Varenna is a comune (municipality) on Lake Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 kilometres north of Milan and about 20 kilometres northwest of Lecco. Varenna was founded by local fishermen in 769, and was later allied of the commune of Milan. In 1126 it was destroyed by the rival commune of Como, and later received the refugees from the Isola Comacina, who had met the same fate (1169).