Things to do
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Villa Monastero
A former Cistercian convent turned residence, with a botanical garden running two kilometres along the shore in citrus, palms and agaves. The house museum keeps its late nineteenth-century interiors. The house and the garden are ticketed separately and the shore walk through the grounds is the longer part.
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Castello di Vezio
A ruined eleventh-century castle on the ridge above Varenna, reached by a twenty-minute climb through olive terraces. Falconry displays run in the afternoons and the tower looks down the length of the lake. The path up starts from the lane above the church.
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Villa Cipressi
Terraced gardens dropping to the water beside Villa Monastero, planted with cypress, magnolia and camellia. The two gardens are next door and are usually done together. Part of the house works as a hotel and the terraces stay open to visitors through the day in season.
