Verbano

Verbano offers a fairy-tale location on the point of the "Fisherman's Isle," taking up the jasmine-fringed gravelly terrace next to the hotel (recommended above). The waters lap right up to the wall, and the views are over the back side of Isola Bella and the lake around you on three sides. The cooking needn't be anything special, given its location in a prime tourist spot, but, surprisingly, it is almost as lovely as the setting. The zuppa di verdure (vegetable soup) is hearty, with barley and grains; paglia e fieno ("hay and straw") is a mix of regular (yellow) and spinach (green) tagliatelle noodles in a ragù made of scorpion fish, carrots, and zucchini. The crespelle con passato di melanzane e toma are pasta sheets wrapped around a purée of eggplant and local cheese. For the secondo, definitely try grilled lake trout, or the luccio percia (lake perch) filet in a smoked-salmon-and-poppy crust sided with rice stained black from squid ink. Landlubbers can dig into faraona dissosata farcita con spinaci e ricotta (guinea fowl done up like ravioli, and stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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