Most people say that Villa Monastero is the high spot of Varenna, if not the whole of Lake Como’s eastern shore. Built in the early 13th Century for Cistercian Nuns, it was dedicated to Santa Maria Magdalene, though was sold not long after to a private citizen. The Italian Government acquired the villa just after the WWI as a centre for Hydrobiology and lake Geomorphology and it’s still used as a scientific base. The villa has many works of art and has stone staircases and statues, leading to an arcaded terrace with views across the lake and a beautiful garden.