We flew into Milan Malpensa, one of three airports that serve Milan. In order to get to Varenna from Malpensa you'll need to take a train to Milan Central Station, followed by another train to Varenna, each one taking an hour. It's a fairly simple journey, and despite having to change trains in Milan, it's still my preference over hiring a car. The ferries are a great way to navigate around the different towns. There are three types of boats on Lake Como; the slow boat (batello), the fast hydrofoil boats (aliscafo) and the car ferry (traghetto). Varenna, despite being a small town, is well served by all. The costs are reasonable when you consider that you're also getting a mini-tour of the lake as well as the journey itself.

As well as walking the lovely cobbled streets of Varenna, there are a few other sights in and around the town itself. We visited the Vila Monastero and its gardens which are lovely to walk around and great for unobstructed photos of the lake. There is also the Castello di Vezio high up above the town. This castle is over a thousand years old, but what really makes it worth the walk up are the views you get from the top. I would recommend hiking up from the the Fiumelatte side as the climb is more gradual than from Varenna.

We rented an apartment with lake views in Varenna so were self-catering. This meant a trip to a supermarket in the next town of Bellano (there is no supermarket in Varenna), which we reached by train. Here we stocked up on supplies for the next four nights, mainly for breakfast and lunches. Whilst we were in Bellano we also visited the Orrido Gorge, an impressive natural rock escarpment forged by the flowing waters of the Pioverna River. Varenna itself is extremely well priced for food compared to the more famous Bellagio and Como, so we were happy to eat out in the evenings. For a classic Italian meal at one of the lakefront restaurants, such as Ill Molo, we paid approximately €40 for both of us including drinks. For a slightly more fancy meal try the excellent Al Prato.

On our second full day we took the slow boat to Bellagio and conducted our own walking tour of this famous town, which of course was the inspiration for one of Las Vegas’ most famous hotels. There's mounds of history here with quaint buildings on every corner. It must be mentioned, however, that the crowds were noticeably larger than in little Varenna. After a few hours we took another ferry across to Lenno. Here we wanted to visit the Villa Balbianello featured in the James Bond film Casino Royale. We also took ourselves up into the hills to the small village of Giulino di Mezzegra. Here we found the spot where the infamous Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had been summarily executed in brutal fashion before being taken to Milan to be hung from a butchers hook in the Piazzale Loreto. Dark tourism at its finest!