Food is essential to life, but some flavours are more than sustenance—they are an experience. Caviar is one of those rare ingredients, full of stories that intrigue. Today, all caviar comes from sustainable farms, and nestled near my hometown in the north of Italy are two of the world’s most prestigious caviar houses—Ars Italica and Calvisius—producing some of the finest.
In October, after the ProChef Awards in Milan, I had the chance to take two top chefs from Dubai—Sushi Master Chef Takashi Namekata and Chef Hisao Ueda of TakaHisa Dubai.
We drove from Milan to Calvicius Caviar, nestled near Lake Garda and then to Ars Italica in Ticino River Park. The farms cover over 150 acres of freshwater ponds, creating an environment that mirrors the sturgeons’ natural habitat. The air, water, and views are all untouched, a landscape that feels like a world lost in time.
When the sturgeon reaches maturity, the caviar is extracted in the pristine lab. The eggs are carefully washed, salted using the Malossol method (max 3.4% salt), and hand-packed into tins, preserving their delicate flavour and texture. This purity is what makes caviar so precious—the water and the fish’s diet are reflected in its taste, allowing chefs to pair it creatively. Italtouch never repacks or adds salt; the caviar comes pure, from fish to tin, sealed untouched and uncontaminated.
The next day, we headed to Ars Italica, located in a protected riverine park on the edge of Lombardy. Both farms rely on fresh, uncontaminated ponds fed by local rivers and groundwater. Personally, we actually experienced the icy water firsthand, wading over tiny stones and struggling to stay upright—an unforgettable experience in itself.
It’s amazing to think that these sturgeon can swim here for 10 to 20 years. This often surprises people—the time, care, and investment required to produce caviar are immense. There are no shortcuts. On average, a sturgeon reaches adulthood around 13 years of age, and only then does it begin producing eggs. This lengthy process is one of the main reasons caviar is a luxury product. Ars Italica raises different species, each with its own maturation timeline: Da Vinci (Adriatic) caviar is typically produced after 10–14 years, while some Oscietra or Beluga take 15–20+ years for full maturity.
Italian culture has long valued nature and giving back to the environment. Every year, thousands of captive-bred sturgeons are microchipped and released into Italian rivers as part of restocking initiatives, helping to restore the Adriatic sturgeon populations.
I’m so proud to have shared this experience, showcasing these Italian farms and their traditions, with two of Dubai’s top chefs. I hope one day to bring more Chefs, because seeing is truly believing.
wow looks amazing thank you so much for this info really needed it!!
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