The spirit of an area and its inhabitants can also be discovered through the local cuisine and products.
The Riviera dei Limoni e dei Castelli food and wine itinerary that we suggest takes you on a journey to discover traditional recipes that reserve pleasant surprises and combine old-fashioned flavors and aromas to create dishes made from the bounty of land and lake.
A typical ingredient is the D.O.P. extra virgin olive oil of Lake Garda produced on the coast and also in the inland areas of the lake that is famous for its organoleptic qualities and nutritional benefits. Thanks to its superb quality, Lake Garda extra virgin olive oil goes perfectly with both fish and meat dishes. You can sample its delicate flavor on location: just book a tour at any one of the several oil mills in the area (including a few ancient mills that are still in operation), where you can watch the olive oil process and also buy the final product as a souvenir or for everyday use in the kitchen. Traditional olive growing, harvesting, and pressing methods that have existed for centuries are still used on Lake Garda, and its oil was recently indicated as one of the basic elements of the Mediterranean Diet.
The Alto Garda area is home to the unique lemon houses, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Here, human ingenuity was facilitated by the mild climate: in fact, this is the only place on Latitude 46 Degrees North where lemons and citrus fruits can be grown. The citrus fruits of Lake Garda, which are produced in Limone, Tignale, and Gargnano, are an important ingredient in many local recipes, including Limoncino liqueur and lemon cream of the Riviera dei Limoni e dei Castelli, a citron-flavored beverage, and sweets, especially the famous cakes from the Vassalli Pastry Shop in Salò. These fruits are grown in the ancient lemon houses (Castel in Limone, Prà de la Fam in Tignale, and Gandossi in Gargnano) that have become important tourist attractions and are open for guided tours.
Fish is the star of our delicious local cuisine, and carp, trout, coregone, perch, pike, eel, and sardines are fished in Lake Garda. Fish is seasoned with aromatic herbs and accompanied by the excellent local wines. To traveling gourmands, we recommend the Limone-style carp, eel shish-kabobs, grilled coregone, pike with polenta, and aioli sisàm.
Garda cuisine also features delicious specialties from the inland area: wild game, cheese, and butter are the main ingredients of recipes that have been handed down for centuries. Among traditional local dishes is the Brescian shish-kabob made from meat (chicken, rabbit, or pork) alternated with potato slices and sage leaves. In this particular recipe, the meat is cooked for at least four hours and glazed with Garda alpine butter.
And what can we say about the delicious cheese? There is soft cheese that can be sampled and bought in local farms and also Alpine Cheese from Tremosine. And who could forget Tombea cheese, which is produced near Cima Rest, or the excellent goat cheese made on the San Michele hills of Gardone Riviera?
Good food must be accompanied by good wine, such as the red and white varieties produced on the hills of Salò. In the nearby Valtenesi area you can follow the "Strada dei Vini e Sapori del Garda" food and wine route and stop at the many vineyards and wine cellars open to the public, where you can sample the excellent Garda Classico Groppello, Garda Classico Chiaretto, Rosso, Rosso Superiore, and Bianco wines.
In addition to a wide assortment of food and wine, the Lake Garda area also produces delicious truffles, honey, and chestnuts.
Therefore, on the Riviera dei Limoni e dei Castelli you'll find numerous restaurants that serve local cuisine made from the delicious bounty of land and lake that Garda has to offer.