Monte Isola: the green mountain in the middle of the lake

Monte Isola, the ‘green mountain in the middle of Lake Iseo’ and the ‘green-gold’ island, the so-called precious local olive oil, has been officially designated as a ‘place of particular natural and environmental relevance’ and one of ‘The most beautiful villages in Italy’.

It is the largest lake island (approximately 9 km-perimeter) in southern Europe. Here, nature engages visitors and residents in immersive experiences, surrounded by green olive trees, cultivated fields, fruit trees and vineyards.

Public car-free spaces and streets are planned and managed in respect of sustainable principles, supporting eco-friendly tourism.

In 2016, although Monte Isola was undoubtedly one of Lake Iseo’s great achievements for the international event ‘The Floating Piers’, created by the Bulgarian-American artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, now stands out as a valuable destination away from mass tourism.

The twelve characteristic villages represent places where visitors and tourists can experience local culture, thanks to typical island hospitality and ancient traditions such as crafts, fishing, and olive oil production.

Here, richness is not equal to waste of money or luxury accommodations but natural beauty and precious artisanal handwork, like making fishing nets or organizing traditional island events, the ‘Flower Festival’ in Carzano and Novale, for instance.

During the past, the ‘San Giovanni of Sardines Festival’ celebrated poor local food, offering residents and visitors grilled sardines or those preserved in oil and then dried.

Unfortunately, this celebration disappeared over the years. It is therefore understood that, keeping old traditions alive, is really a matter of great importance nowadays.

Currently, Monte Isola’s culinary icons, like sardines for instance, are really appreciated by italian and foreign visitors, as an essential, tasty and typical island food choice.