Scrumpdillyicious: Ristorante L'Oso on Isola Maggiore: Fabulous Fish

The pace of life along the shores of Lake Trasimeno is slow and peaceful, it’s where everyone knows one another and the piazza is still the villlage's most important meeting place. The result is the finely balanced harmony which makes this region so unique that even the Etruscans saw it as an earthly version of heaven itself, a land of ‘fine living’ where hospitality and warmth are heartfelt. Lake Trasimeno is the largest expanse of water in central Italy and, as one might expect, home to many restaurants bordering the lake or located in the nearby towns. It was also the location for one of the bloodiest battles of the classical period, when in 217 BC the Carthaginians under Hannibal defeated the Romans under the consul Gaius Flamingos, executing "the greatest ambush in history." One of three islands in Lake Trasimeno, the village on Isola Maggiore still has the same appearance as it did in the 15th-century when it was was a bustling fishing village, when five hundred people lived on the island. The population is now seventeen, three of whom are still fishermen, one being Edoardo Silvi, owner of his family’s lakeside Ristorante L'Oso, who proudly serves visitors homemade tagliatelle with lakefish ragu, followed by an assortment of grilled fish, all from his morning catch.

Accessible only by boat and connected to the mainland by a ferry service that runs to the towns of Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Passignano and Castiglione del Lago every few hours, Eduardo goes fishing each morning to make sure he has fresh fish for his restaurant, and personally takes care of the cooking, which includes an abundance of dishes based on fish from the lake, and local products and regional specialties such as mushrooms and fresh truffles, along with a wide selection of wines. Eduardo's fresh fish from the lake is transformed into creative dishes such as Grigliata Mista di Lago, Strozzapreti al Ragù di Pesce, Tagliatelle al Tartufo and Tegamaccio, Lake Trasimeno's signature fish soup with eel. Just a few doors away, artist Maria Letizia Bittoni sells her colourful handcrafted ceramics in her small open air shop, featuring the island's iconic fish motif artfully adapted on plates, bowls, jewellery, and even hanging on hooks. Not able to resist, a few of Maria's fabulous bright turquoise fish will be making the voyage home to Canada when we return in a month.

The ferry arriving from Castiglione del Lago

Map of tiny Lago Maggiore

The small fishing village of Isola Maggiore, the largest island on Lake Trasimeno

The village on Isola Maggiore still has the same appearance as it did in the 15th-century when it was was a bustling fishing village

18th-century Chiesa dei Bon Gesu where the Accademia Isola Classica was a holding a masterclass with an amazingly talented young violinist

The beautiful music of the young 23 year old German violinist Nathan Kirzon could be heard all along Via Gugliemi, and was beacon for those of us captivated by his exquisite playing