Monday was dedicated to the city of Granada. All the participants were invited to the Casa Favilli, where Claudio Sgroi guided the groups that showed up for a tour of the factory.
The organizational structure of the manufacture follows the architecture of Casa Favilli: we start from the room dedicated to the conservation of tobacco, the so-called „kitchen“, where the Ligador, with the aid of a scale, prepares the mixtures that are then delivered to the desks of the Torcedores. Highlight of the visit, as well as the sancta sanctorum of every Aficionado, was the Escaparate (the Aging Room) where, at the moment, two hundred thousand cigars are resting.
Afterwards, a small bus brought the group to the Lake Nicaragua for a boat trip to the Isletas: 365 islands, of volcanic origin, appear like small floating forests, with a dense vegetation that is only taken care by Mother Nature. They are populated by Cormorans and monkeys that are offered peanuts and tacos from the Tourists, a custom which we joined.
However, the „contaminated“ Isletas are only a few and for the most part they are the smallest, while for the larger ones the Human intervened, building dream houses, small and luxurious hotels or small restaurants. In fact, once the boats were docked, we reached the Isla Pirata restaurant, where it is easy to find a seat under the tall huts, which are furnished with sturdy wooden tables and chairs. On the left there is also a pool, which seems to be common for all the buildings on the Isletas. Before we sit down, we are struck by a mix of smells: the smoke from the kitchen, the vegetal note of the plants and the scent of the lake water.
The menu isn’t very large, but the fish and meat dishes are particularly appealing, enough to make us try the Guapote, a huge predatory fish from the lake with a very pulpy flesh. While waiting for lunch, the eyes are always distracted by the dark colors of the vegetation and by some Cormoran that, driven by hunger, hops from table to table looking for some crumbs.
Among the guests is also the histrionic Island Jim.
On the return, the festival organization proposed a tour to the Mombacho volcano. However, we preferred to smoke a Mombacho Cosecha 2013 offered by Claudio Sgroi for the limited number of guests at his Roof Party, a small aperitif on the terrace of the splendid Casa Favilli, which overlooks the entire city of Granada.