Day 1 - Saturday 18 May
We arrived in Milan without any challenges, and took a nice bus ride from the Milan Malpensa airport into the center of Turin. It was quite early (before 10am), so we dropped off our bags, washed our faces, and set out to explore the city.
After having our first meal - lunch at a local pizzeria - we checked into the hotel, napped for an hour or so, and then headed to the Lingotto Fiere, which is a conference center that used to be the Fiat factory in Turin. We checked out one of Europe's largest book fairs, then ate dinner at Eataly. It was a great meal, though we did have to learn how the ordering process worked there! We got back to the hotel pretty late - nearly 11pm - and it rained all day. Needless to say - we were tired...and welcomed the sleep. The students were real troopers through all of it!
Day 2 - Sunday 19 May
We got up, got ready, and headed out to an agriturismo near Cherasco, Italy called La Volpe e l'Uva. They produce most of their own food, and showed us how to make a traditional Piedmontese pasta called agnolotti, which is a filled ravioli. This time, we filled it with grana podana cheese, marjoram, nettles, terragon, swiss chard, and rice. It was served with a sage and butter sauce - delizioso! We also had a lunch including asparagus quiche, bruschetta, pork with a milk sauce, and chocolate torte with hazelnut cream, and, of course, espresso. Wow!
Afterwards, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and Langhe region countryside before returning to Turin to visit Officine Corsare - a local youth center focused on social projects. We had an apperitivo of mixed local foods, and heard about programs and initiatives (urban gardens, tutoring local at-risk children, anti-racism sport programs). A great day indeed!
Day 3 - Monday 20 May
We started the day by walking to Castello Valentino, a historic building in Turin. We heard from Professor Bistagnino of the Turin Polytechnic University (tops in Italy) about systemic design - specific to the food system - and then had a brief tour of the beautiful building. We had a quick lunch at the campus bar (convenient dining space), and then headed off to the Polytechnic University design center at Mirafiori - the current Fiat factory location. We met with Professor Bistagnino's students for about 45 minutes, then heard from Professor PierPaolo Peruccio about the University and their programs. We headed back to our hotel and the students met with our friend Loredana, a Turin resident and a friend of our hosts - who took the students to meet with other young adults from Turin.
Day 4 - Tuesday 21 May
This was a loooooonnnng day! We left the hotel at 7:30am and headed to the Porta Palazzo market, the largest open-air market in Europe for some observational research. The students recorded images, video, and thoughts about this great space. We then took a train to Bra, where Slow Food was born. We met with Francesco and Jiacomo, who both work for Slow Food International, and had lunch at Boccondivino, the Osteria where Slow Food was specifically born.
After our lunch, we met with Francesco who told us all about Slow Food history and development, as well as current initiatives. He is also the director of the Slow Food Youth Network, and told us about their development as well.
After this, we got on a bus and headed into the foothills of the Alps, to a small village called Viù. Here, we had dinner at a very new Osteria named LuSele, in an old restored home. The owners are friends with one of our hosts in Turin, Tania, and we also enjoyed the company of Tania's parents. The food was traditional Piedmontese alpine fare (which means it was very heavy), including polenta, Toma di Lanzo cheese, and many other great things. It was another late night as we got back to the hotel after 11pm!
Day 5 - Wednesday 22 May
Around 9:30am, we set out for the Langhe region in Piedmont, which is famous for its wine production (especially Barbera, Barolo, and Nebbiolo). We first stopped at a Biodynamic wine producer near Cherasco, and saw how these great wines are produced. Then, we headed off to the University of Gastronomic Sciences where we first had a brief tour of the campus, and then we headed to lunch. Lunch was prepared by a science faculty member, who is also a chef - in keeping with the educational nature of food at this school.
We then met with Hanna from the registrar's office at the University, who explained the structure and programs, as well as the admissions process. Then, the Dean (who is also the originator of the Granaries of Memory project - our course project), Professor Grimaldi, came to our classroom to welcome us and thank us for the participation in the project. Finally, we shared our project methods and results with Michele Fontefrancesco, who is a research fellow at the University, and is currently the primary researcher on the Granaries project. We gave our interview videos to him for inclusion in the project website, and were on our way in the bus to Genoa.
After arriving in Genoa, we headed out to a dinner at Tralalero, where we were served a 4 course dinner with typical Genovese and Ligurian foods. There was lots of foccaccia, pesto, and seafood! We headed to bed with full and happy stomachs!
Day 6 - Thursday 23 May
We've been running like crazy up until now, so today was a leisure day, which was spent enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino. Before we headed out, we took a group picture at the Christopher Columbus statue in Genoa. We even had the Columbus Dispatch with us, and hope to send it to them for inclusion in their "Hello Columbus" section in the paper.
In Portofino, we all were amazed at the beautiful blue/green sea, the brilliant color of the buildings, and the exceptional hills and foliage. Some of us walked the 3+ miles from Santa Magherita Ligure to Portofino, and took the bus back where we caught the train back to Genoa. Most of us enjoyed some gelato, dipped our toes in the water, and just generally enjoyed the sunny day..
Look for more posts about our activities in the coming days, and we also hope to post some images from each of our stops.
Ciao!
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