Rice Fair at Isola della Scala

For more than 500 years the plains around Verona is known for rice cultivation. The picturesque and water-rich area around Isola della Scala hosts mills and formerly used for husking “Pile”, witnesses of the ancient knowledge. Not far from the resort to rice fields, historic villas and religious places alternate who has made the point to its destination of gastronomic and cultural excursions. The waters in this area are fed by the hills. The water passes through underground rock layers to the lowlands, where it rises to the surface at a constant temperature.

Rice Vialone Nano Veronese IGP was the first in Europe, which got the mark protected geographical origin in 1996. The high quality of rice has made this area the home of risottos.

The Fiera del Riso, “fair of rice”, written in 1967 as a continuation of the festivities that took place at the end of the harvest season in the Po plain. Today it is the largest event dedicated to rice in Italy, which attracts more than 500,000 friends of good food to Isola della Scala. The typical risotto is the “risotto all’Isolana“, which is prepared with veal and pork, grana padano cinnamon and rosemary. It becomes in 1985 by a community decision official recognition.