Tag: Lake

Trip out of town to Laveno Mombello on Lake Maggiore – Italian Cuisine

By cable car you get so high that you can see the Madonnina, go to the discovery of fortresses and hermitages or sit at the table, listening to the sound of the waves. What to do and where to eat (at Hotel Al Porticciolo) one hour from Milan

Birthplace of two symbols of Italy, Renato Pozzetto and Richard Ginori, today Laveno it has lost the reputation of "city of ceramics" to become the destination of a trip out of town for the Lombards. The location is strategic: just over an hour's drive from Milan and with a landing stage in the city center from which continuous ferries ply the lake to Verbania on the other side and the Borromean islands.

Where to eat: the star with the menu for 35 euros

Like many towns on the lake, the tourist venues mix with those for the citizens (which have nothing special in the eyes of those who come from outside in search of typical dishes and good food), but in Laveno there is a place that combines excellent value for money and starry cuisine.
Sitting with the water a few steps away, hearing the sound of the waves, enjoying the coolness of the lake is one of the reasons that made the restaurant The table of the Hotel Il Porticciolo the favorite place to stop to eat in the area. Perched on the rock between the hills and the lake, the terrace where you can eat in the summer is covered and so close to the water that you are literally on it: a wonderful location. A fortune, and at the same time the cross of those who, in addition to the sight, want to offer refined cuisine, quality raw materials and adequate service. Those who come for the view return for the kitchen; often docking right at the marina from which the hotel takes its name.
There Bassetti family manages this hotel with love and professionalism, so much so that in 2017 it deserves a Michelin star. In the kitchen at the time there were only Roberto, born in 1982, and his father Giovanni, who together with his mother Elisabetta are divided between the living room and the kitchen. Son of art, a degree in Tourism Sciences at the Iulm University of Milan, he left for the kitchens of Davide Oldani first, of the Four Seasons in Milan, and then ended up in France at the Atelier de Joel Robuchon, 2 Michelin stars in Paris and then by Yannick Allenò and at the Mandarin Oriental Palace always in Paris. In 2012 he returned home bringing with him a good wealth of experiences, to be declined in the family restaurant. Not an easy challenge when you glide over the grandeur of French cuisine and you have to deal with it lake fish (but not just that) and international tourists. Two restaurants, The Osteria where to have lunch or dinner a full menu at 35 euros choosing from dishes such as fried prawns, ginger and paprika mayonnaise, wild herb oil; a classic such as Tagliolini with fine herbs and brandy prawns or a lavender fillet cooked on one side, sweet and sour sauce, spinach and champignons. The table instead, always overlooking the terrace, offers a research cuisine. As good and delicious as a cocktail of eighties prawns, its Sicilian red prawn crudo, shellfish paper and romesco sauce is super technical, for a comforting result: tartare shrimp body, fried head and legs, a shellfish card made drying a broth of scraps. A concentrate of flavor. Spicy iodine spaghetti, dill oil, horseradish snow or At sunset: lamb, green apple and pepper lacquer. After lunch, or for guests, you can rent the hotel motorboat to discover the lake or you can ask for one of the two pedal boats with which to ply the water under the sun, enjoying the natural beauty.

What to see: by cable car or along the lake

In Laveno, life flows by the lake, along via Labiena, full of shops, and around Piazza Fontana, the heart of the historic center, bordered by old railing houses, Art Nouveau buildings, gardens and the beautiful Villa Frua, now home to the town hall and the library. A few steps away, the Perabò Palace in Cerro preserves the portico in a beautiful cloister Civic Earthenware Collection, but for those who want to fill their eyes with beauty, the best way is the one towards heaven.
From the center of Laveno you start by cable car, better to say by cable car up to 1100 meters, almost on top of the top of the mount Sasso del Ferror. Return ticket for 10 euros, close in the small open or closed cabin, in 10 minutes you get to enjoy a grandiose and enchanting panorama of Lake Maggiore, the Alps, the Prealps, the Lombard lakes and the Po Valley. You can see everything: from the Duomo of Milan to Lake Mergozzo, passing through the Varesini Lakes, the Sacro Monte and Lake Maggiore with the Borromean islands. You sit for an aperitif, a lunch at the bar or restaurant with a panoramic view, you relax on the lawn and you can even stay overnight; however, from 7.30 p.m. you don't go down to the valley until the next morning. On weekends, hang gliding enthusiasts launch themselves from here to glide towards the ground.

Outside Porta Laveno

Ten minutes by car, in the historic center of Casalzuigno, thanks to FAI you can visit (with extraordinary openings to be verified) the sixteenth century Villa Della Porta Bozzolo. Always ten minutes away by car, theHermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro di Leggiuno, a monastic complex overlooking one of the deepest points of the lake. In the fourteenth century it was inhabited by a community of Augustinian monks, then it changed hands for several orders until today it became a Benedictine community. Since 1970 the hermitage has been owned by the Province of Varese which, in recent years, has been bringing it back to its former glory as well as making it accessible to all visitors with an elevator hidden in the rock. The staircase of two hundred steps instead allows you to take a walk to a panoramic point overlooking the hermitage, on a terrace overlooking the lake; pity that Covid-19 is inexplicably closed to the public in favor of the lift only (for a fee). On the road to Milan, in Angera, there is instead the Rocca, part of the Borromeo route. You enter the medieval garden, walk through the rooms of the Doll and Toy Museum and then you reach the historic rooms with fourteenth century frescoes; and a deadly view, which was why this strategic position had been chosen for the construction of the fortress.

Typical products

Between the provinces of Milan and Varese, in Laveno both pork and savoy cassoeula and bruscitt (minced beef and horse meat) are typical – in addition to lake fish. At home you can instead bring back typical products such as Formaggella del Luinese, a semi-hard matured cheese, made with 100% goat's whole and raw milk, Salame Prealpino Varesino and Varesino Honey, produced by a consortium of 36 producers of the territory.

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In Lombardy between lake (Iseo), a small Rome, mountains and pyramids – Italian Cuisine

In this all-Italian summer, the mountain will have its redemption. Here, we take you to discover the less traveled paths of Lombardy, which start from the most scenic lake and arrive at the top (where it is said you see the Madonnina), passing through reserves of fallow deer and cheeses in the farmhouse. And between an Aventine villa and a San Pietro square, the pyramids also emerge

It will not be as big as Lake Garda, "noble" as the Maggiore (and its historic villas), famous all over the world as the Lario (Lake Como), made even more prestigious by Alessandro Manzoni first and then George Clooney. Yet trust me: that ofIseo is perhaps the most scenic lake in all of Lombardy.

The Iseo lake

It is located halfway between Brescia and Bergamo, and if you arrive from the latter just before you pass another lake, the one Endine: very small yes, but just as delicious. Its best feature is that it remained naturally intact, that is, well set among valleys, woods and mountains that are reflected in its waters, without too many bricks or cement around it. In winter it is common for the surface to freeze, and that the locals enjoy walking and skating on it (with what courage it is not known, if you want to try, we recommend that you inform yourself first about the ice conditions).

Bossico, the "little Rome"

After passing Endine, in the direction of Lovere, you will arrive straight on the shores of Lake Iseo. Our advice, however, is not to stop here and go up – literally – along the road that leads to Bossico (Bg), an almost unknown mountain resort, but very welcoming, and from which you can enjoy a wonderful view of the lake below. And not only.

Defined – certainly with a little boldness – little Rome, Bossico has a square called San Pietro, a church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, a via Roma, and above all historic villas built between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and called with names related to Rome capital city: Celio, Quirinale, Vatican, Pincio, Aventino, Campidoglio; plus others dedicated to the history of Giuseppe Garibaldi: Caprera, Suello, Villa Glori … The reason is easy to say: precisely by virtue of its enchanting panoramic position on Lake Iseo, in the second half of the 19th century Bossico became a holiday resort particularly appreciated from above local bourgeoisie, who built villas here by naming them with Roman and Risorgimento names, in honor of their patriotic ideals (with all due respect to the League today).

In Bossico you stay comfortably both at theMiralago hotels both at theHotel Al Milano, both centrally located, with free parking and a good restaurant.

The area is an excellent starting point for excursions: the Bossico plateau boasts 50 kilometers of pleasant paths and paths (excellent for practicing Nordic walking, but also to splash in e-bikes and mountain bikes), two large picnic areas, one fallow deer reserve, and offers truly wonderful views of the two lakes below (Iseo and d'Endine, in fact), Monte Isola (the lake island in the middle of the lake), the adjacent valleys and the Presolana mountain range. The most beautiful walk is the one that goes all the way Mount Colombina (1459 meters within everyone's reach), which you will recognize from the cross on the top. There you will also find a notebook of the summit on which to leave your signature. The gaze from above will embrace the Orobie, the Camonica Valley, the Po Valley. On particularly clear days it is said that you can even spot the glitter of the Madonnina in Milan, but honestly we have not seen that (all the rest yes).

In general, the first Sunday of August takes place in Bossico Potato bread festival: The courtyards of the houses in the historic center open to the public and for the occasion the (old) wood-fired ovens (where traditional potato bread is cooked according to an ancient recipe, handed down for generations, with flour, water , yeast, salt and boiled potatoes, strictly zero kilometer, because those of Bossico are reputed to be particularly tasty and are also grown today in the gardens and fields of the plateau. Visitors are therefore allowed to observe how this bread is kneaded, baked and baked, and in the end also to taste it. It is an appointment that we once recommend that you participate, even if unfortunately this year there will not be due to the ongoing health emergency.

To do, however, also this year, enjoy one of the (many) traditional cheeses produced in the area farms (there are four): here the milk is not processed as in a dairy, there are no protocols, precision instruments. Everything is done by hand, and by eye, following only patience, experience and instinct. And as it tells us Patrizia Gandini of the Pro Loco Office: «Every gesture repeats itself always the same and always different, because raw milk is a living food and the days are never the same. This is why the flavors of the cheeses of the Bossico plateau are unique, because they are made with craftsmanship, tradition, passion and good nature, and in every cheese – from the most seasoned to ricotta or cheese – you can also savor the emotions and scents of the mountain and the lake .

In making cheeses on the farm, every gesture is always repeated the same and different, because raw milk is a living food and the days are never the same. This is why the flavors of the cheeses of the Bossico plateau are unique

A tour of Monte Isola

After having admired it so much from above, going back to the lake, you cannot stop at Monte Isola, the largest lake island in Europe, and which is located right in the center of Lake Iseo. It was made famous in 2016 by the installation The Floating Piers by the artist Christo, who recently passed away, and which consisted of a "floating walkway on the lake" that connected the islands of Monte Isola and the nearby (and very small) San Paolo to the mainland (municipality of Sulzano). To get to Monte Isola today the departure is always from Sulzano only that the lake is commonly crossed by ferry. The complete tour of the island is 9 kilometers, to be traveled safely on foot or by bicycle, and being careful only to avoid reckless people local vespists (on the other hand, there are no machines here). The walk is easy, apart from a few steeper sections to the south and which tests the breath of cyclists above all. Here and there there are very beautiful views, especially in front of the islet (with castle) of Loreto. All 'Hostaria Milago of Peschiera Maraglio (where the ferry docks) you eat excellent lake fish with super views.

The pyramids of Zone

But there is still something little known and very suggestive that we want to point out in the area. In the area of the municipality of Zone, 14 kilometers from Sulzano (we are on the Brescia side of Lake Iseo), there is a Park with real pyramidsi.e. absolutely natural (and sometimes very high) stone sculptures formed due to the erosion of the water in contact with the particular terrain of morainic origin of the mountain. We assure you that among these rocks the show is guaranteed, even if in the ascent there will be a little sweat.

Let's try making the filascetta, the typical focaccia of Lake Como – Italian Cuisine

With red onions and cheese, it is called this because the hot cheese on the pasta "row" while cutting. Here is the recipe to prepare it at home

"There filascetta it's a flat bread typical of the Lario area, on the Lake Como and more precisely of a country, Dongo, which claims its birthplace. It's about a recipe ideal for aperitifs, for a standing dinner, for an afternoon break for young and old.

Why is this focaccia called filascetta? Because, covered with cheese, it turns out to be a beauty when it is ready to eat and breaks into several parts to serve it.

In the original recipe of the filascetta there are also onions red. Let's see it.

How to prepare the string at home

Ingredients

The ingredients they serve for prepare the string are: 400 g of flour, 15 g of fresh brewer's yeast, 350 g of red onions, 150 g of stringy cheese such as scamorza or fontina cheese, 40 g of butter, extra virgin olive oil, salt, sugar.

Method

To prepare the filascetta at home kneading the flour with oil, salt and yeast dissolved with a little warm water until a soft and uniform dough is obtained which must rest, protected from a damp cloth, for about an hour and a half in a dry place.

While the dough rests yes they clean the onions and cut into thin slices, then in a saucepan with the butter they dry on a very low heat for about 45 minutes, being careful not to burn them.

It's time to pick up the dough, knead it a little more with your hands and give it the shape of one donut before putting it on the pan. At this point, the filascetta pasta is seasoned with onions and cheese cut into thin slices, a pinch of salt and one of sugar and put in the oven. The cooking must be at 190 ° for about 25 minutes.

The focaccia should be eaten preferably when it is still hot.

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