Garda Lake Fish Festival Focuses on Local Seafood and Sustainable Practices
Not only coregonus, but also the adaptability of menus based on the quality and quantity of the catch: this is the new approach of the Lake Fish Festival, the Chiaretto wine, and the DOP extra virgin olive oil, which since yesterday has once again taken center stage in the menus of some of the main Garda restaurants. Now in its 18th edition, this renowned and appreciated event is shifting gears and aims to more firmly align with the needs of the fishing seasons.
Selection of species and restocking policy
As the coregonus season begins to wind down, the menus of the ten restaurants participating in the festival (Il Portico di Desenzano, Il Porto di Moniga, Aurora and Grillo Parlante di Soiano, Oscar at Barcuzzi, Esenta at Lonato, Melograno in Salò, Locanda Santa Giulia in Padenghe, Tenesi in Manerba, and Lugana Parco at Lago di Sirmione) are opening up to other species, such as carpione and eel, which are also part of the restocking policy promoted by the provincial Department of Fisheries.
This policy, incidentally, should see a significant revival this year with the resumption of work on the Desenzano incubation pond project. Presented yesterday in Moniga, the festival, which benefits from the collaboration of the Consorzio Garda Classico, is organized as always by the Club Pesce di Lago, a society now fully integrated into the still-forming hub that is Accademia Brescia a Tavola, a sort of coordination among the numerous gastronomic associations of the province.
Organization and objectives of the festival
Directed as always by secretary Renzo Furlanis, the Club aims once again this year to confirm a project that last year only partially came to fruition: dividing the festival into three enogastronomic phases. The festival that started yesterday, which will run until April 8, will be complemented by two additional initiatives in June and September, dedicated to sardines and coregonus respectively.
“Certainly, in September it’s harder to involve restaurateurs because, at that time, tourist influx is still high and promotion is less urgent,” explained Furlanis. “However, I believe that working on a proposal that combines the values of hospitality and enogastronomic qualities, even during peak season, can significantly enhance Garda’s image in the eyes of a more refined tourism clientele.”
Expansion beyond the tourist season
In fact, the primary goal of the event, which was to enliven a traditionally quiet tourist period by promoting local specialties in restaurants and boosting lake fish, can now be considered achieved: it is also appropriate for the festival to look beyond.
Thus, the sponsorship of Garda Uno (“Because a clean lake is essential for fishing”), the idea to provide customers with a menu and wine evaluation sheet, and the return of themed evenings to discuss fishing (“An activity that perhaps needs stricter regulation to prevent the lake’s resources from being exploited improperly”), environment, tourism, and local products.
All this follows the philosophy of the Strada del Vino, which now aims to foster a conscious and high-quality tourism experience around the lake. As a final note, the menu prices, ranging from 55,000 to 85,000 lire, including Chiaretto: a great opportunity to taste this extraordinary lake wine, which this year is at an exceptional level thanks to the quality of the 2000 harvest.
Claudio Andrizzi