Today we set out to wander up the hill to see the castle, but this was put on hold briefly when Michelle remembered a special holiday market was on today in the piazza, so an investigation was required. It was a major disappointment. We really felt sorry for the stall holders as they grappled to hold their canopies down in the 'gentle' breeze, whilst there was almost no one around (they were still there at the end of the day, and for most it looked like no sales had been made). Michelle helped them out though, and bought a new wallet. We set-off up the opposite side to our original plan to get to Castle Vezio as it was closer to the market. It proved to be an 'interesting' climb up an old track (probably used for the olive groves), which was very narrow, and had a large drop-off on the lake side. Health and Safety certainly has not come to this part of the world, but for us hardy kiwis, it was fun. The weather was glorious yet again, and the views were amazing as we climbed up. The reward at the top was a visit to a very small partial castle with a tall keep in the middle of a walled square. R climbed to the top of the keep and had the most stunning view up and down (and across) the lake. The keep has been restored to some extent, but like all such places you wondered if a proper engineering assessment had been made on the structural strength of the stairs. They were supported in very old wood that was rotted, and with limited attachments. There was no control on how many people could be up them at any one-time. The top floor was supported on timber that was resting on small stones, on a ledge. Reminded me of the crib foundations at the Gorge. How it supported a stone floor above I'm not really sure. But it was well worth the walk up for the view. Below the castle there was a small treed space which had a number of birds of prey on display, including a beautiful small white owl. Apparently these are rarer at the castle, continuing a tradition for centuries here. Below this area there are a set of subterranean bunkers carved into the hillside, with gun portals, which we apparently built in WW1 to defend from the Germans coming down the lake. I'm completely at a loss as to what benefit all this labour would have had. A rifle was all that could be fix from here, and it was not going to reach across the lake, so what purpose did it serve? It kept me interested though and had me reflecting on ANZAC day the impacts of WW1. We then decided to explore Perledo, which is where our little walk turned into a trek. Through one village, down a hillside path past a cute old mill in a creek bed, up another hill, arriving in an industrial area. I was hopeful that this was the Moto Guzzi motorbike museum, but I was wrong (turns out it is further down the lake). So we decided to quit our climbing adventure and head down the twisty road back to the railway station and the apartment for a energy boost (read rest & cup of tea!) The Fitbit result was fairly impressive for the last 24 hours. This afternoon we tried out a restaurant which had just opened for the season, and it showed. On a holiday weekend the two waiting staff were a little stressed, and completely mucked up our food and drinks orders. It was amusing to watch, and we did feel sorry for them, but it was strange choosing to open on the busiest day this year to date. The highlight of the day, but also the biggest sense of "they could have made more of an effort" was visiting Villa Monastero gardens. Apparently these gardens are two kilometres long, being a narrow strip of land between the lake and the road above. It clearly had the makings of being a great garden, but it had not been cared for this season, and was overgrown in places with weeds. The setting, layout and structures where you could pause and take in the views across the lake, were stunning. We wondered if they would take two people from NZ for board, if they volunteered to keep the garden! We spent a few hours strolling and sitting reflecting, soaking in the view, the sun, and general ambience of the old Covent. Today it is owned by the local council who run it as a Conference centre (and probably wedding venue for the popular American market) but needs more invested back into it for the local and international tourists. Our way home was leisurely, spending time sitting at the lakes edge watching the boats go by, the birds in the water and commenting on the crowds thinning out as the Italians returned home from a long weekend. Dinner was takeaway pizza, pasta and dessert (still no dinner type food to be found in Varenna, and not prepared to spend the time & effort catching a local train up the lake to find a supermarket!) We needed to organise the next twenty four hours, where we move to Milan for the final few days in Italy.