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Municipality in Lombardy, Italy
Photo: Manfred Werner (Tsui), CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Varenna is a fairly sedate, attractive lakeside village in the central part of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of Italy. Varenna is the fifth richest municipality in all of Italy for income paid by taxpayers. It is traditionally a fishing village and has colorful houses and villas built close to each other on a little piece of land just below a mountain. With staircases and steep paths, the historical centre of Varenna is nicely cozy and has bars with terraces and a pedestrian walk along the lake shore. The village has some nice hotels and restaurants (some of the best on the eastern shore of Lake Como), a conference centre for physics (Villa Monastero regularly hosts the national Italian research conference) and two botanical gardens worth a visit in Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi.
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It was built as a convent, and in the 17th century, converted to a manor. Villa Varenna and a garden around it are now a museum. It is preserved as a house of the late 19th century and its 14 furnished rooms can be visited. It also hosts conferences (in particular it has hosted physics courses that have been attended by over 60 Nobel Prize winners) and is owned by the Province of Lecco. The garden is on a narrow strip of land that stretches 2 km along the lake shore until Fiumelatte. The climate is mild and the garden includes species from Africa and the Americas.
The villa is now a hotel and restaurant, but non-guests may visit the gardens, which are charming, while not as grand as some others on the lake.
Castello di Vezio
The castle is in the municipality of Varenna, while the little village of Vezio is in the municipality of Perledo. It has a permanent exhibition of the Lariosaurus. It is home to captive birds of prey (owls, hawks, buzzard, falcon) with flight exhibitions on some days.
Chef Moreno gives relaxed and informative lessons in Italian cookery from his family restaurant in the neighbouring village of Gittana, up in the hills (they'll come and collect you from the main square in Varenna). Group sizes are small, and everyone gets to sit down for lunch afterwards to enjoy the fruits of their labour. After lunch, they'll take you back to Varenna or drop you off at Vezio Castle from where you can walk downhill back to Varenna.
Next to the very crowded portion of the public beach, there is a bathhouse that offers services such as sun beds and umbrellas, as well as a swimming pool, bars and restaurants. Bellano also attracts tourists due to the proximity of the Orrido, a spectacle with its natural gorges that are worth a visit before a regenerating dip in the lake.
Lido di Varenna
Cove and beach on Lake Como, overlooking the tip of Bellagio.
A small beach at the end of the village of Varenna with great views overlooking Bellagio and the center of the lake. Made of sand and stones, this beach is quieter than other places on the lake. A kiosk lounge bar is on the beach.
Ristorante-enoteca
A nice restaurant and a wine bar at a quiet tiny green square.
Relaxed café serving breakfast, lunch and dinner or just drinks with lakeside views.
Small lakeside restaurant serving local dishes, with good lake views if you sit in their enclosed outdoor area. Great place to eat at sunset.
1 rooms, 3 reds.
5 rooms with 5 beds, 4 bathrooms (130 m² with 400 m² of terrace, balconies and garden).
27 beds in 9 houses.
10 rooms, 20 reds. The hotel is 50 meters from the lido, the lake shores.
11 rooms (7 double and 4 single), 18 beds.
7 rooms, 15 beds.
17 rooms, 35 beds.
11 rooms, 22 beds.
10 rooms, 20 beds. Stile Liberty (Art Nouveau) hotel on the waterfront.
8 rooms, 16 beds; the rooms have a balcony with view of the lake.
4 rooms, 8 beds. Dependence of the Hotel Milano.
43 rooms, 97 beds. In the city centre; rooms with a view of the lake and towards the city centre. Conference rooms, swimming pool and garden with access to the lake.
The villa was built between 1400 and 1800. It is now owned by the city council of Varenna and managed as a hotel and restaurant. It has 43 rooms, 97 beds, 2 conference rooms and access to its beautiful botanical garden.
By plane
The nearest airport is Orio al Serio International Airport (sometimes referred to as Milan Bergamo) in Bergamo, which is served by several low-cost airlines.
By boat
Boat trips across Lake Como are an essential part of any holiday in this region.
Varenna is a small, compact village best visited on foot. It's on a steep hill with lots of steps, but there is a fairly level and very attractive waterside path along most of the shoreline.
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