Varenna. Another pearl in the lake necklace
Varenna is a small pretty town located in the center of Lake Como, where three lake arms converge. Sometimes Varenna is called a village because of its small size - the area is only 11 square meters. km and a little less than 900 local residents. Despite its small size, there is a railway station, its own embankment with numerous cafes and a pier, from where pleasure boats and ferries carry tourists along the coast.
Varenna is winding narrow streets descending steeply to the lake, houses connected by stone arches, silence and regularity of rest. And just like Bellagio and Tremezzo, the city attracts many tourists.
If you want to see a magnificent panorama of the lake, then you should climb up to the Castello di Vezio towering above the city. Unfortunately, only a wall and an observation tower, to which a suspension bridge leads, remain from the castle built in the 11th century. Now in Castello di Vezio there is a falconry, where long-eared owls, falcons, barn owls, buzzards, and buzzards are bred. It is said that falconers sometimes put on real costume shows for tourists.
Not far from Varenna flows the shortest river in Italy - its length is only 250 meters - Fiumelatte (Milk River), which got its name from the color of the water. It flows out of the grotto and flows into Lake Como. You can watch the stream only from spring to autumn, the river disappears for the winter.
In the middle of the central square of Varenna, the Romanesque church of San Giorgio rises, behind a modest facade of which magnificent ancient frescoes are hidden. The church is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
There is a Motorcycle Museum in the vicinity of the town.
And, of course, the most visited villas in Varenna are Villa Cipressi and Villa Monastero.
Villa Monastero was built by monks in 1208. Until 1566, there was a Cistercian convent of St. Mary Magdalene here. It was subsequently bought by the Mornico family and owned it until 1862, transforming it into a personal residence. In the following years, Villa Monastero passed from one owner to another, rebuilt several times, and now it is a vivid example of an eclectic style. The original luxurious interiors have been preserved in fourteen halls of the villa. The only surviving detail of the monastery is a small fresco Pietà . The villa is surrounded by a magnificent garden, walking along the alleys of which in the shade of cypresses, agaves, pines and citrus fruits, you can admire the sculptures “scattered” in the garden. Since 1963 Villa Monastero has belonged to the Italian Institute of Hydrobiology.
Villa Cipressi, built in 1400 in antique style, still retains an atmosphere of sophistication. Surrounded by a wonderful park with cypress groves, from which it takes its name, since 1980 the villa has been the Villa Cipressi hotel.
You can get to Varenna by train from Bergamo or Milan.
