Varenna–May 3–May 4, 2014
After the crowds of Venice, Varenna is paradise! This town of 800 people is easily accessible by train on the less driven side of the lake. We took the jet train from Venice Mestre to Milan Central (2 1/2 hours) and then the ItaliaRail from Milan to Varenna (1 hour). We are getting good at this public transportation thing in Europe. We’re even getting better at packing, so we don’t have to lug too many suitcases.
Most of the people that got off at this stop were able to walk to their hotels. But, not us! We chose Eremo Gaudio which is an old monastery that is built on the side of the mountain and too far of a walk from the train station. Luckily, there were a couple of taxi’s outside of the station. We hopped in and were whisked away up the narrow cobblestone road to the hotel. This hotel has 24 rooms with lake view, some with balconies and several terraces with panoramic views of the lake. Once an orphanage, it became a hermitage run by the Catholic Church and since 2000 a modern hotel accessed by private funicular. Perfect for monks with champagne tastes, it’s peaceful, with awe-inspiring view balconies and a breakfast terrace.
The photo above was taken from our balcony. If you look to the right at the bottom of the hill, you will see the old town. It was a ten minute walk from the hotel into the town. Our room was amazing. You could lay in bed and look across the lake.
There were two funiculars that brought you to the upper rooms of the hotel. Quite steep. I started to feel weakness in my knees! 
The chapel still remains on the upper level of the hotel. We checked out all of the hotel before we headed into the old town to investigate dining options. Our hotel served breakfast and there was a simple dinner menu, but we knew we had better options for dinner in the town.
Varenna has a romantic promenade, a tiny harbor, narrow lanes, and its own villa. There’s wonderfully little to do here, and it’s very quiet at night. The lakeside promenade, is delightful and safe after dark.
We were both in awe of the beauty of this wonderful little gem of a town. The sunsets were amazing from our room and we couldn’t be happier here. Out of all of the places in the world we’ve traveled to, this ranks right up on top! Across the lake lies Bellagio, Menaggio, Lenno, and a few other little towns. On day two we would take the ferry to visit Villa del Balbianello on Lenno, and stop at Bellagio afterwards. There is a lot of walking up and down hills on uneven surfaces. This is one of the times that I thank God that my knees are good enough to enjoy travelling. Just a few years ago a trip like this would not have been an option.
Situated in a wonderful position with its terraced garden, the villa dates back to the eighteenth century and is dominated by an elegant open gallery with three arches. It contains a rich collection of Chinese, African and pre-Columbian art, precious furniture dating back to the eighteen century and a curios museum. Cardinal Durini acquired the property, a romantic peninsula on the shoreline of lake Como. He did this in order to build a quiet summer residence where he could indulge in literary pastimes. Until the 16th century, the place had been home to a small franciscan friars' group. When the Cardinal died in 1797, the Villa was inherited by his nephew. Later he sold the property to his friend, businessman, Giuseppe Visconti. Later, the Villa was abandoned for 39 years before it was aquaried by Guido Monzino, a prominent Milanese businessman who was a fervent collector and dedicated explorer. Today it reflects the vision of Monzino, who died in 1988--leaving the villa, his rich art collection, and momentos of his expeditions to the state. The real masterpiece here is the terraced garden and elegant loggia, where the land fits the architecture and landscaping. After our tour, we walked down the mountain into the little town and enjoyed lunch at a lakeside cafe.
After lunch, we boarded a ferry and went to Bellagio. The self-proclaimed "Pearl of the Lake" is a classy combination of tidiness and Old World elegance. Heavy curtains between the harborfront arcades create welcome shade to keep the visitors and their poodles from sweating. :) Bellagio is a much more substantial town than Varenna (which has one-tenth the number of hotel beds and almost no shops), which suited Kos fine! We walked through the narrow lanes, peeked into some shops, and of course stopped for a gelato. Very nice town, but I'm glad we stayed in Varenna. A word of caution.....the ferry system is somewhat confusing.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted so we took the ferry back to Varenna, stopped at a little market and bought our usual dinner snacks - salami, cheese, bread and wine.
Here's me walking up the steep hill to our hotel (after walking over a mountain) begging Kos to call a cab. I truly thought I couldn't walk another step. Tomorrow, we have a cooking class scheduled!
