Piccolo Lago in Verbania

Imagine sitting comfortably and looking at serene waters and placid mountains as well as dining on the freshest and tastiest of delicious Italian food. Well you do not have to just imagine it but can also experience it when you visit Piccolo Lago an enchanting restaurant which is situated on a lake in Verbania.

The placid Lake Mergozzo is a small sub alpine lake in the Verbania province in Piedmont. It is very picturesque with mountains looming along its sides. The lake is fed by clean and clear mountain streams and has an unpolluted and serene atmosphere. It is teaming with fish like bass, pike, trout and carp and other marine creatures like eels.

Situated on Via Turati alongside the Lake Mergozzo, Piccolo Lago or the Little Lake Restaurant offers an unforgettable dining experience. You can book a table which has direct views of the lake and enjoy the beautiful ambience as well as fresh and appetizing Italian dishes with a touch of novelty in them. It is very peaceful and tranquil and your dining can be an unhurried and pleasant experience which will definitely be among the best memories of your visit to Italy.

The menu is wide and varied filled with creative innovations of the freshest produce from the lake and nearby countryside. Since its location offers scope for a wide variety of marine dishes it goes without saying that that marine produce caught daily is a major part of the menu. There are a large variety of signature dishes on the menu. They include hamburger di trota lacustre ai tre sensi dell’affumicato, (hamburger of smoked lake trout), tagliatelle de farina di castagna (tagliatelle made using chestnut flour), anguilla in doppia cotura (cooked eel), salsa di vitello e arancio (veal in orange sauce), creamed potatoes and onions, roasted white pike and other innovative dishes using lake fish, ricotta cheese, pears and other local traditional delicacies. The Italian breads are baked fresh everyday. There is an excellent cheese platter on offer featuring the best of Italian cheeses. There are also many desserts in micro offerings including pastries.    

Piccolo Lago is a family run restaurant with the two Sacco brothers Carlo and Marco running this elegant restaurant to precision. Marco Sacco, the experienced chef at Piccolo Lago creates the signature dishes at the restaurant as well as is always in search of creative and innovative variations. He likes to experiment with all the fresh produce available in the vicinity of the restaurant. Chef Marco believes that their cuisine is innovative since he develops modern techniques to invent new recipes from the ingredients available locally especially fish, eels and other marine creatures from the lake. He also believes that tradition and experimentation can exist together to form an excellent whole when both are combined together judiciously.      

The ambience at Piccolo Lago is elegant. The dining area is well lit with beautiful lights. There is a lovely fireplace. The service is pleasant and flawless as the staffs make it a point to exude both knowledge of the menu as well as are very friendly and helpful which is perhaps a hallmark among most Italians.

The wine list is interesting and extensive and has many famous Tuscan and Italian reds and whites. All the wines on the list match well with the food at the restaurant. The list has been carefully selected to blend with the sea food and other fresh and wholesome dishes on the menu. There are also a few champagnes, beers and sherries on the list.

Although the restaurant is on the expensive side it is quite popular since it offers a beautiful ambience, good service and tasty food though at a bit of a steep price. It is highly rated by Michelin having obtained 2 stars in 2007 and is also rated by others including Gambero Rossi.  It is better that you make advance reservations as the restaurant remains closed through January and February. It also remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and Sunday evenings from October to May. Most of the major credit cards are accepted. Enjoy your dining experience at Piccolo Lago.