The day was not sunny, but Varenna pleased us with her bright colors of colorful houses.
The ferry from Menaggio to Varenna and back cost 36.8 EUR for four. The journey time is approximately 20 minutes.
Arriving in Varenna, we went to Villa Monastero. The villa was once the nunnery of St. Mary, and is now open to a visit.
Personally, I advise you to take tickets only to visit the botanical garden. You can enjoy its sculptures, gazebos, balconies with arches and of course views of Lake Como.
Walking around the garden, we went to the central square of the city. It was Sunday and we saw a small market with tents. Vendors offered fresh products: cheese, meat, fruit, pastries. And then we saw a tent with a farmer in front of us. Upon acquaintance, we learned that his name was Atilio, that at the age of 40 he abandoned city life and moved to the Alpine village of Gimillian near the border with France and Switzerland. And now he is engaged in the production of natural products: cheese, meat, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt. Volunteers from different countries come to visit him, from the USA, for example. And he here goes to such markets in Milan, in the vicinity and sells his wonderful products.
We bought delicious cheeses, meat and found a new friend. Atilio invited us to visit his alpine farm.
From the thoughts of delicious food we wanted to have dinner, especially as on the way to the villa we had seen an open-air restaurant with the best views and without a capper
What else can you do while in Varenna:
Five kilometers away is the town of Bullano with a waterfall, you can go there.
Do not miss the opportunity to see the shortest river in the country with a length of 250 meters, which runs in the Fiumelatte quarter. Its name "Fiumelatte" ("milk river"), she received due to the unusual color of water.