A small family-run pasta place in Varenna where a short menu of fresh handmade pasta is made daily, with sauces meant for the bread.
Photo © La Scarpetta
Why go
La Scarpetta is a small, family-run restaurant in the centre of Varenna, built around one idea: do one thing and do it well. That thing is fresh pasta, made by hand every single day, with a short list of dishes.
The sauces are rich on purpose, because the name is the point: la scarpetta is the habit of wiping the plate clean with bread. The welcome is relaxed and informal, with no reservations and an aperitivo while you wait.
Signature dishes
Dishes from the official menu.
The real Fettuccine Alfredo with black truffle
Ribbons of fresh fettuccine in a rich, buttery Alfredo sauce, finished with black truffle. The kitchen says the truffle is in season for only a couple of months, so order it while it lasts.
Lasagne with onions and pork rib ragù
The house take on lasagne, built on a slow pork rib ragù with onions between layers of fresh pasta. A hearty plate for a hungry table, and ideal for wiping clean with bread.
Caserecce carbonara with crispy guanciale
Short, twisted caserecce coated in a creamy carbonara and topped with crisp guanciale. A familiar Roman favourite, made here with fresh artisanal pasta, so the sauce clings to every curl.
Tortiglioni with three-tomato sauce and burrata
Fresh tortiglioni in a bright red sauce made from three kinds of tomato, finished with creamy burrata and basil. A lighter, vegetarian-friendly choice that still leaves plenty of sauce for the bread.
Grandma’s beef meatballs in tomato sauce
A classic home-style starter of tender beef meatballs simmered in tomato sauce. It is the dish that most clearly matches the restaurant’s promise of food that feels like eating at home with family.
Smoked lake trout carpaccio
Thin slices of smoked trout from the lake, dressed with coconut and lime and served with melon. A fresh, cool starter that brings a local ingredient to the table before the pasta arrives.
Photo © La Scarpetta
Services and dietary options
Gallery
Photo © La Scarpetta
Photo © La Scarpetta
Photo © La Scarpetta
Photo © La Scarpetta
Photo © La Scarpetta
Photo © La Scarpetta
Practical information
Via XX Settembre 12, 23829 Varenna LC
Hours from the official website:
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Tuesday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Wednesday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Thursday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Friday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00–16:00 | 18:00–21:00 |
Getting there
About 27 km in a straight line: by car, bus or ferry.
About 3.3 km in a straight line: by car, bus or ferry.
On foot: 20 m, about 1 min walk.
Straight-line distances from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors); road distances are longer and walking times are approximate.
Around the restaurant
City Guide · Things to do
Lake Como villas, villages and viewpoints with their own Holiplanet page, nearest first.
Painted fishing-village houses on Lake Como's eastern shore
A lakefront village and ferry hub with trails behind it
The pearl of Lario, where Lake Como's branches meet
A lakeside museum and botanical garden in Tremezzo
A loggia on a wooded promontory, reached on foot or by boat
Seven minutes from the lake to the balcony of the Alps
A marble façade and Juvarra's dome, minutes from the lake
Como's lakeside living room and the walk to Villa Olmo
Roman grid, medieval walls and Porta Torre in 1.5 hours
On the Lake Como map
City Guide · Where to stay
Hotels, resorts and villas with their own Holiplanet page, nearest first.
Vezio
A scattered hotel in the hill village of Vezio above Varenna
Bellagio
A neoclassical lakeside villa in Bellagio with gardens
Above Bellagio, on the Ghisallo climb
A family-run hotel on the hillside above Bellagio
Bay of Venus (Golfo di Venere)
A family-run lakefront hotel on the Bay of Venus in Lenno
Bagnana, Lezzeno
A modern lakefront hotel in Lezzeno with 13 rooms
Como
A historic lakeside grand hotel in Cernobbio, with 151 rooms
Como
A 30-room hotel in Cernobbio with a lake-view terrace
Brunate
A small Art Nouveau hotel and family-run restaurant beside the Brunate funicular
Via Cernobbio
A 19th-century villa in its own park above Lake Como
On the Lake Como map
City Guide · Experiences
Boat tours, seaplane flights, cooking classes and wine tastings with their own Holiplanet page.
Varenna
Self-drive motorboats and private classic-boat cruises from Varenna, past the villas of central Lake Como.
Varenna
Shared and private boat cruises from Varenna, with a licensed captain who knows the lake and its villas well.
Varenna
Small-group and private sailing trips on Lake Como, led by a local skipper, with an Italian aperitivo and Prosecco served on board.
Bellagio
A restored 18th-century stone cellar in Bellagio where sommeliers guide you through local and Italian wines with cured meats and lake fish.
Bellagio
Private boat tours on Lake Como with a professional captain, leaving from Bellagio and tailored to your pace.
Argegno
Private boat tours on Lake Como with a local captain, from a base in Argegno, with itineraries shaped around your group.
Moltrasio
Private boat tours on Lake Como, from one to four hours, starting in Como or Cernobbio and passing the lake's best-known villas and villages.
Como
Private boat tours on Lake Como with an English-speaking captain, from a two-hour cruise to a full day on the water.
Como
Take off from the water of Lake Como with an instructor and see the lake from the cockpit of a seaplane.
On the Lake Como map
City Guide · Beyond the lake
Milan, Bergamo and the lake villages by train or ferry.
City Guide · about 40 min by train
The Duomo, the Last Supper, Brera and the Navigli
City Guide
The walled Città Alta, its funicular and the Venetian walls
By ferry
The pearl of Lario, where Lake Como's branches meet
By ferry
Painted fishing-village houses on Lake Como's eastern shore
By ferry or on foot from Lenno
A loggia on a wooded promontory, reached on foot or by boat
Lake Como City Guide
Holiplanet Journal
Stories and practical guides about Lake Como and Milan.
Holiplanet Journal
Holiplanet Journal
Holiplanet Journal
Holiplanet Journal
Holiplanet Journal
Straight-line distances from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Questions
No. The restaurant does not take reservations: guests simply show up and wait their turn, with a drink on the stairs if there is a queue.
Every day of the week, for lunch from 12:00 to 16:00 and for dinner from 18:00 to 21:00.
Yes. Fresh pasta and drinks are available to go, to enjoy by the lake, at home or wherever you like.
Yes, 3.50 EUR per person, which covers microfiltered water, butter and bread for making the scarpetta.
Yes. The restaurant runs a cooking class with its chef where guests knead the dough and then sit down to eat what they made.
The tiramisù is made with barley coffee and pasteurised ingredients, so it contains no caffeine.
