Varenna

It is a charming and lovely village, of Roman origin, with a location from where you can admire the lake. During medieval times it was destroyed on many occassions, but after a fire in the island Comacina in the year 1169 it became one of the richest towns in Lario. The Church of San Giorgio del 1313, Romanesque, has been renovated, in the front there is a fresco showing XIV San Cristobal, and close by is the oratory of San Giovanni Battista,from the year 1000 . It may be the oldest Christian building. Here also are villas, the most important is Villa Monastero, it is amazing, headquarters of scientific conferences. I recommend the hotel Du Lac, a fantastic place to stay in this area.

One of the most simple, comfortable, and, above all, economical ways to get around the Lake Como area is to sail around its little villages by passenger ferry. The ferries, which also carry cars, depart regularly from the ports located in the lakeside villages. Just so you get the idea, they work basically like a tourist bus.

You choose the route you want to take and check out the schedules for the day. We chose the ferry from the post of Varenna, which was the closest, and went to Menaggio. After strolling around this charming little town, we got on another ferry and went to the pretty town of Bellagio where we ate, took a walk, and finally took another boat to Cadenabbia.