Shortly after, the organisation started working with local children and their families in the town of Trento, in the north of Italy. At present SOS Children's Villages supports children, young people and families in seven places in Italy.
The SOS Children's Village Saronno is located in the Lombardy region with the regional capital Milan. Other major cities of the region are Como, Pavia, Bergamo, Brescia, Mantova and Cremona. Geographically, the region is characterised by the Alps on one hand and well known lakes like Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda on the other. The southern part of Lombardy is dominated by the river Po and a vast plain. Lombardy is considered one of Italy's most important regions in terms of economy and is at the same time one of the most densely populated ones. Agriculture and textile industries are the prime sources of income. The city of Saronno is situated the province of Varese that together with the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Milan, Pavia, Sondrio and Mantova constitute the region of Lombardy.
The SOS Children's Village Saronno is located next to the centre of the city of Saronno and the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village offers all kind of infrastructure like school, shops, markets and facilities for leisure-time. Despite its central location, the buildings of the SOS Children's Village are surrounded by a spacious park which is used as a playground by the about 40 SOS children. The SOS Children's Village Saronno was opened in 1993 and consists of six buildings housing two apartments each, the house of the Village Director, offices and rooms for social activities.
