The mayor of Varenna, a pretty village overlooking Lake Como, has raised the alarm: the entire town has now been transformed into a maxi-hotel
Considered one of the most evocative villages overlooking Lake Como, that of Varenna it is a country that is rapidly disappearing. Not in a literal sense: no danger for the safety of the historic center and its incredible beauties. The problem, rather, concerns overtourism. It is in fact a locality now targeted by mass tourism, so much so that the inhabitants are “deserting” to make room for visitors. And the mayor can only say he is extremely worried.
Varenna, the pearl of Lake Como
The small village of Varenna it is located along the eastern shore of Lake Como, in the province of Lecco: it overlooks just north of Bellagio, over which it still enjoys sensational views. It is a truly enchanting place, both for its natural beauty and for the panorama. It is not surprising, therefore, that within a few years it has become one very crowded tourist destination. Too much, to tell the truth: there are now more visitors than inhabitants.
This is not a figure of speech, given that the number of residents continues to decline year after year. If in 2019 there were 743, to date there are just 680 (a drop of almost 10%), and the birth rate is also incredibly low: 6 children were born in 2019, last year only 2 – and this year still none. Where did all the “escaping” inhabitants go? Many of them have chosen to put your apartment up for tourist rent and move to a quieter place, thus taking advantage of an incredible earning opportunity.
The situation worsens in Old Town, where there are now just around 60 inhabitants: it can be said that it has become a sort of widespread B&B, interspersed with some sporadic private homes. How did it get this far? The problem of overtourism is certainly not unknown, and there are many places that suffer from it. But in a country of this size, it takes very little to get there point of no return.
Visiting Varenna is now an experience very little memorable, given the large influx of tourists and the possibility – increasingly concrete – of not being able to enjoy the moment. Let alone for the inhabitants, who have to deal with the inconveniences of an ever-increasing crowd every weekend (and, during the summer season, every day). From this concern, the cry of alarm from the mayor Mauro Manzoni.
The words of the mayor of Varenna
“As a community we are dying. I ran to be mayor, not manager of a company maxi-hotel, nor the tourist entertainer. Instead I have to dedicate myself above all to remedying the disasters of overtourism” – stated the mayor of Varenna, as can be read in the pages of ‘Il Giorno’ – “If not we make the experience in Varenna pleasantsoon the tourists, like the inhabitants, will go elsewhere and there will be nothing left here, there will only be a ghost village”.
The mayor then brought it to light some of the main problems: “The Province of Lecco continues to sponsor Villa Monastero, the Navigation operators continue to sponsor ferry rides, tour operators bus trips, those who manage the silos pay for the possibility of parking in the structures they have contracted. They earn money and for us Varennese the situation is increasingly unmanageable and unlivable, as well as dangerous.” We therefore need to do something about it bring Varenna back to lifeand certainly not on a tourist level.
