CHAPTER 11
As relaxing as a leisurely day out on the water can be, after eight hours in the hot Italian sun we were all ready for a cold beverage and a seat in the shade. We turned in our boat rental at the docks in the very center of Varenna’s small harbor, and were just about to make a group decision on what restaurant we would be getting that cold beverage from, when we realized there were an unusual number of people just milling about at the waterfront as if they were waiting for something. A quick word with some other tourists revealed that tonight, of all nights, was Varenna’s annual celebration of a prominent event in the town’s history: in 1169, a group of refugees from the Island of Comacina, which lies further south down the lake, was fleeing the aggression of the city of Como, which is situated at the very southern end of the west arm of the lake. Como had raided the island and burnt down their village, which was the exact same fate that Como had dealt to Varenna a half century earlier. Being thus bonded by tragedy, the towns people were more than happy to welcome the refugees and offer them protection, when other neighboring villages had turned them away.
Varenna now commemorates this event with a reenactment of the arrival of the refugee’s boats, followed by a pretty decent fireworks display. We love it when we stumble upon local festivals like this when we travel, and took advantage of the situation by grabbing a few pizzas to go, some bottles of cold beer, and snagging some choice seats right on the water where we could see all the action.
Prev ChapterNext Chapter
