As they say, "Life's short... Eat dessert first."

Remember a little while ago when I wrote about the breakfast buffets at many of the large hotels along the lake? And how they are open to all, not only to guests? Well, here's another way you could have pretended to be a guest at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromee. Each year, on the mid-summer Ferragosto holiday, the hotel prepares a buffet dinner of extraordinary proportions. These photos were published on Facebook by the hotel, of the food and the decorations, taken before the guests arrived at 8 pm on August 15, 2012. By nightfall, the garden was full, and many of these platters empty.   

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Canapes, butter sculptures, overlooking the lake.

Beautifully carved watermelon.

Ice sculptures.

Lettuce bouquet. 

 

And more.

Okay, possibly this is my favorite. Tower of prawns?

But what would I go for first? Probably these cannoli.