Varenna

This guide to Varenna's hilltop castle traces a five-hundred-year gap between local legend, which credits Queen Theodolinda with the fortress in the early seventh century, and what historians actually date the standing walls to. It explains why the castle's real purpose was watching the lake narrow toward Bellagio and open toward Colico, ready to spot any boat crossing that stretch. You'll also hear how the basement was dug out again between 1899 and 1918 as part of Italy's Cadorna Line against a feared Austrian invasion. Stand at the wall and follow the sightline the original builders relied on.