Inside a historic villa in Varenna on Lake Como, sculptures of lights and Christmas music transform the garden into an enchanted place to lose yourself for a few hours. The Christmas Garden at the Hotel Villa Cipressi is a Christmas itinerary set up inside the botanical garden overlooking the lake, with light displays and installations designed to surprise visitors of all ages.
Among the most beautiful corners of this enchanted garden are definitely the numerous viewpoints at dusk, where you can admire the lake and the sun setting behind the mountains that surround it. Also not to be missed is the gate that opens and gives directly onto the lake, illuminated by hundreds of traditional lights, which gives the feeling of being in a fairy-tale place. Finally, inside Villa Cipressi is a refreshment stand, where you can have the most Christmassy winter snack of all: hot chocolates with plenty of cream, Christmas muffins and steaming chocolate chip cookies, all surrounded by cascades of lights.
📆Open Thursday through Sunday.
⏰10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., through Jan. 6.
🎟️€10 for adults, €5 for those aged 15 to 25, free admission for those under 14 and residents of Varenna.
More Christmas activities on the lake: from Como to Lecco
If you’re in the neighborhood, especially on a magical weekend getaway, you can think about adding an even brighter glow with the sparkling Candlelight concerts in Como in the splendid Sala Bianca of the Teatro Sociale. Here, among thousands of candles, you can listen again to the best soundtracks of all time and also the most popular Christmas songs, reinterpreted in a classical key. In Lecco, on the other hand, the Christmas projection show Lights on Lecco takes place every night (until January 6) from 5 to 11:30 p.m. in Piazza XX Settembre.
How to reach Varenna from Milan
From Milan, the easiest way to reach Varenna is by direct train from Milano Centrale to the Varenna-Esino station, with runs about every hour and a travel time of just over an hour. Alternatively, one can reach Varenna by car and it usually takes between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours, depending on traffic.