Vezio

High on the promontory above Varenna, the little borgo of Vezio looks down on the whole mid-lake triangle of Como. Its castle — a late-medieval outpost among the northernmost olive groves in Europe — gives the finest viewpoint on the eastern shore, while the village church keeps its frescoes and a sixteenth-century triptych a few steps below.

Why visit

Vezio is the vertical complement to Varenna: where the lakeside village offers water level charm, this hilltop hamlet offers the view that explains it. From the castle terrace the entire central lake arranges itself below — the Varenna landing, the villas of the opposite shore, the triangle of ferry lines threading between them — with the Alps closing the horizon. The castle itself is more than a viewpoint: a late-medieval military outpost whose tradition attributes its foundation to the Lombard queen Teodolinda, set in a Mediterranean garden on a site inhabited since the Iron Age, complete with underground chambers, a furnished tower, garden sculptures and a permanent exhibition on the Lariosauro, the lake’s own monster legend. Because the village sits a stiff but manageable climb above Varenna’s station, most visitors reach it as an appendage to a lake day; those who linger for the evening aperitivo on the terrace, when the day boats have gone and the lights come out around the shore, understand why the borgo deserves its own mention.

Character and history

Vezio belongs administratively to Perledo, the hillside commune above Varenna, and its history is the history of watching the lake rather than sailing it. Tradition gives the castle’s foundation to Queen Teodolinda at the turn of the seventh century, and the site’s occupation reaches back to the Iron Age; what stands today is a late-medieval military outpost that, for over a thousand years, guarded Varenna through the medieval wars and sackings that repeatedly scarred this shore. The castle’s afterlife was gentler: its tower now furnished and visitable, its chambers opened to visitors, its grounds planted as a botanical garden where olive trees flourish at what is, remarkably, one of the northernmost olive-growing points in the world, the furthest the Mediterranean climate reaches up the Alps along this sheltered shore. Below, the parish church of Sant’Antonio Abate keeps the village’s devotional art — a painted cycle and a sixteenth-century triptych — serving a community that still climbs to mass past the castle walls. Recent history has been careful: after vandalism in 2022, the long-running falconry displays were permanently discontinued, a decision the operators explain plainly on the official site.

What to see

The Vezio Castle is the destination: a panoramic late-medieval tower with furnished interiors, underground rooms, a botanical garden and olive grove, sculpture scattered through the grounds and a permanent Lariosauro exhibition — plus the single best view over mid-lake Como. In the village, the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate is the parish church of the borgo, preserving its fresco cycle and a sixteenth-century triptych. Two sights, one working morning or a long afternoon; the walk between them passes through the lanes of the village itself, which — stone roofs, vine pergolas, lake glimpses between houses — is quietly the third attraction.

How to experience

Earn the view. Walk up from Varenna along the signed path — roughly half an hour of stepped lanes and cobbles from the waterfront — rather than driving, and arrive mid-morning when the light still falls on the opposite shore. Tour the castle at leisure: chambers, tower, gardens, then the terrace for the panorama you came for; the site needs no reservations and opening runs daily from early March to the start of December, with winter weekends in fair weather. If the Friday or Saturday evening apericena on the terrace fits your dates, reserve it — sunset over the mid-lake triangle from castle height is the experience the day-trippers miss. On the way down, pause in the church, and consider extending on foot toward the Sentiero del Viandante, the ancient path along the eastern shore that passes nearby.

Practical planning

Vezio sits above Varenna in the municipality of Perledo, province of Lecco. Reach it on foot from Varenna’s station or landing via the signed uphill path, or by a narrow road with limited parking near the castle; the climb is steep, so assess fitness or drive. Entry tickets are bought on site or online via the castle’s booking link; dogs on leads are welcome, and the site asks visitors to keep distance from the owl aviary. Opening hours and ticket arrangements are seasonal and can change — confirm on castellodivezio.it before visiting. Combine with a morning in Varenna’s gardens and you have one of the lake’s fullest days without a car. Bring water in summer; the ascent is exposed in places.

Nearby places

Directly below lies Varenna with its lakeside gardens and landings, and along the shore south Abbadia Lariana opens the eastern lakeshore road. The wider waters and shores are covered at Lake Como.