Monte Isola: tastings and legends in Maurizio Ribola's olive grove

Yesterday afternoon I was working, waiting to go at 19:30 to the event organised by Maurizio Ribola entitled 'the poetic olive grove right under our house. With Fantozzian precision, it starts raining right at seven o'clock! Maurizio, who by now had prepared everything, has faith in this lake weather that I also got to know: in the late afternoon it rains often, but it lasts very little! The weather changes are really sudden, so we go from sun to rain and from rain to sun in a matter of minutes!

Maurizio Ribola

La Sarneghera is an extremely violent summer storm that starts in the village of Sarnico, from which it takes its name, and rages over the Franciacorta and rises towards Monte Isola destroying everything it encounters in a very short time. Suddenly it appears, and just as quickly serenity returns. The legend tells of a sad love story involving a beautiful young castle girl from Monte Isola betrothed to a nobleman from Franciacorta. Every day, the girl went to Sensole, one of the island's hamlets, and mirrored herself on the lake shore weeping over her unhappy marriage. One day the girl leaned over too far and fell into the lake, but like every self-respecting fairy tale and legend, there is always a prince who saves the beautiful girl. Needless to say, the two fell madly in love: she a noble noblewoman, he a poor fisherman who had dived into the lake to save her. It was a romantic love that was broken by her father who, upon discovering their fleeting encounters, locked her up in the tower of the castle where they lived. The boy was also punished for his love: he was thrown into a deep cave hidden in the woods of Sarnico. No matter how much the two lovers tried to escape, there was always an obstacle to their freedom. Almost the day of her wedding to the nobleman from Franciacorta arrived and on this occasion her father ordered the fisherman to be killed. The young woman despaired for days, refusing to eat and crying incessantly. At this point, her father took pity on her and allowed her to reflect once more in the waters of the lake she loved so much, alone in Sensole as she did every day before her punishment. A violent thunderstorm broke out, which brought with it the scream of the fisherman who was dying at that very moment. The girl took one last look at the landscape where she had grown up and threw herself into the water to be reunited with her lover. The Sarneghera is thus the storm that breaks out at the call of the two lovers when they are searching for each other at the bottom of the lake. The sky, pitying their love, in revenge turns the tears of the two unfortunate lovers into hail and hurls them down on Franciacorta.

The legend of the Sarneghera told by Loredana Ferrari

I actually already knew this legend, but hearing it from Loredana Ferrari in the middle of the olive grove overlooking the lake decorated with poems was very nice. Maurizio Ribola had prepared an aperitif where obviously the undisputed star was his oil, as good as ever... but absolutely finished! So until next March at home we're on Brisighella oil and I'd say it's going well anyway 🙂 Maurizio Ribola has also prepared some really delicious savoury pies, I'll have to ask him for the recipe in the next few days! (If you want to read more about Maurizio's oil, enjoy this article dedicated to a special evening organised by Lione Valtrompia at the Carlo Magno Restaurant in Brescia with Dr Lorenzo Palazzoli)

I had the opportunity to also taste the two still wines of Marco Mazzucchelli (which is not related to the Mario Mazzucchelli about whom I wrote HERE a few days ago!). What I like his sparkling wine is a well-known factso much so that I also put it in my sparkling wine guide 500 Bubbles in 500! As for the two still wines red did not excite mebut I reserve the right to taste it in a suitable goblet and not in the plastic glass when I bring my guide one of these days. The still white wine on the other hand I found it very pleasant even if not tasted under optimal conditions... but I'll remedy that soon!

During the evening I also had an enlightening meeting with Marco Antonucci, not only architect but extra virgin olive oil guruwhich gave me an extraordinary and valuable input for my wine guide. Thank you very much Marco, you deserve an honourable mention in the next edition!

Cheers ❤

Chiara

P.S. I got the cover photo from the web and couldn't track down the author... if anyone knows him I'll be happy to mention him and thank him for the beautiful shot!

All my notes on wine and food in one book.