Irish, thank you for reading and especially for the kind comments. What month were you in Varenna and how were the crowds daytime and nighttime? If/when we go back Varenna looks like a great base, especially If one travels by train. I found driving the lake was ok with a private parking space of course. For info sake I just googled airbnbs for same time frame next year and found 52 available, compared to the 4 when we were looking last minute. We just aren't able to plan several months out, our moods and schedules change a lot.