Locarno, Switzerland

After Lake Bled, we headed to Locarno, Switzerland.  We were there for a film festival and boy did we have a great time.  We were there with the British Film Institute and I had a great time meeting everyone and seeing films.  We ate out both nights we were there and the food was Italian.  Locarno is about 20 minutes from the border with Italy.

The first restaurant we ate at was Ristorante Da Valentino.  It was a set menu and we started out with Tuna Tartar, followed by Porcini Mushroom Risotto followed by Sea Bass.  It was a lot of food.  We left our group before dessert came since we wanted to go to the Piazza Grande to watch Lore.

Sorry the pics are so bad- the flash made the food look terrible, so I opted for no flash and semi-darkness.

The tartar was very good.  The tuna was prepared just right- the right amount of seasoning and cut properly. The risotto was very creamy and rich, and a bit overwhelming.  It was cooked properly though.  The fish was good as well- seasoned and cooked well.  It had mushy vegetables and freshly made potato chips with it.  Like I said before, by the time the main course arrived, I was stuffed.

After leaving the film early due to rain and getting some sleep, we started off on the next day of film watching.      5 films in one day...phew!  We did take a dinner break with our group.  This time, we ate at Ristorante Citadella.  It was a bit better than the night before in that the portions were a bit smaller, but you still got a lot to eat.  We started with gazpacho that was a bit salty, but thankfully, it was a shot glass full. 

For the appetizer, I got the zucchini carpaccio with goat cheese.  Everything was so fresh tasting it was ridiculous.  For the main course, I got lamb that was fantastic.  It was cooked just right and seasoned well.  It came with a side dish of potatoes au gratin that I didn't get a picture of.  We did get dessert, but I didn't get a photo of it.  It was blueberries with a sesame ice cream.  It was good, but not great.  It was a let down after the great appetizer and main course.  After dinner, we all headed down to the Piazza Grande to watch Ruby Sparks from the directors of Little Miss Sunshine.  It was a really good film.  We had great seats for it, although it did make your neck hurt to have to look up at the screen.

After Ruby Sparks, we stayed in the square to watch the second film of the night, Magic Mike.  Yes, I know, not something you would normally see at a film festival, but still great on a giant screen that's larger than an IMAX.  Our final full day there was filled with some good films and one terrible one that saw 50% of the audience leave before it was halfway over- Far From Afghanistan.  I don't think I have ever walked out on a movie, but there was no choice here.  The description made it seem like it would be a very good film that shows the problems that Afghanistan and her people face since the war has started, but what you got was a disjointed film that didn't have a point and used outdated facts.

Alright, I'm off my soapbox.

Our last night instead of seeing the film in the Piazza Grande, we headed indoors since it was POURING to watch our film Nachtlarm (Night Ride).  It was a very good film and it was even better to be inside and dry versus outside and soaked.  Sadly, we had to leave our little film festival and head to Bulgaria for the month of August.  Stay tuned to find out what Bulgarian food is really like...