Lombardy · Lecco
Varenna
A fishing village founded in 769 on the Lecco arm of Lake Como, with a steep grid of streets falling into the water.
Known for
VEZIO
Lombard watchtower above the village, with falconry demonstrations and a view down the Lecco branch of the lake.
VILLA MONASTERO
Twelfth-century Cistercian convent turned lakefront museum, with two kilometers of botanical garden along the shore.
FIUMELATTE
One of the shortest rivers in Italy, 250 meters of milk-white water in the frazione south of the village.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: San Giorgio, 24 April
Why come
Varenna sits on the eastern shore of Lake Como at the point where the lake forks into the Como and Lecco branches, opposite Bellagio and Menaggio. Local fishermen founded the village in 769. In 1126 it was destroyed by Como during the wars between the lake's communes, and in 1169 it absorbed the refugees from the destroyed Isola Comacina.
The streets fall in a steep grid toward the water, with the lakefront passerella running between the houses and the lake. The Castello di Vezio, above the village on a spur reached by a 30-minute climb, was a Lombard watchpost reused through the Middle Ages. Villa Monastero, on the lakefront, started in the 12th century as a Cistercian convent and now runs a two-kilometer botanical garden along the shore. The frazione of Fiumelatte hosts one of the shortest rivers in Italy, 250 meters from spring to lake.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Varenna’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Castello di Vezio
Lombard-era watchpost on a spur above the village, reached by a 30-minute climb with 160 meters of elevation gain.
Villa Monastero
Former 12th-century Cistercian convent on the lakefront, now a museum and convention center with a 2-kilometer botanical garden along the shore.
Villa Cipressi
Sixteenth-to-nineteenth-century lakefront villa next to Villa Monastero, with terraced gardens descending to the water.
Fiumelatte
Frazione of Varenna with a 250-meter river, one of the shortest in Italy, named for the milky white color of its waters in spring.
Centro storico
Steep grid of stone streets and houses sloping into the lake, with the Passeggiata degli Innamorati running along the waterfront.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Varenna fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Hosteria del PlatanoRistorante
Hosteria del Platano holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
VisteriaRistorante
Visteria has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.
Living here
- Population 693
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Milan, 1 h 22 min drive
- Regional capital Milano, 1 h 22 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 220 m
- Population: 693
- Surface area: 12.57 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
More towns near Varenna
Dervio
Province: Lecco
A peninsula on upper Lake Como's eastern shore at the Varrone delta, with a Romanesque bell tower and one of the lake's best sailing winds.
Menaggio
Province: Como
On the western shore of Lake Como at the mouth of the Senagra, the lake's old Roman crossing point between Como, Bellagio and the Valtellina.
Bellano
Province: Lecco
An eastern Lake Como town where the Pioverna cut a gorge through fifteen million years of rock before reaching the lake.
Tremezzina
Province: Como
The 2014 merger of four Lake Como villages that holds Villa Carlotta, Isola Comacina and the UNESCO Sacro Monte di Ossuccio.
Bellagio
Province: Como
On the promontory where Lake Como splits into three arms, with Villa Serbelloni on the high ground and Villa Melzi on the western shore.
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