WHERE TO EAT
Prices are per person for a three-course meal, unless otherwise stated
Alla Borsa In the centre of Valeggio sul Mincio, this is the address to sample handmade stuffed pasta, from iconic ‘love knot’ tortellini in butter and sage to tortelli in the three colours of the Italian flag. Owner Nadia Pasquali is a gracious host and a great ambassador for the area. Tables fill up quickly so book ahead. If the weather is nice, ask to sit in the garden, with a view of the ancient hilltop castle. From £32.
Via Goito 2, Valeggio sul Mincio, 00 39 045 795 0093, ristoranteborsa.it Caffè Fantoni History was made in this café as Italy fought for its national unity – and the decor has changed little since. The names of specialities speak to the past, from torta della pace, marking the end of the Second Italian War of Independence (1859), to light sfogliatine – handmade pastries with a buttery, crisp, sugar coating. Ask for a glass of the moderately alcoholic liqueur, acqua di Fiume. Sfogliatine from 85p. Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 161, 00 39 045 630 2084, caffefantoni1842.com
La Chiusina This small, fine-diner by Cristian Errati is spectacularly located in a secluded corner, with the Mincio flowing beneath you. Everything is beautifully executed, from marinated Arctic char from
Riva del Garda to the delicate luccioperca (pike-perch). Don’t miss their signature tortelli di luccio, with its pike filling combined with sardines and sour herbs from nearby Castel Goffredo. Five-course tasting menus (‘Lake and River’, or ‘Sea’), £55pp; wine pairing £21pp. Via Raffaello Sanzio 22, Valeggio sul Mincio, 00 39 348 651 8823, lachiusina.it Locanda Belvedere Meat and poultry is the speciality of this family-run restaurant in Santa Lucia. Ribs, chops, T-bone steak – you name it, they grill it – their pollo alla griglia (grilled chicken) is a highlight. They also have rooms available. From £25. Località Santa Lucia Monti 12, Valeggio sul Mincio, 00 39 045 630 1019, ristorantebelvedere.eu
Trattoria Colli Storici A few metres from the Ossuary, Custoza’s famous landmark, this homely trattoria serves traditional fare. In nice weather, you can eat under the vine-covered pergola but the interior is equally atmospheric, with black and white images of the first festival of Custoza wine setting the mood. There’s no written menu, but pasta dishes such as bigoli con le sarde (sardines), freshwater fish like luccio in salsa verde (pike in green sauce) and coniglio in umido (rabbit in tomato sauce) are regular features. From £25. Strada Ossario 2, Custoza, 00 39 045 516014 the Mincio feeds several 15th-century mills, which were originally used for processing cereals. Tucked behind one of them is La Chiusina, a small haven of fine cuisine with room for just 20 guests. To get a true taste of the area on your first visit, co-owner and chef Cristian Errati recommends their ‘Lake and River’ tasting menu. ‘It’s a tribute to the river that flows under our feet and to the lake that gives life to it. It’s a menu of gratitude,’ he says.
The highlight is the tongue-twisting anguilla affumicata pane burro e marmellata (smoked eel, bread, butter and jam). Eel fillet, breadcrumbs, burrata from the Mincio valley and onion jam, with a splash of aged balsamic vinegar, whose slightly acidic notes balance out the fattiness of the fish – it’s a phenomenal dish in which comfort breakfast food meets fine dining.
It’s best to finish your journey in the same way it started: among the vines. At Le Vigne di San Pietro winemaker Carlo Nerozzi, hosts regular aperitivo evenings in the atmospheric garden outside his ivy-covered villa. The green expanse of vineyards below blushes in the gloaming light as the clinking of wine glasses sets a rhythm for the lounge music in the background. Contrasting with the dazzling blue of the swimming pool, the view of Sommacampagna is bathed in different tones of green – the intense hue of the vines, the silvery sheen of olive trees and the darker shade of the cypress trees.
‘I am just the warden of all this,’ shrugs Carlo with a smile, opening his arms as if to embrace the estate. ‘We don’t own anything, we can only preserve what we have, with responsibility and awareness.’ Carlo is, in his own words, ‘an architect by training, a creative by character and a farmer by chance’. To him, taking good care of what we have is a life philosophy. He was, after all, one of the delegates who signed the founding manifesto of the Slow Food movement in 1989 in Paris, promoting sustainability long before the word entered our current mainstream vocabulary.
‘That is what wine is to me,’ he continues, looking at the joyful crowd in the garden, ‘a medium, an expressive tool that facilitates cultural mediation, the gathering and the exchange of knowledge between people.’ Respect for the territory is a common thing here, combined with a hedonistic attitude towards the pleasures of life. Read more about the region’s wine at custoza.wine and for further information on food and wine trails of Italy, visit italia.it/en
Next issue’s trail: Abruzzo