Pescare sulla montagna- Fishing on the mountain

Ciao reggazzi, I've been off line for a bit, first storm of the season blew out our internet connection. I hope that doesn't become the norm as living in the mountains we have quite a few storms, in fact, there's one brewing now so let’s see if I get to finish this post.

What I was going to tell you about before I was cut off was my trout fishing trip up in the mountains. My friend Enzo took me and his friend Pipo, to a little lake, Lago Vaia, he had found, about an hour and half’s drive to Maniva in the mountain.

Of course being a couple of keen fishermen they had all the kit on, camouflaged from head to toe, but I did think they would get a bit hot as it was 28 degrees when they picked me up. They did laugh at me though; I was wearing flip flops, shorts and a t shirt. I did bring some walking boots with me as knowing Enzo, there would be a bit of a hike somewhere along the line.

Then after we had been driving for an hour, I realised why they were had laughed, the temperature had dropped to 7 degrees and there were ten foot walls of snow either side of the road.

We eventually arrived at the lake, after a couple of miles of 'off roading' in Enzo's Hummer. When I climbed out in my beachwear, to be introduced to the lake owner and a few other fishermen I was greeted with some very confused looks. "sono inglese" I said, and then an understanding crept across their faces "of course, English", luckily for me Enzo had some spare combat wear in the back of the Hummer.

We were invited into a wooden cabin and fed bread, homemade salami, a mountain cheese called Bagoss, which is very expensive down in the town, the chunk sitting on the table must have been worth a 100 euros. After breakfast and coffee and red wine and banter, which I didn't have a chance of understanding as it was all in 'dialetto', we went down to lake to fish.

It was very tranquil place with a fantastic backdrop; it didn't matter to me that I fished until 3 without catching a thing. Enzo caught with his first caste and then caught many more.

Pipo didn't hook as many as Enzo, but he did catch the biggest of the day, a giant.

We ate a late lunch, more Bagoss, salami and bread, washed down with vino rosso, then it was back to the lake to fish, the aura of the location enhanced and somewhat blurred at the edges by the digestivo, a homemade cross between grappa and limoncello.

We fished for another couple of hours and I managed to catch two in quick succession just minutes before Enzo called time.

I was given a much bigger share of the catch than I had caught, but I ate the trout, either grilled, baked or 'sotto olio' for five days on the trot.....it was ‘fantastico’, an amazing day out, can't wait for the next trip.