Recently, we headed to that medieval fortified town, Castiglione del Lago, on Lake Trasimeno, on an outing of nostalgia: Pino wanted to see again the medieval wall restored by his team in 2013.
But lunch first: right across the street from the lake, just outside the town:
We headed to La Capannina (“The Little Shed”…or hut). Not a small hut at all but an inviting spot where we’d enjoyed dinner in a past lakeside visit:
Inside, diners were already savoring the goodness while enjoying lakeside views:
Near our table, young server Adelaide, advised a couple on menu choices:
The assortment of antipasti offered that day on the menu del giorno was abundant:
Pino and I decided to start with the antipasto vegetariano, sharing it.
I was glad we decided to share that abundance!
(…and no room at all for the tasty breads and focaccia served in a simple brown paper bag…)
Server Adelaide explained all the tasty tidbits surrounding the couscous in the center of the plate: suppli (rice croquette), grilled vegetables, baked onions, bruschette with eggplants, with truffles, and with tomatoes, a quiche filled with cheeses and radicchio, pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese) and other cheeses ….
Certamente, the most creative antipasto we’d ever had..and probably the best.
The primi (first courses) on the menu enticed, too:
Pino chose the lead primo on the menu, spaghetti al ragu di lago (spaghetti seasoned with sauce of lake fish, tomato, garlic, hot red pepper). Adelaide told us that the lake fish would include eel, tench, perch….and other.
I chose tagliolini al persico e pinoli al profumo di limone, ie., a slim-cut pasta with perch and pine-nuts in lemon juice:
The dish LOOKED very tempting but that antipasto had been all I needed: my pasta dish headed home with us.
Pino went on to a secondo, though, choosing il tegamaccio, a typical Umbrian dish uniting perch, eel and other lake fish selections:
The name derives from the terracotta dish in which tegamaccio is prepared and served.
Satiated with lakeside goodness and after an espresso, we headed up to the town of Castiglione del Lago for a look at the wall restored by Pino.
Pino noted with a sigh, “i capperi hanno invaso il nostro muro…” (“capers have invaded ‘our’ wall….”).
Si, Pino: Nature often wins out.
Read here about the restoration project of Pino and his team at Castiglione del Lago.
Click here for a note on a memorable past meal at La Capannina
Read about another Castiglione favorite eating spot.
It’s so much fun seeing your suggestions and touring’! Miss you guys!!!!