Varenna is a comune on Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometres north of Milan and about 20 kilometres northwest of Lecco. Varenna was founded by local fishermen in 769, and was later allied with the commune of Milan
lONDON - MILAN - LAKE COMO
Lake Como has always been somewhere we have wanted to go, especially because we are such big fans of Italy. It's such a beautiful country and a foodies heaven.
Our trip started off in London where we left Heathrow airport for a 3 hour flight to Milan Malpensa, then had a 1 hour train from the airport to central train station in Milan and then finally a 1.5 hour train journey to Varenna. A lot of travelling but so worth it.
We travelled in August 2020 so yes, masks are compulsory on all travel and in buildings.
The first half hour of the train journey from Milan central train station was a little dull but after a while it was soaring landscapes and mountains on either side of the train tracks. We also got incredibly lucky and had such beautiful weather when travelling.
We don't know about you guys, but the first thing we do when we arrive at a new destination is go to the hotel, drop the bags off and then walk around the location. Get our bearings and get a feel for the place.
VARENNA
Now, let's get back to the point. This blog post is to sum up the best places to see and things to do in Varenna, Italy Before I start let me clear up that Varenna isn't a place to come for a busy time away.. there is something so relaxing and slow paced about this town that makes for a very enjoyable stay. The main places to see - The Lake - Castello di Vizio - Villa Monstero I would say you really only need around 2 days to actually see all of Varenna. Its a very small town to the point you could walk from one side to the other in under an hour easy.
Around £12 british pounds gets you into Villa Monstero. This Villa is a short 5 minute walk from the centre of town, you could easily spend an hour or three here in the garden alone. We came on a weekday at 11am and it was empty which meant photo ops a plenty! There are sweet little balconies over the lake edge that you can just sit and watch the world go by perfect for a relaxing vacation.
Then its worth hiking up to Varenna Castle ( from the pictures alone you can see how steep is it ) so be prepared. Wear good footwear and bring water because it's an incline up that hill. We went on a really hot day so the walk was tough, we also arrived at 6.30 when they close at 7pm however this meant we had the whole of the castle to ourselves. Also meant some great shots on the drone from the tower. Now this place is supposedly haunted, however it seems like the most scary thing of all are the statues/artwork around the castle. The view alone is one of the best in the world.
Now we spent most of our time eating because the food here is so good. When we first walked around town we actually stumbled upon Bar Il Molo which is just on the waterfront. This became our restaurant for the whole week as we ate here 4 times. Our most memorable night was when we ate here for dinner at candlelight, it was so romantic.
Theres lots and I mean lots of restaurants in Varenna so you won't be spoiled for choice.
After dinner don't forget to go a stroll down lovers walk.. a beautiful lit up walk around the side of the lake.
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