Are there actually still such things as insider tips in Italy? Well, Lago di Mergozzo will also have its connoisseurs and lovers – so in that sense, probably not. Nevertheless, this northern Italian lake is comparatively unknown and not particularly visited. Although it is located in the immediate vicinity of Lake Maggiore, of which it was once a part, namely the end of the bay behind the Borromean Islands. However, the Toce, the most important tributary of Lake Maggiore in Italy, has accumulated so much debris and sediment over the millennia that the Lago di Mergozzo was separated from the main lake about five or six hundred years ago.
Its water is particularly clean, partly because motorboats are not allowed to use it. The lake is particularly popular with anglers; trout, pike and roach, among other things, can be fished here. And so in the book “Lago” the author Catherine Roig and the photographer Emanuela Cino begin their culinary journey here, at Lake Mergozzo. According to the subtitle, they want to present “The cuisine of the northern Italian lakes”. Lake Mergozzo is a good starting point for this. Before the two present their first fish dish – rainbow trout with parmesan crackers, parsley puree and lemon stock – they first visit a pastry shop, Al Vecchio Fornaio Pasticcere in the town of Mergozzo, where, among other things, the fugascina, sheet cakes typical of the region, are baked. On the feast day of Saint Elizabeth at the beginning of July, the residents of the town even bring their fugascina dough, prepared according to the respective family recipe, to master confectioner Simone Cimarosa, who bakes the cakes, which are then auctioned off after the mass.
The journey continues to Lago d’Orta, also one of the smaller, lesser-known lakes. Roig and Cino also visit restaurateurs, shop owners and producers here. It’s about cheese and sausage products, liqueurs and bread. About the quality of local products, about their peculiarities. These stories are always accompanied by recipes, sometimes for more unusual dishes such as fried fish with a polenta crust. But here, too, on the northern Italian lakes, the cuisine is very simple: a few ingredients, but of high quality, which, when carefully prepared, result in tasty dishes.
There are recipes for tagliatelle with radicchio and gorgonzola, a rabbit stew, fish and lemon risotto or a wild boar ragout. Here, on the southern edge of the Alps, the cuisine is not exclusively based on olive oil; butter is also often used. It’s not just a pasta region either. Both polenta and rice play a central role. However, no pizza at all. That’s what the wine is for. Italy, the book says, is the only country in the world where wine is grown in every region. This is also the case here – and in some cases in outstanding quality. Just think of the sparkling wine from Franciacorta south of Lake Iseo.
“Lago” is not just a cookbook, but also an invitation to stop by. You can hardly prepare many dishes yourself because you can’t get the ingredients at home, or at least not fresh.
Thirty years ago, Luciano and Marilena Motti opened a butcher’s shop and a grocery store on Lake Como, which now also includes a bodega. You can also prepare the tartare yourself. However, having it served on the Bottega terrace and enjoying the view of the lake significantly increases the quality of life.
Finally, the path that Catherine Roig and Emanuela Cino take also leads to the more prominent lakes, namely Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda (and occasionally to Lake Iseo). In addition to the standard tourist restaurants, there are also a number of addresses where you can get something special. Always combined with a great view of water and the mountains, which are not far away. And with hosts who convey to you something of their passion for food and enjoyment.
Catherine Roig, Emanuela Cino: Lago. The cuisine of the northern Italian lakes. Prestel Verlag, Munich 2025. 400 pages, 38 euros.