If you would like to see details about our journey, check out our itinerary and our bike route.
The forecast said 90 percent or higher chance of rain again most of today, but the sun was trying to shine through the clouds when we got up, and the radar showed that it should stay dry until midafternoon. I spent a couple hours paying bills and catching up on emails and trip details. About 11:00, we put on warm clothes (the temperature had dropped to mid-50s) and raincoats, got the bikes out of the garage, and headed downhill to town.
Varenna is a very small old city with a pretty square surrounded by churches, shops, and restaurants. Steep stone steps lead down to a riva that circles south to a villa surrounded by formal gardens, and north to a ferry port and train station. It was quiet except when a bus or ferry arrived and disgorged tourists. They clogged the narrow streets and riva, posing for photos and shopping and eating. We heard a lot of American English, which sounded strange after months of mostly Italian and German.
We visited the shops, walked along the riva, and had lunch at a hotel overlooking the lake.
By 14:30, we were back on the bikes and headed up the hill in a light rain. Perfect timing.
We did laundry, read, watched an episode of Departure on Netflix, put together a light dinner, and were in bed by 20:00.
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| Historians believe that Saint John the Baptist Church in Varenna was built in the early 11th century, on top of an even earlier Christian church. It is a small, plain structure, built of rough gray stone, with well-preserved 14th-century frescoes. |
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| The main square in Varenna was quiet when we got there about 11:15. By 11:30, the crowd from the 11:07 ferry had reached the main part of town, and the streets were clogged with people. |
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| The ferry on its way across the lake from Menaggio. |
