At the Villa Cortine Palace Hotel in Sirmione, executive chef Mattia Bartoli has been formally named Calvisius Caviar Ambassador, sealing an official gastronomic partnership within the property’s lakeside botanical park.
The appointment, announced by Calvisius Caviar, was formalized at the Belvedere Cavalli terrace in the presence of general manager Giacomo Grossi. The inaugural evening featured the presentation of a rare one-kilogram tin of Calvisius Caviar, initiating a specialized degustation pathway engineered around ingredient integrity, temperature control, and the delicate balance of freshwater culinary traditions.
Gastronomic Philosophy at Villa Cortine
Villa Cortine Palace Hotel occupies a commanding vantage point on the Sirmione promontory, enveloped by five hectares of landscaped secular gardens, maritime pines, and Roman antiquity relics. Inducted into the Relais & Châteaux association in 2024 and confirmed with One Michelin Key in the Michelin Keys 2026 luxury hotel rankings, the historical residence maintains Two Forks recognition in the Gambero Rosso restaurant guide.
Bartoli’s kitchen approach reflects grounded family culinary roots, deploying precision techniques across fresh handmade pasta, alpine dairy, and pristine seafood. At Villa Cortine, the chef balances sturgeon caviar against the subtle mineral profile of Lake Garda whitefish, garden herbs, and estate-pressed extra virgin olive oil, avoiding masking agents to highlight the clean, nutty finish of the roe.
Sustainable Aquaculture in the Brescian Plain
Calvisius represents the flagship label of Agroittica Lombarda, headquartered in Calvisano within the lower Brescia plain. The enterprise operates a sixty-hectare aquaculture sanctuary fed directly by pure subterranean artesian springs emerging from gravel foothill strata, maintaining the largest sustainable captive reserve of pure sturgeon species worldwide.
Beyond commercial distribution across elite restaurants and international Maison Calvisius boutiques, the Calvisano facility functions as an essential genetic repository, contributing juvenile sturgeon stock to monitored repopulation campaigns in northern Italian river basins. Guests exploring the historic tip of the peninsula can visit the nearby Scaliger Castle in Sirmione and the Roman villa ruins of Catullus’ Grottoes, connecting Sirmione’s architectural heritage with its contemporary culinary institutions.
