Eating at Lake Iseo

Between fish and good wine

Lake Iseo, is much more than a soothing holiday destination and the ideal place for sports enthusiasts. It is also an outstanding food and wine zone that is worth discovering when staying for more than one day..

Amid fish based dishes and good wine, there are numerous culinary specialties that wait to be discovered while getting to know better this land.

We would like to propose a brief list of local products from the Sebino and its neighbouring areas, including that of Franciacorta. You can try all these delicacies in local businesses, restaurants and agrotourisms.

Made with the collaboration of: www.iseolake.info

Dried Sardines: eat them with Polenta — It represents one of the most authentic culinary traditions of Lake Iseo. Sardines, after a slow 30-40 days drying process on wooden open air sticks, are placed in steel containers with olive oil and left to age for a few months. After they have aged properly they acquire a golden hue and are ready to be consumed. Add some oil, parsley and garlic and eat with some polenta on the side: the intense and original taste of this dish will astonish you!

All the different types of Casoncelli — A Bergamo and Brescia staple food, casoncelli are similar to ravioli and are prepared in various ways depending of the zone you are in. You can find them often in the menus of traditional trattorias and agrotourisms that surround the lake. The bergamasque version of its filling usually consists of bread, parmesan cheese, beef, parsley, raisins, lemon zest and amaretti. In Brescia filling is lighter and prepared with bread, cheese, garlic, nutmeg, broth, parsley and salt. (picture: Casoncelli by Lorenzo Vinci)

Monte Isola Salami at the heart of the Sebino — This peculiar salami from Monte Isola, the main protagonist of the most important event of Summer 2016, The Floating Piers, the famous walkway that allowed to get to this island on foot. The preparation for this salami starts between january and februrary. Particular skills are required to cut the meat, mix it and shape it. It is then smoked, which makes it unique among salamis, giving it a strong flavor. Then it must get hanged in basements called "Ca' del salam", built in stone and provided with a wood bonfire that keeps a constant warm temperature. It is perfect to make a flavorful plate of cold cuts!

Silter DOP Cheese, a beloved delicacy of the Camonica Valley — The Silter is a native cheese from the lower Camonica Valley and the prealpine areas east of Lake Iseo. It is a cylinder-shaped cheese made from milk by a breed of brown cows from Monte Guglielmo and its surroundings. It takes about 1-2 years for it to age properly. It is a hard cheese with a delicate, aromatic flavor that has been recently awarded with the DOP lablel.

The excellence of Franciacorta wines — Outstanding wines are produced from the widespread vineyards of the Franciacorta area. They are made with Chardonnay, red and white Pinot grapes. It is the ideal wine for every meal: from happy hours to main courses, simple and complex recipes as well. It features an intense straw yellow color and golden hues, with fine, persistent bubbles. Its bouquet is a characteristic from the fermentation process that happens inside the bottle. You can percieve nuances of bread crust and yeast, enriched with delicate citrus and dry fruit hints such as almonds, hazelnuts and dried figs. A refined, savory, fresh and harmonious taste for your palate.

Malfatti: a culinary delight from the Oltrepò Pavese

Piatto della tradizione contadina dell’Oltrepò Pavese

Food & Wine

8 summer festivals not to be missed

Festivals that reveal a region rich with tradition and plenty of tasty treats!

Food & Wine

Discover the flavors of Valtellina

Leafy woods and thermal waters. Alpine pastures that offer great cheeses, meats and full-bodied wines

Food & Wine

Bergamo, hunting for flavors

Valleys of extraordinary beauty, like the city that looks at them from the walls. Wines, cheeses, pasta.

Food & Wine

Campagna Amica, the Sunday markets

In Stradivari Square in Cremona

Food & Wine

Risotto e rane

Risotto with frogs, a symbolic dish of the Lomellina tradition

Food & Wine

Cotoletta a la Milanese Recipe

His secret? Cutlet, breadcrumbs and... fry in a frying pan with bubbling butter

Food & Wine

Local specialties in valtellina

A small area of Lombardy with a rich gastronomic tradition

Food & Wine

Wine and Flavor Trail Valtellina

A scenic road through the terraced vineyards

Food & Wine

Sbrisolona Cake Recipe

It is a Mantuan cake tied to the peasant tradition based on almonds

Food & Wine

Wine and Flavor Trail Oltrepò Pavese

Oltrepo Pavese has always been recognized for its wines and most of those who have had the pleasure of going to this part of the province of Pavia, will remember above all its hills and stretches of vine rows

Food & Wine

Freshwater fish: a true Lombardian menu

Lake and river fish in Lombardy: between tradition and innovation, Lombardian fish cuisine offers up some delicious dishes

Food & Wine

Lemons of Garda

Beautiful greenhouse gardens enrich the Brescia side of the lake, made of walls and white pillars that climb the mountain, in total harmony with the environment

Food & Wine

Brasadè di Staghiglione

Il Brasadè, ciambelline d’origine ottocentesca

Food & Wine

Cipolla Rossa di Breme

The Breme Red Onion has been documented since the 10th century, dating back to the foundation of the famous abbey, which in the following centuries became one of the most important in Europe.