The castle of Vezio

The castle of Vezio has been protecting the charming town of Varenna for more than a thousand years. We suggest you reach the village of Perledo to enjoy, together with birds of prey and ghosts, a priceless view of Lake Como. You got it right, birds of prey and ghosts. If this has intrigued you, you just have to continue reading this article. Vezio consists of some stone houses now inhabited by few people. Its ancient look is still perfectly intact and the small village owes its fame to its castle that represents a unique attraction visited by thousands of tourists every year, both for its undoubted historical and cultural interest and for the panorama that can be admired from its top.

The origin of this fortification is not entirely clear. According to a legend, the Castle was built at the behest of the Lombard queen Teodolinda, who spent the last years of her life in the village of Perledo. Regardless of the precise year of its construction, it is certain that the castle was built for strategic reasons: this promontory was in fact the perfect point to control the whole area of ​​the central lake and the ancient roads that went up to Esino and Perledo, once obligatory passageways for men and goods. During the Middle Age, there were also two long walls that connected the castle to Varenna, to protect its inhabitants from the constant assaults of people from Como.

Reaching the tower is easy. Once in Vezio, just go to Piazza della Chiesa where the stairs to the castle are located to the left of the small cemetery. If you decided to walk from Varenna, you have to take an ancient and steep path next to the Montecodeno restaurant which will lead you to your destination in about twenty minutes.

At the entrance you will find a refreshment point where it will be possible to get tickets. The price per adult is 5 euros, while a reduced ticket of 3 euros is available for children between 7 and 18 and visitors over 65.

Crossing the beautiful garden of olive trees, you might meet Arthur, a shy owl born in 2005, who will stand while his eyes will carefully look at you. Before entering the tower itself, a stop on its terrace overlooking the Lario and the outstanding Varenna is a must. The incredible panorama that overlooks the lake brings out its uniqueness - indeed - its triplicity: in fact, the promontory of Bellagio enters the waters of Lake Como, branching the lake into two parts and thus giving life to the Como and Lecco shores. While you will be taking photographs from all angles, you will be in good company: plaster sculptures of ghosts are everywhere on the terrace, some of them are sunbathing, while others are thoughtfully looking at the horizon. They immediately will become the favorite subject of your shots.

The entrance to the tower is from another wing of the garden. Surrounded by a quadrangular wall, it is accessible through a small drawbridge. Going up the steps that lead to its top, you will see a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Lariosaurus and its fossils, a small reptile now extinct, who is the absolute protagonist of myths and legends around Lake Como. Once at the top, you will enjoy a view of the lake and mountains and, if you are lucky, you will also be able to watch the free flight of trained birds of prey in the castle garden: in fact, in addition to the aforementioned Arthur, a black kite and two buzzhards are currently kept here and they have the possibility of flying whenever there are the most suitable conditions to guarantee their psychophysical well-being. Before leaving the castle behind you, we advise you to take a leap into its cool but dusty dungeons, where you will find some other ghosts lurking in the darkness and you can take a look outside from one of the loopholes. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the undergrounds also became a military post forming part of the Cadorna Line, of which the eastern branch of the lake preserves a great testimony in the Forte Montecchio Nord in Colico. Returning to the village of Vezio, we suggest a stop at "Ceramiche di Vezio", a small workshop that creates unique pieces in Raku ceramic, an ancient technique of Japanese origin where you could also watch the pieces being extracted directly from the kiln.

To sum up, we strongly advise you to let yourself be captured - metaphorically speaking - by the birds of prey and the ghosts of Vezio to live an unforgettable experience on the eastern branch of Lake Como. Consult the website www.castellodivezio.it to stay updated on the opening hours and events of the Castle of Vezio.