‘El Pescador’ at Riva’s moated castle

Every morning, a small, white three-wheeled scooter parks on the piazza at Rocca di Riva and attracts people seeking freshly caught fish from Lake Garda.
Selling from his mobile store on the back of his Ape scooter, which is labelled ‘El Pescador’, Alberta Rania offers daily what lands in his net just a few hours before, which can be anything from perch, to sardines, to pike. This is a rare sight around the north of Lake Garda, since Alberto Rania is the Riva del Garda’s last fisherman.

Alberto’s passion for fishing

Born in Florence in 1961, Alberto Rania and his family moved back to his mother’s hometown of Riva del Garda following his father’s death in 1966. Alberto discovered his passion for fishing while still a child, when his uncle took him out on the lake and initiated him into the secrets of the water and its inhabitants. He attended school to the north, completing an art degree at the Vittoria di Trento College. After stints as a chef in Hamburg and Munich, he returned to Riva del Garda in 2015 and decided to become a fisherman by trade. It was a bold choice, because the northern reaches of Lake Garda are considered difficult and dangerous fishing grounds on account of their strong winds. The cliffs that rise up around the north of the fjord further limit the areas in which you can fish. But Alberto pressed ahead and built up his business in Riva. “After many years abroad and in the north of Italy, I longed to return. This is my home. It’s where I know my way around best,” he explains. Despite the difficult conditions, the northern end of Lake Garda has its advantages, since the water is clearer and more oxygen-rich, making the fish better quality.

Each morning, often long before sunrise, Alberto takes his motorboat out and gathers in the nets he laid out the day before. When he returns to the harbour, he loads his catch onto his tricycle scooter and takes it home to his workshop, where he sorts the fish, cleans them, and fillets them the way the customers like it. Alberto wants to revive people’s interest in lake fish through his business. “It’s difficult to find freshwater fish at fishmongers and supermarkets. There haven’t been fisherman in our area for over twenty years. People have been really enthusiastic about the lake fish I sell.” From perch, to pike, to sardines, Alberto offers a range of freshwater fish and advises his customers on how to prepare them and what recipes to try. The people of Riva know and appreciate Alberto. Some of his business relationships have become friendships.

“Fishing: one joy, a thousand sorrows”

But fishing has difficult sides too. “Being a fisherman is not an easy job. You have to know the lake and its currents inside out. It’s mainly done at night and you don’t get days off. You fish when the lake allows. I remember wonderful nights with big catches, but disappointments as well, when the nets were empty. But that’s what fishing is like. An old saying goes: “Fishing: one joy, a thousand sorrows.” Alberto recalls a stormy night in 2016: “I was busy taking in the flying nets when I saw lightning flashing to the south. I still had around 300 meters of nets to take in. I thought I would manage it before the storm arrived. But that is not what happened. The storm hit me three kilometres from the coast and pushed the nets into my boat’s propeller. I was left at the mercy of the water. Thankfully, the storm didn’t last long, and as soon as it was over I freed up the propeller and headed back to the harbour. I wouldn’t risk anything like that today.” Roberto still loves fishing: “It’s a profession you have to have in your blood. You have to do it because you love it. I really hope there will be someone after me who continues my job.”

Exploring Riva’s waters yourself

Albert considers his hometown of Riva del Garda one of the finest places on the lake. He advises tourists not just to relax on the beach, but to explore the lake’s shores. Much of the fjord and its shores can’t be reached by land; you have to take a boat, and there are some hidden treasures waiting to discover. If you fancy something quieter, you can take a kayak out at dawn and explore the deserted lake, watch colourful kingfishers, or jump into the water in search of little fish and explore the world beneath the surface of the northern stretches of the lake.