Lake Garda Sardellata Revives Tradition with Boat Contests and Fish Distribution

The novelty is that we are returning to the past. The 2001 edition of Sardellata, the traditional nighttime dinner in the middle of the lake, will see the reintroduction of both the decorated and illuminated boat contest and the distribution of fish at the Vò shoal. The announcement comes from the tourism councilor of the Comune di Garda, Antonio Pasotti.

Event details and preliminary schedule

“With the re-proposal of the boat contest and the Sardelle distribution to participants on private boats,” says Pasotti, “we aim to restore two of the defining elements of the most authentic tradition of Sardellata at Pal del Vò.” The event is scheduled for the night of July 4th.

The detailed program is not yet finalized, but generally, at 9 p.m., the motorboat Tonale will depart from Garda pier, heading offshore towards the area of the submerged promontory of Vò, carrying tourists and authorities. Music and gastronomy will be on board.

From the lakeside towns, small fishing boats and motorboats decorated festively are expected to gather at Vò. Near Pal del Vò, sardelle will be distributed. At 11:30 p.m., the fireworks display will mark the end of the celebration.

Prelude and preparatory initiatives

The Sardellata will also have a lengthy prelude starting July 1: for all four first evenings of the month, food stalls will operate at Largo Europa (the square near Hôtel Terminus). In this way, even those staying ashore can participate in this kind of tourist-popular ritual.

The Sardellata at Pal del Vò has been one of the most charming summer events on Lake Garda for years. It is a modern reinterpretation of the old custom of consuming fish offshore during the legendary fishing nights of the past.

In the 1920s, prominent figures such as Berto Barbarani and Angelo Dall’Oca Bianca promoted and enlivened the first Sardellate, representing the vibrant cultural scene of Verona at the time.

History and tradition of fishing in Vò

Back then, one reached Vò aboard the “Marola”, an old transport barge. Near the ancient wooden pole marking the exact spot at the summit of the submerged mountain, sardelle were fried.

The Vò area was historically significant for fishing because it was where the largest quantities of sardelle, the “providential fish” capable of supporting many Garda families, were caught.

Even today, the Corporations of the Ancient Originaries of Garda and Torri hold centuries-old fishing rights over that underwater promontory, although fishing no longer provides a livelihood for the local Riviera families.

The revival of tradition and its current allure

Now, in the age of tourism, even the ancient customs of the fishing world can become an attraction for vacationers, who are offered the charm of this kind of magical collective nocturnal rite in the middle of the lake, between San Vigilio and Manerba.

And if the night is clear, it feels like being in the middle of a nativity scene, lit here and there by the lights of the stars, lakeside houses, and boats approaching Vò.