What’s Next for the Garda Coregone Festival? A Look at Its Future

But what happened to the Coregone Festival? A question that these days is increasingly circulating not only in Valtenesi but also in many Garda-area towns and the surrounding areas.

A difficult question to answer, since even those directly involved, the restaurateurs, struggle to provide a response. Yet, this event has become a part of the enogastronomic culture of Lake Garda, originating from its initial focus on a fish species, the coregone, which until about twenty years ago was almost unknown.

Origins and development of the event

In the past, this festival—originally called a “sagra”—had the goal of extending the culinary season, with most restaurants staying open during the winter months, including, and mainly, those not participating in the festival itself. The fishing industry also saw a commercial boost from this initiative, which was followed by a particular interest in other species present in Lake Garda.

The hatchery in Peschiera, managed by the Province of Brescia, contributed—and still does—to restocking the coregone in Lake Garda. At the beginning of the festival, its success pushed many operators in the sector to look abroad to market, even frozen, this fish.

Thanks to restocking efforts, the production in Lake Garda increased, allowing not only a sufficient supply to meet demand but also enabling exports of Garda’s coregone to other locations.

History and current status of the species

This fish species was introduced into Garda’s waters in the early 1900s, and following a period of adaptation, it began a slow natural growth. The interest in its delicately flavored meat, which was “cooked in a thousand ways,” as the initial slogan proclaimed, meant that natural production was often insufficient to meet demand.

Now, just days before the traditional start of the festival—usually at the end of January—there are no signals indicating its upcoming occurrence. The year 2001 would have marked the 18th edition, coinciding with the turn of the millennium, and restaurateurs have already begun receiving inquiries about menus based on coregone.

Certainly, offering coregone dishes does not strictly require the festival to be underway. However, it could serve as a promotional vehicle for making the public aware of which restaurants are participating in the initiative.

Promotional initiatives and other events

Last year, the Accademia Brescia a Tavola was presented, which was supposed to manage, in collaboration with the club Pesce di lago, three key moments in the gastronomic culture based on Lake Garda products: in January, the Coregone and lake fish Festival; in May, the Sardine Festival; and in September, the specific Coregone Festival.

This broadened outlook, however, seems to have hindered an event that had been running successfully for 17 years. Thanks to this festival, prominence was given not only to Garda fish in general but also to other Garda products such as Chiaretto and the extra virgin olive oil from Valtenesi.