The picturesque village in the centre of the lake is one of the main strongholds of the tourism in Lake Como. 
An ally of Milan, it received the exiled people of the island after the war against Como. 
It was a Milanese fief of the Sforza and Visconti families. 

Car-ferry arriving in Varenna. 

The typical colourful houses along the shore recall those of Liguria. 

Shops and restaurants under the rustic porch.

Left: Il Tornio, a store that sells handmade ceramic pottery.

Villa Monastero.

Varenna and Villa Rockefeller in Bellagio. 

The hotel Eremo Gaudio (The Hermitage Gaudio), a former convent located in a picturesque position
on the hill overlooking the lake. It can be reached by a staircase surrounded by nature.

A breathtaking panorama can be enjoyed from the garden of the Vezio Castle, situated on the hill that overlooks Varenna. Even the plaster ghosts seem to be lost in contemplation…  

The Castle of Vezio is situated on the hill overlooking Varenna, in a spectacular panoramic position. The origins of the ancient manner-house are unknown, but it was presumably erected during the Dark Ages at the time of the French and Longobard settlement in Lombardia. Legend suggests that the building hosted the queen of the Longobards, Teodolinda, who spent her last years on the eastern shore of the Lario.
Today the Castle is managed by a tourist association and is open to the public all year round. 

The car-ferry Plinio as it leaves Varenna.