Varenna

Our third day in a row of hopping on a ferry on Lake Como.  We had waffled over whether or not to do so, but there was a restaurant in Varenna that a friend of Conrad's had recommended, and it was only open for lunches and not open every day.  If we wanted to go, we would have to get on a ferry and get there, taking our chances at getting in (no reservations, but it turned out not to be a problem). Aside from that, we had talked with other travelers who told us that Varenna was a much nicer place to visit than Bellagio.  Less touristy.  And that appealed to us, based on our nice visit to Argegno two days earlier.  So, we hopped on a ferry,

and with several stops and some views of more fine buildings and places along the lake,

we arrived in Varenna.

In truth, at that point, we weren't even all that much into going to lunch at the recommended place.  We were in Varenna to see Varenna.  Ah, how the tables turned!

Since we were heading along the waterfront past the restaurant, we stopped to look at it.  Ristorante Vecchia Varenna proved to be a handsome little spot with a sheltered waterfront patio.  No reservations, but we got a table for the three of us in a corner with a view. 

What sold us?  Seeing the first course go by, a lake fish pate with flat bread and pickled onion. 

Lovely, right?  It tasted good.  But what also sold us was that Varenna was littered with tourists.  If Bellagio is the touristy spot, then I can only imagine the chaos there.  Varenna was busy with so many sightseers, and we decided we did NOT want to fight through them, bouncing from place to place and ultimately picking something because we needed to pick something.  We made our decision to enjoy Vecchia Varenna, and we made the right decision.

The restaurant, as I mentioned, is lunch only.  It was 2:30, and they were turning away people who wanted to dine.  The other thing about it is that it is a set menu.  Three courses, no options within them.  The menu is take it or leave it.  And they verify that you understand and agree to that before they seat you.  I have to respect that.  A restaurant on its own terms.  I'd hate it if the food were poor, but no, the food was uniformly good.  That pate was a visual stunner and delicious. 

The carbonara put the gloppy one that Van had on Ischia to shame. 

And the tiramisu - the only time on this Italy trip that we had that dessert - was light and not too sweet or boozy. 

We each had an Aperol spritz,

and then I had a glass of a local white wine.

After lunch, we decided to get the ferry back.  We didn't have much time until the ferry that we wanted, and as in Como, the crowds around the ticket booth were awful.  It turns out that most of the crowd was lined up for a particular sailing, and we got tickets easily, but as we waited for our boat, we watched a few others come in and unload hundreds of tourist.  Three boats in fifteen minutes and easily 500 coming ashore.  It made us very glad not to be wandering Varenna with them.  I wish we might have had a bit of time for souvenir shopping, but it wasn't a big concern, truly.  We boarded and headed back to Lezzeno with time enough to relax at the hotel before dinner.

And so we did.  The one time we were in the pool at the hotel,

a little splash for the three of us.  No laps, none at all.  Ahhhhhh.