We’d planned on visiting Villa Carlotta by boat but after learning about Villa Melzi when we arrived we chose to go there instead. That allowed us to visit both Varenna and the villa, and on a day when rain was forecasted so we didn’t want to travel too far.
I considered staying at Varenna but chose Bellagio instead. Having been there, Varenna would also be a good base, especially if you were up for more challenging walks.
The beautiful “Walk around the Hamlets of the Lakeside of Bellagio” brochure is published by the local tourist office. We picked up our copy at our hotel but we saw copies elsewhere in town, in different languages.
Getting ON the ferry was confusing and irritating. Once we were on board the trip was relaxing and beautiful.
Bellagio was more relaxed and not as expensive as I feared. We enjoyed our four nights there, though I think we would have liked Varenna also.