Scenic Hiking in Varenna, Lake Como

Varenna is widely considered the most romantic village on Lake Como — a pastel-coloured fishing settlement of just 800 inhabitants, with a wooden walkway (the Passeggiata degli Innamorati) hugging the lake at sunset. Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi offer some of the lake's finest gardens, and the ferry from Varenna to Bellagio and Menaggio takes 15 minutes — making it the perfect quiet base from which to explore the whole lake.

The mountains around Lake Como rise 2,400 metres directly from the water, and the historic trails that cross them — the Sentiero del Viandante (Wayfarer's Path), the Greenway del Lago di Como, the Grigna ridge — were the lake's main transport network long before the ferries. A guided hike from Varenna can be paced as a relaxed half-day with panoramic views and a long lunch, or a serious full-day with 800 m of vertical.

All hikes are guided by a certified mountain leader and include transport to and from the trailhead. Lunch at a rifugio (mountain hut) on the high-altitude routes is unforgettable — polenta with local sausage, eaten with a 270° view across the lake.