{"id":6092,"date":"2026-07-27T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T06:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/?p=6092"},"modified":"2026-08-15T10:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:48:14","slug":"guide-de-varenna-sur-le-lac-de-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/varenna-lake-como-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Varenna, Lac de C\u00f4me : Guide du village, son histoire et les principaux sites \u00e0 visiter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Varenna, Lac de C\u00f4me : Guide du village, son histoire et les principaux sites \u00e0 visiter<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\"Des
Varenna’s pastel houses rising above the harbour on the eastern shore of Lake Como. Photo: Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie \/ Wikimedia Commons \u2013 CC BY-SA 2.0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some Lake Como villages you pass through. Varenna is one you slow down for. Stacked in ochre and terracotta above a small fishing harbour on the lake’s quieter eastern shore, it has kept the shape of the medieval fishing town it always was \u2014 narrow stepped lanes, a waterfront walk barely wide enough for two, and gardens that spill down to the water. It rewards the traveller who wants to feel Lake Como rather than tick it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voici ce qu'est Varenna, o\u00f9 elle se trouve et les cinq choses qui valent le plus votre temps une fois que vous descendez du ferry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Un bref historique<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Varenna est ancienne \u2014 plus ancienne que la plupart de ses c\u00e9l\u00e8bres voisines. La tradition locale fait remonter sa fondation \u00e0 769 apr. J.-C.<\/strong>, lorsqu marbre de Varenna<\/em> encore visible dans ses \u00e9glises et ses portes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le moment d\u00e9cisif s'est produit en 1169<\/strong>. Lorsque la ville insulaire d\u2019Isola Comacina fut d\u00e9truite au cours de la longue guerre qui opposa C\u00f4me \u00e0 Milan, bon nombre de ses r\u00e9fugi\u00e9s s\u2019install\u00e8rent ici, emportant avec eux leurs all\u00e9geances et leurs querelles \u2014 Varenna prit le parti de Milan contre C\u00f4me, et en paya le prix lorsque la ville rivale la pilla. Ce pass\u00e9 riche en rebondissements est encore visible dans le village : les ruines au sommet de la colline Ch\u00e2teau de Vezio<\/strong> en admirant le fleuve, les \u00e9glises romanes et ce r\u00e9seau dense de ruelles d\u00e9fensives qui n'a pratiquement pas chang\u00e9 depuis 800 ans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fontaine
La terrasse au bord du lac et la fontaine du jardin botanique de la Villa Monastero \u00e0 Varenna. Photo : Rainer Halama \/ Wikimedia Commons \u2013 CC BY-SA 4.0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

O\u00f9 Varenna se trouve sur le lac<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Varenna se trouve sur le rive est du lac de C\u00f4me<\/strong>, in the Province of Lecco, roughly at the point where the lake’s three arms meet. It sits almost directly en face de Bellagio et Menaggio<\/strong>, which is what makes it so useful: the three form the lake’s central ferry triangle, each a short hop from the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That position gives Varenna two things its rivals don’t. It catches the soleil du soir<\/strong> full on its fa\u00e7ades, and \u2014 facing west across open water \u2014 it offers one of the finest sunset outlooks on the lake. It’s about 20 km northwest of Lecco and an hour or so by train from Milan, which also makes it the easiest of the classic villages to reach without a car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les 5 meilleures choses \u00e0 voir \u00e0 Varenna<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Villa Monastero et son jardin botanique<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The village’s signature sight. Founded as a Cistercian monastery in the 12th century and later turned into a private residence, Villa Monastero<\/strong> is really about its garden \u2014 a two-kilometre ribbon of terraces running along the shoreline, planted with cypress, citrus, agave and palms, and studded with statues and follies. The house museum lets you see how the lake’s grand families lived. If gardens are your reason for coming to the lake, read our guide to the Les plus belles villas et jardins du lac de C\u00f4me<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Villa Cipressi’s terraced gardens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Juste \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9, Villa Cipressi<\/strong> tumbles down to the water in a series of romantic terraces named for the cypresses that frame them. It works as a garden visit and, for many travellers, as somewhere to stay \u2014 a rare chance to sleep inside one of Varenna’s historic villas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Ch\u00e2teau de Vezio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Une mont\u00e9e raide mais courte au-dessus du village vous m\u00e8ne au Ch\u00e2teau de Vezio<\/strong>, une petite tour de guet m\u00e9di\u00e9vale proposant une d\u00e9monstration de fauconnerie et, surtout, un panorama<\/strong> qui offre une vue imprenable sur le Bellagio, le bassin central et les montagnes au loin. Venez pour la vue ; restez pour le calme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. La vieille ville et la Passeggiata degli Innamorati<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Le mieux est de d\u00e9couvrir Varenna \u00e0 pied. Passez une heure \u00e0 fl\u00e2ner dans les ruelles en escalier de la ancien quartier des p\u00eacheurs<\/strong>, puis suivez les Promenade des amoureux<\/strong> \u2014 the “Lovers’ Walk” \u2014 a slender waterside path on stilts that curves along the lake between the ferry pier and the harbour. It is, deservedly, one of the most photographed corners of Lake Como.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Fiumelatte, the “river of milk”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the village’s southern edge runs Fiumelatte<\/strong>, avec ses quelque 250 m\u00e8tres, c'est l'une des rivi\u00e8res les plus courtes d'Italie. Elle ne coule que du printemps \u00e0 l'automne, d\u00e9valant les pentes dans un torrent blanc et imp\u00e9tueux \u2014 d'o\u00f9 son nom \u2014 avant de se jeter dans le lac. Son apparition saisonni\u00e8re intrigue les visiteurs depuis des si\u00e8cles ; m\u00eame L\u00e9onard de Vinci l'avait remarqu\u00e9e. Un petit sentier balis\u00e9 m\u00e8ne \u00e0 sa source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planifier votre visite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

J'y arrive.<\/strong> Varenna’s ferry pier connects it directly to Bellagio and Menaggio on the central triangle, and passenger boats run up and down the lake all summer. If you’re arriving by train from Milan or Lecco, the station sits just above the village. For how the ferries, passes and car ferries actually work, see our Guide complet des ferries du lac de C\u00f4me<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Id\u00e9al pour.<\/strong> Couples, garden lovers, and anyone wanting a calmer base than Bellagio \u2014 Varenna keeps its evenings to itself once the day boats leave. If you’re weighing where to base yourself, our guide to the meilleures villes et lieux o\u00f9 s\u00e9journer sur le lac de C\u00f4me<\/a> les compare c\u00f4te \u00e0 c\u00f4te.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quand partir.<\/strong> Les villas et Fiumelatte sont saisonniers, donc la fin du printemps et le d\u00e9but de l'automne sont le moment id\u00e9al, avec des jardins ouverts et moins de monde \u2014 plus d'informations sur le calendrier dans le meilleur moment pour visiter le lac de C\u00f4me<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 proximit\u00e9.<\/strong> Traversez l'eau pour Bellagio<\/a> et Menaggio<\/a> to complete the central triangle, or ride north to Bellano<\/a> for its dramatic gorge. Varenna also earns its place among the lake’s quieter corners \u2014 see where else to escape the crowds in our joyaux cach\u00e9s du lac de C\u00f4me<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varenna ne demande pas grand-chose et donne beaucoup : un village qui se voit en une journ\u00e9e mais o\u00f9 l'on voudrait rester plus longtemps, et le genre de soir\u00e9e lente et lumineuse sur l'eau que les gens viennent chercher sur le lac de C\u00f4me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images \u00e0 utiliser (libres de droits \u2014 voir Pack Images)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. H\u00e9ros<\/strong> \u2014 Varenna’s coloured houses and harbour from the water. Alt :<\/em> Maisons color\u00e9es au-dessus du port de Varenna sur la rive est du lac de C\u00f4me<\/code><\/li>\n
  2. Villa Monastero<\/strong> \u2014 jardin en terrasse au bord du lac. Alt :<\/em> Jardin botanique en terrasses de la Villa Monastero \u00e0 Varenna<\/code><\/li>\n
  3. Promenade des amoureux<\/strong> \u2014 the waterside Lovers’ Walk. Alt :<\/em> Le sentier Riverains de la promenade des Amoureux le long du lac \u00e0 Varenna<\/code><\/li>\n
  4. Ch\u00e2teau de Vezio<\/strong> \u2014 panorama vers Bellagio. Alt :<\/em> Vue sur le lac de C\u00f4me vers Bellagio depuis le Castello di Vezio au-dessus de Varenna<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    D\u00e9couvrez Varenna sur la rive orientale du lac de C\u00f4me \u2014 son histoire de village de p\u00eacheurs, son emplacement sur le lac et les cinq sites qui valent vraiment votre temps.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[84,75,63],"class_list":["post-6092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-towns-itineraries","tag-eastern-shore","tag-first-time","tag-no-car"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":37,"label":"Villages & Towns"}],"post_tag":[{"value":84,"label":"Eastern Shore"},{"value":75,"label":"First Time"},{"value":63,"label":"No Car"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/wp30493\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/varenna-lakefront-lake-como-1024x685.jpg",1024,685,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Eugen Manoliu","author_link":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/author\/eugen\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":37,"name":"Villages & Towns","slug":"towns-itineraries","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":37,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":52,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":37,"category_count":52,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Villages & Towns","category_nicename":"towns-itineraries","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":84,"name":"Eastern Shore","slug":"eastern-shore","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":84,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":75,"name":"First Time","slug":"first-time","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":75,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":63,"name":"No Car","slug":"no-car","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":63,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6092"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6391,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6092\/revisions\/6391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakecomoexplorer.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}