Varenna is a small, tidy village on the eastern shore of Lake Como that looks like a set designer's idea of an Italian lake town. Houses in orange, yellow and rose crowd down to a little harbour, a lakeside path runs along the water, and steep stepped lanes climb between them with flowers on every windowsill. Above the village, the ruins of Castello di Vezio look down from a hill, and the best views across the lake to Bellagio are from its walls.
There are two grand villas open to the public. Villa Monastero, built on the site of an old convent, has long gardens along the water with palms, cypresses and citrus trees, and Villa Cipressi, now a hotel, has a terraced garden with views over the lake. The village also has a small curiosity, the Fiumelatte, the Milk River, which is reputed to be one of the shortest rivers in Italy. It runs for only a few hundred metres, from a spring in the mountainside to the lake, in a white, foaming torrent, and appears only in the warm half of the year. It was mentioned by Leonardo da Vinci, who was fascinated by its disappearing act.
The riding in the area needs some patience. The main road along the eastern shore, the SS36, runs through a series of long tunnels and is busy with traffic going to Lecco and the Valtellina, while the old lakeside road is narrow and twisting. Neither is a place for speed, but both give views of the water and mountains. The village itself is a pedestrian zone and the streets are too narrow for cars and bikes, so park on the edge and walk in. Parking can be expensive.
The ferries are the real transport. A short ride on the water takes you to Bellagio, Menaggio and Cadenabbia, and a car ferry crosses regularly, so Varenna is a natural place to cross the lake and switch sides. The crossing is a pleasant break from the saddle and gives you views of the villages from the water.
Varenna has restaurants and cafes along the waterfront, serving the usual lake fare of perch, missoltini, which are dried and salted shad, and polenta. Fuel is not sold in the village, so fill on the main road before you get here. Mandello del Lario, about ten kilometres to the south, is a larger town with stations and shops.
Visit in the evening if you can, when the day-trippers have gone and the light on the water is soft. The village is at its best when it is nearly empty.