Italy revels in the bounty the harvest
Across Italy people are celebrating the Fall harvest. The bounty of the forest are celebrated with mushroom and truffle festivals in Piemont, Emiglia-Romana, Le Marche, Umbria and Tuscany. Various vegetable and pork festivals are held across the country with an international prosciutto and a saffron festival held in Umbria this past week. I was able to visit several festivals this weekend. What is unique about Italy is the passion for local products and people’s willingness to travel the countryside to sample them. In Umbria there were several festivals focused on prosciutto, truffles and mushrooms. The white truffle festivals were located in Gubbio, Città di Castello, and Acqualagna and the Prosciutti Dal Mondo (prosciutto of the world) was held in Norcia. In each town several large parking lots sprout up overnight to handle the deluge of cars and campers. I never truly appreciated the Italians love of motor homes, but the number of separate, city parking areas for motor homes attest to their love of driving and camping. Each fair had exhibits, educational classes or guided tastings, and a section for selling products. I must admit I am a sucker for Italian kitchen gadgets and it took a lot of restraint to not indulge in a new meat slicer or the combo grinder and grater which would take up an entire counter of the kitchen. In most of the fairs there are also regional products like sweets and olives from Italy, salumi and prosciutti from various regions, cheese from Parma and Sardegna and usually local products. In Gubbio and Acqualagna there was a special emphasis on local products. At the truffle fairs there is a special section set aside just for buying truffles. Although Alba is world famous for white truffles, much of their production probably comes from Umbria or Marche (those with more sinister leanings say they come from Serbia and Bulgaria.)
Norcia
Alfredo Lapini of Tuscony
The light sausage on the left is the finocchiana – which is amazing! I need to learn to make this.
The amazing products of Alfredo Lapini in Tuscony
Antica Corte Pallavicina in Parma – Head Chef Massimo Spigaroli was the former head of the Consortium of Culatello di Zibello makers
Jamon iberico – it was the world of ham so there was also spanish and slovenian ham
Typical maccelaria in Norcia. Notice the pig and wild pig (cinghali) theme
The front of an old train station
An old alley alongside a Benedictine cloister in Norcia
A view of the Mount Sibillini park on the way to Norcia
Truffle Festivals in Gubbio, Città di Castello, and Acqualagna
Truffle stand – typical for the festivals selling all things truffle as well as fresh truffles
The grand signage for Il Tartufo Biancho
Lovely roasted chestnuts…much nicer than the ones roasted over a tin drum in Basel
Signs for mushroom exhibits and fairs were all over
Another sign for a mycology meeting…sort of a show and tell for shroom heads like myself
Local produce and more importantly a chance to talk with the farmer
The guys from San Prospero talking about their local produce, vino cotta and wine
A rainy day in Gubbia – truly a beautiful, ancient city by any standards. Their truffle stand was a bit smaller.
The view looking behind Gubbia. I drove through that gap on the way home. It is as narrow as it looks.