• Food & Wine

Flavors on the lakes: Como and Varese

Land of water. Lombardy is often described as the region of lakes by the tourist guides, especially those designed for foreign visitors.

Yet many locals barely realise that they live in an area with one of the highest numbers of freshwater lakes in all of Europe. The area around Lake Varese and Lake Como is a land on undulating countryside, with snow-capped peaks dotted around in all directions.

Hiking enthusiasts will love routes such as the Sentiero del Viandante, on the eastern shore of Lake Como, and the Via dei Monti Lariani, which starts at Cernobbio and takes in a number of hamlets along Lake Como’s western shore and culminates at the Colma di Sormano, situated atop the steep Ghisallo hill, from whose terrace one can gaze out at Lake Como, where the sumptuous villas – including the fabulous Villa Balbianello – attract Hollywood directors.

Lovers of literature will want to follow in the tracks of the protagonists of “Promessi Sposi”, discovering the most romantic corners of Lecco thanks to the Itinerario Manzoniano.

Everything but the oink. Cassoeula is a local speciality made from the less glamorous parts of the pig (including the ears, trotters and snout) and cabbage, but there are countless variations on the theme.  Varese citizens, for example, add little verzini sausages. Another local dish is bruscitt: beef minced with a knife and then sautéed with butter, lard, garlic, wild fennel and red wine before being served with polenta.

Bold missoltino. The lakes have always produced many freshwater fish, including the local agone, which – when dried and salted according to an age-old process – becomes missoltino. This is then served with polenta and red wine, to bring out its bold flavour. The perfect wine for this dish is a Domasino, made from Sangiovese, Merlot and Rosseio grapes, the latter of which is native to the region and is produced in very small quantities each year.

The local vines go back for many centuries, yet nearly died out due to a variety of reasons, including the rise in sericulture. Indeed, wine production only resumed a few years ago. Many of the vineyards are located on terraces cut into steep slopes, with the significant temperature variations giving the resultant wines elegance, freshness and depth of flavour.

On the same topic

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.
  • Food & Wine
Cipolla rossa di Breme

Christmas and the festive dishes of Lombardy

Christmas dinner in Lombardy: the most famous dishes of the region's festive culinary tradition, from starter to dessert
  • Food & Wine
Natale, i piatti della festa in Lombardia

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
Wine and Flavor Trail in Oltrepò Pavese, history taste and traditions

Teglio, the home of pizzoccheri

The small Valtellina town of Teglio is the home of pizzoccheri, the tasty dish of buckwheat pasta with cheese and vegetables
  • Food & Wine
Pizzoccheri, Valtellina

8 summer festivals not to be missed

Festivals that reveal a region rich with tradition and plenty of tasty treats!
  • Food & Wine
Sagra di San Giovanni - Ossuccio - Isola Comacina

Wine and Flavor Tra il Garda

  • Food & Wine
Wine and Flavor Tra il Garda

Tasting your way around Monza and Brianza

Wild garlic pesto, pink asparagus from Mezzago, white potatoes from Oreno: discover all the local flavours of Monza e Brianza.
  • Food & Wine
Tasting your way around Monza and Brianza

A sweet autumn in Lombardy

As the chilly weather approaches, we have the perfect excuse to spend some cosy afternoons at home, keeping ourselves warm with desserts imbued with the traditional flavours of our childhood in Lombardy
  • Food & Wine
A sweet autumn in Lombardy

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
Lemons of Garda, renowned local products

Agritourism in Pavia: where you feel ‘naturally’ at home

Dove è naturale sentirsi a casa
  • Food & Wine
Agritourism in Pavia: where you feel ‘naturally’ at home

Cotechino pavese

A traditional peasant's delight
  • Food & Wine
Cotechino pavese

La schita dell’Oltrepò Pavese

A treasure of rural tradition
  • Food & Wine
La schita dell’Oltrepò Pavese

Receipts of Cremona's tradition

Tasty news from the Museum of folk Culture “Cambonino”
  • Food & Wine
Receipts of Cremona's tradition

A journey through the unique flavors of Lombardy

  • Food & Wine
A journey through the unique flavors of Lombardy

Oltrepò Pavese

Good food, excellent wine, medieval villages. The Oltrepò Pavese surprises and conquers with its charm.
  • Food & Wine
Oltrepò Pavese, a borderland triangle

Cremona Local Products Guide

meats and cheeses characterize the Cremonese gastronomy
  • Food & Wine
Cremona local products guide, gourmet experiences

Discover Lodi with traditional cuisine and produce

Chef Simone Virtuani and his secrets to making the perfect risotto
  • Food & Wine
Discover Lodi with traditional cuisine and produce

Bike riding along San Colombano’s Wine Route

Vini e prodotti della Pianura Padana. La Strada del Vino San Colombano è un percorso di eccellenze dalla storia centenaria
  • Food & Wine
Bike riding along San Colombano’s Wine Route

Eating in Val Sabbia

The authentic taste of Val Sabbian cuisine
  • Food & Wine
Spiedo bresciano

Hunting for truffles, the diamonds of the Lombardy table

From the most prized - the white truffle, to the black summer truffle or Scorzone, the marzuolo, the black Trifola and the black uncinato: also in Lombardy you can find delicious truffles, which are appreciated in restaurants all over the world
  • Food & Wine
Hunting for truffles, the diamonds of the Lombardy table