Lakeside, Varrena, Italy. The Villa Monastero provides winding pathways, architecture, botanical gardens, and statuary with lake views. As you can guess from the name, a monastery once occupied these grounds, but today it plays host to an international conference center. For just a few euro, one can wander the extensive grounds embracing the lake, a most enjoyable way to experience "il dolce far niente" (the sweetness of doing nothing).