Varenna

It is a good hub for Lake Como although we prefer Bellagio, more going on, more choices for dining. If you are looking to include more of Italy, add at least one more hub. Consider Bologna.

If you have a car it might be a good hub but not without one.

We stayed a couple nights in Varenna and liked it very much. We used it to visit Bellagio and Lecco and other places on the lake. If you are thinking of going to other places beyond Lake Como, I'd use google maps to determine how far those places are to determine if Varenna works for your trip.

Hopefully not for this summer or fall, as folks here report most lodging is fully booked in the area.
Varenna is on the train line. From Varenna you take the ferries to visit the middle lake towns.
Where are you coming from or going to? That determines if this is a good transportation hub for you.
Safe travels!

We loved Varenna. We went pre-Covid in September and it was very very crowded. There is a very fun walk along the lake through the town, but it is a narrow pathway and was so crowded that we often had to stop at times. When are you going?

We had fun rentingt a small boat and they gave us a map of all the villas on the lake, so that was a fun day. We also took a cooking class, and they came and picked us up at the ferry dock for our adventure up in the nearby hills. And one late afternoon we caught a live jazz band at a waterfront cafe that was fantastic. I think it was called Club Nautico, north of the ferry landing.
My husband actually swam in the lake - our air bnb was on a tiny beach called "bau bau beach" - too cold for me tho! (the air bnb would not be large enough for two couples, otherwise I'd recommend).
We were glad we stayed in Varenna - Belaggio seemed a bit too ritzy for us. And Varenna is convenient to ferry and train both.
Have fun deciding!

A good thing about Varenna is the that the train stops there. We prefer Bellagio as it's a little livelier. As much as I love Lake Como two weeks would be a long time up there. For your first trip to Italy you picked a location that is rather isolated in my opinion.

wondering if this is a good hub.

For Lake Como, yes; for more widespread destinations, not so good.

As explained above Varenna is good for visiting lake Como, but I wouldn't stay two weeks.

3 or max 4 nights is the most I could take of lake Como before I'd be bored to death.

Good hubs for northern Italy, assuming you don't have a car, is a city that has plenty of rail connections, like Verona, Padova, or bigger cities like Bologna, Milan, Turin.

With a car you can afford to stay in smaller towns, since you won't be depending on trains or buses.