Bongiorno! If you’ve been reading the farm blog, you might know that I traveled to Italy (and abroad) for the first time ever last week. I was appointed as a delegate for Slow Food International’s biennial week-long event, Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. There are over 3000 delegates that represent over 150 different countries, so I was floored by my nomination. Prior to jumping on the plane, I was super excited, but had no idea what to expect. Besides growing produce from Slow Food’s Ark of Taste seeds to propagate to the community through transplant sales, I feel like I had a lot to learn about all that Slow Food International does.

Turin from the Mole Antonelliana

Turin street-scape.

The Po River runs through Turin.

Right off the bat, I was amazed and inspired by the history and culture of Italy. All the different regions in Italy were so well-represented at the event. All the regional produce/products were so unique... preserved meats, cheese, all different kinds of rice, and WINES! Turin is located in the Piemonte region of Italy, an area notorious for their three “B”s of wine: Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera. Holy moly, are their wines delicious! Ever had Prosecco? It’s Italy’s version of Champagne… but, I digress…

My host on her way to work!

After I landed in Milan, I had a two hour drive to reach Turin. Man, did I feel ill... the bus-driver was whippin’ the bus around like it was a Ferrari! Despite being car-sick, I sat next to a brewer from Jalisco, and when we arrived in Turin, he treated me to an espresso. A bona fide Italian espresso! I was in hog heaven, because if you know me, I love coffee. After checking in, I met my host family and promptly caught some shut-eye. I had been awake for 30 hours at that point! They woke me up at around 8, and we enjoyed some dinner. My host family curated an amazing menu of meals throughout my stay; I was so grateful as they provided breakfast and dinner for me the entire week. Fresh bread and cheeses, marinated and roasted peppers, delicious wines, fresh salads, I could go on and on! The woman I stayed with was an attorney in Turin, her daughter was a drummer in a local band, and her other daughter had just moved to Mexico to be with her soon-to-be husband. I was fascinated to learn about this Italian family and their story.

The first dinner with my host family - roasted peppers, a refreshing salad, & fresh bread and cheese.

The view from my window!

I quickly realized that I had hit the jackpot on my lodging location as it was located in central Turin! I could mosey over to the Slow Food meetings, I was so close.

The speeches took places in the coolest theatre I have ever been in!

Tasting workshop.

Alice Waters!

Kicking off with a giant parade through town, all of the Slow Food events were mind-blowing. I attended tons of interesting speeches which took place in the most stunning theatre… This is where I met Alice Waters and the founder of Slow Food International, Carlo Petrini. Not only were there speakers of great culinary notoriety, but also talented filmmakers showcasing their films!

The kick-off parade!

There was a marketplace in Valentino Park right next to the Po River, where you could peruse and learn about artisans and their goods from all over the world. There were also the coolest-looking food trucks I had ever seen! On top of that, they hosted tasting workshops, where delegates could taste the craziest and most far-out produce, meats, artisanal goods… I tasted kangaroo and other aboriginal Australian foods! Delegates from certain regions would throw pop-up dinners as well. One of my favorites was when the Louisiana and Vietnam delegates paired up and hosted a delicious dinner featuring po-boys and traditional Vietnamese dried fruits. Yum!

A woman tying tiny tomatoes together.

Onions.

All kinds of corn!

Preserved meats.

Aged Balsamic.

Other than that, I spent a lot of time walking around Turin, sight-seeing, visiting museums, and my favorite activity of all, checking out the daily farmer’s market. Despite the language barrier, I spent a lot of time chatting with the local farmers, showing them pictures of our farm, and vice versa. The produce that they offered was similar yet very different from what we cultivate here in Central Texas... I was mesmerized by the diversity.

Farmers Market.

Farmers Market.

Grapes galore.

Plethora of fruits!

Cheese, please.

Meats!

Market scene.

Italian food trucks.

I made a horde of new friends and learned loads about farming all over the world. One of my favorite moments was walking through the market, a cheese-maker recognized my JBG hat, ran over and said that he followed us on Instagram! Crazy!

Our Italian cheese-making Instagram friend on the left!

I was remiss to leave when the time came, but sated with all the new experiences I had under my belt. I treated my host to a going away dinner on the final evening, and left on a high note of having the best pasta of my life! Arrivederci!

Pasta paradise.

Speaking of Slow Food events, don't miss out on Slow Food Austin's tour of the farm on October 23rd! Buy tickets here, and find more general information here. Also, we are having our CSA Members Only Potluck Dinner the night before! RSVP here, we can't wait!