After the first events in Rome, The Road to Terra Madre heads north, to Trentino-Alto Adige, where, from May 27 to 29, there’ll be three days activities dedicated to the highlands both in the city of Trento and the botanical gardens of Viote del Bondone.
There’s a variety of activities on offer: from the Earth Market to Taste Workshops and meetings to discuss the future of this ecosystem, and how we can shape its regeneration.
Terre Alte (Highlands) is the name of the event. The protagonists are the artisans and cooks of good, clean and fair food, as well as the associations and activists working for the restoration and maintenance of the mountains.
Why the Highlands?
When we began to talk about ecosystems ahead of Terra Madre 2020, we planned to reorganize the structure of the event around a new, geographical vision, one that would recognize their complexities and inter-dependencies. Producers in similar ecosystems face similar challenges, regardless of nation, and must unite to find solutions.
The Highlands are not immune. Indeed, they’re often areas which are hit disproportionately by environmental crises. And they’re less ready than ever to face them, due in part to the abandonment of mountain villages and traditional economic activity. We often think that these are idyllic places, but the truth is that they’re suffering from the climate crisis and the growing instability of water resources. The melting of the glaciers is just the most visible example.
What regeneration is possible here? How can we promote a return to the highlands, preserving their delicate equilibrium at the same time? How can we protect them from the dangers that are not just on the horizon, but being felt more keenly year by year?
Three days with Slow Food Trentino Alto Adige
From May 27 to 29 these issues will be at the heart of the program at Terre Alte. Three days of meetings and debates, a market, workshops and educational spaces involving cooks, communities and food producers.
This is all happening in the neighborhood of San Martino in Trento and at the VIoet del Bondone botanical garden, where we’ll also have a lunch on Sunday organized by members of the Cooks’ Alliance.
The ingredients
Earth Market
Artisans of good, clean and fair food will united for an Earth Market with 35 stands.
Taste Workshops
In Trento we’ll have guided tastings to improve our knowledge of mountain honeys, mountain pasture cheeses, heroic wines and extreme oils…
Cooks’ Alliance
You’ll find our cooks at the market, ready to give shopping advice and food management tips; as protagonists of the initiative El Cogo En Piaza (I Cook In the Square), they’ll present recipes made with ingredients from the market, and prepare a lunch on Sunday at the botanical garden of Viote del Bondone.
Conferences
The conferences are a chance to explore the experiences of the Slow Food network in Trentino over the last two years, in particular regarding the Road to Mountains project and the Green Deal for the Dolomite Forests, as well as to promote the Slow Food Presidia of the mountains, slow tourism and communities.
Saturday, May 28 – A Green Deal for the Dolomite Forests
A “green deal” means an investment in sustainable development, in this case of the Dolomite Forests after the destruction of the Vaia storm a few years ago. The environmental tragedy of Vaia must be transformed into an opportunity through grassroots initiatives from the local community to restore the area.
The signatories of the proposal demand an extraordinary intervention to relaunch the forestry industry and protect the landscape with new public and private projects in full synergy and integration with the tourism and agriculture sectors.
The signatory associations present the document and the status of their work.
Further afield
Beyond Trento, across the Trentino area other convivia are hosting activities:
- gathering of wild herbs in Val Rendena, with Giudiscarie convivium
- meeting with cheese producers with the Lagorai convivium
- A day with a mountain farmer, with the Valle dell’Adige Alto Garda convivium
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Terre Alte is organized by Slow Food Trentino Alto Adige with the support of Fondazione Caritro and the Trento Municipal Authority, in collaboration with Tsm-Step, Museo storico del Trentino, Touring Club Trentino, Strada del vino Trentino, Muse, Nutrire Trento, La Gresta, CSA Naturalmente in Trentino, Associazione Marchio del Baldo, Istituto Nazionaledi Urbanistica sezione Trentino, Associazione Centrifuga, Associazione La Gresta, Comunità Laudato Si’ Trento, FtBIO Trentino, Comune di Garniga, Circoscrizione Bondone, Pro Loco Monte Bondone and with the technical suppport of Libreria Due Punti, Bookique, el BArrio, Buonissimo Rovereto, kmzero.io
by Silvia Ceriani, info.eventi@slowfood.it
