Fine Wines and Food

Castiglione del Lago 

What memories does Castiglione have for most visitors?  Probably delicious local cheese, home-made pastas, salami.  Wonderful restaurants. Lazy days strolling around the quaint streets browsing through shops. Festivals and open air theatre in the Rocca.  Sailing on the lake, visits to the two islands...... 

To me it is camping at Lido Trasimeno, dancing the night away to local bands. Sweating in a non-air-conditioned car on the way from the camp to the town!  Evenings eating at La Cantina and La Cappaninna watching the girls chasing stray cats and climbing trees after crickets!  Sunsets over the lake.  Breakfasts at the 'Extra Bar' , trips to the Island on Guilio's boat, painting exhibitions with Alfredo and far back before the husband and the family - mad car rides with mad Italians - no belts and bottles of champagne!

Well, back to the present and  the meeting with the architect went well yesterday (except that there is still a debate about whether we can have old beams in the living room, and today is really significant because they are putting the red tape around the area!  At last! A start to the works!  Foundations for the villa should be commencing the end of this month!

Following the meeting we went into Castiglione del Lago for dinner at La Cantina where, as usual we were greeted as long lost friends – which I guess we are after frequenting the place for so many years!  They gave us the ‘best’ table outside in the garden where we sat watching the sun setting over the lake.  Behind us was the tree

 ( doesn’t seem to have grown any)  that the girls used to climb in the days when the restaurant wasn’t as popular!

Service and food was, as usual, exceptional.  La Cantina boasts an extensive menu and specialises in dishes peculiar to the local area.  Mike had hand-made pasta with pork and truffle and I had the spaghetti with lake fish followed by a crème caramel with lavender and honey.  Portions were very substantial and there was no way we could follow this ‘primi’ with a meat or fish course!

No sign of the recession here!  As usual all restaurants in Castiglione were doing a roaring trade.  The clientele over the past thirty or so years has changed   - seems to go in phases.  At first it was the place for the locals and then it became dominated by the Dutch followed by a German season.  Now it is mainly the place for British tourists to eat. 

Town Centre and fountain