Vassalli Pasticcerie – Salò, Lake Garda, Italy (8.5/10)
Jun 29th, 2008 by admin
Although we drove past the beautiful lakeside town of Salò several times to and from Limone sul Garda, where we were staying, we didn’t actually stop there until we were on our way back to the airport. We knew little about Salò at the time (although I did keep wondering if it was connected to the film of the same name, which I’ve seen at work), but it turned out to be one of the unexpected highlights of our short holiday, and a lovely way to remember the western Lake Garda at its best. As we parked alongside a stunning Mercedes 220SE ‘Ponton’, I had a good feeling about the short visit…
Salò is the birthplace of Gasparo da Salò, inventor of the violin (although this is apparently now in dispute). It lent its name to Mussolini’s last Republic (he was placed in luxurious Villa Feltrinelli in nearby Gargnone by the Nazis between 1943-45). And it did indeed turn out to be the location for Pasolini’s controversial last film Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom, in which the Marquis de Sade’s original work is set during the Salò Republic.
Unlike other places around Lake Garda such as Limone and Malcesine, Salò was barely touched by tourists, and was exactly how I imagined a Lake Garda town to be like. The streets were lined with exclusive designer boutiques and shops selling expensive gastronomic delicacies. A stroll down the lakefront revealed numerous caffés and restaurants, where wealthy patrons sipped at their drinks. Of course, I had no idea about its darker historical past at the time!
As always, father-in-law managed to discover one of the best things about Salò – Vassalli Pasticerrie. Since 1930, this gem has been offering customers delectable treats including tarts, pastries, cakes (Colomba Italian Easter cake), biscuits, handmade chocolates and Cedrina (a Lake Garda liqueur made from lemons). Everything is beautifully laid out, and there’s plenty of seating to enjoy an espresso or hot chocolate.
We sat outside, and after feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the choice of cakes and tarts on offer, I chose a small strawberry mousse cake with fruit on top, hoping it would be slightly less calorie-laden than all the other things I’d consumed over the last few days. Slightly over-sweet, it was nevertheless delicious. I only wish we’d had more time to browse through the wonderful products, and take some souvenirs home with us.
So if you travel to Lake Garda, please don’t drive past Saló, whatever you do! It’s definitely worth a half day stopover, if not a leisurely stay…
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
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Contact details:
Vassalli Pasticcerie
Via San Carlo 86
25087 Salo
(BS) Italy
Tel: +39 365 207 52
info@pasticceria-vassalli.it
www.pasticceria-vassalli.it
Oh oh, that would have been a nightmare, trying to choose.
I could have happily sat there all day, faced with all that choice! I’m feeling peckish right now thinking about those cakes…
This will definitely be on our list of places to see when we get there, hopefully sometime in our lifetime! Lucky YOU!
admin Reply:
August 20th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Chee Packer – it was a great little place and discovered by chance! I’d love to return to Salo one day and spend more time there.