Lake Como
 

We'll be in Varenna for three days in May. While my stays in Florence and Venice have been easy to plan, I'm still stumped about what to do in Varenna.

I would love suggestions of favorite restuarants (on Varenna, Bellagio and Maggiore), gardens, hikes, shopping and helpful tips.

Of course, I plan to spend alot of time just gazing at the amazing view.

Thanks for all the help!

Yes, you stare at the view. You take boat rides. All of the boat rides are beautiful.

The gardens at Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi are a short walk from the center of Varenna. You can hike up to the castle above Varenna (a hike of several hundred of vertical feet.) Villa Carlotta is a short boatride away.

Restaurants - Vecchia Varenna and Bilacus (Bellagio) seem to be popular. There is a special, very small restaurant in Varenna (can't remember the name).

Hikes - There is a UK publisher, Sunflower that publishes a book about walks in the Lake Como area.
Kompass publishes a nice map of the Lake Como area that shows hiking and bicycling trails around Lake Como.

Shopping - Como has a centruries old silk tradition and is a nice boat ride as well. Bellagio is a nice shopping diversion.

Maybe the small restaurant Big_Red is referring to is Il Cavatappi, Via XX Settembre. www.cavatappiwine_food.it. Closed Wednesdays, Only four (4) tables. MUST RESERVE. Highly recommended.

This is one of the restaurants on my list for our May visit.

If I have any misinformation on this restaurant, I'm sure someone who has dined there will help you out.

We dined at Il Cavatappi in July - it was wonderful, so I would also say it is highly recommended. And yes, very small, so a reservation is essential.

bookmarking... will also be there in May! =)

Boat trips on the lake - lovely.

We went to lunch at Menaggio, Cernobbio, Limonta, Bellagio, Brunate above Como. Sitting there eating good food and watching the lake was the highlight om my month in Italy.

We developed a taste for prosecco and pecorino, eaten from our apartment terrace overlooking the lake at Limonta.

We walked, ate, shopped, looked at gardens, ate, rested, ice creams, walked.

Bookmarking thanks.

say hello to George Clooney...;)

We're there in August.