Delicious Italy

Michelin Stars? - no thanks

This is a really interesting piece of news.

One of Italy's most highly regarded chefs and someone who has been fundamental in developing Italian post war cuisine has decided to hand back his Michelin stars.  

To be fair Gualtiero Marchesi has not just nominated Michelin, but the whole system of independent and not so independent guides and commentators.

Gualtiero is quoted as saying: 'L’unico giudizio a cui tengo è quello di chi si siede al mio tavolo per gustare un piatto“.

Or 'the only judgment I hold valid is that of those who sit at my table'.

Cooked impeccably and fusing many novel tastes, you certainly eat well in Michelin star restaurants, but .. but .. we have to warm to Gualtiero.

www.marchesi.it

High flying mozarella

Mid June 2008 does not seem the best moment to be getting into joint promotional ventures with Alitalia.

Especially if your sector has just come out of a dioxin scare which circumnavigated the world in record time.

But this is exactly what the new Agricultural Policy Minister announced recently in Caserta, one of Italy's buffalo mozzarella cheese heartlands.

In effect, anyone flying Alitalia between the United States and Germany will be offered the typical product as part of their inflight meal.

Both countries are major markets for the cheese which has seen sales fall by 40% from the same period last year.  

The cost of the promotion has been declared as two million euros.

Such solutions seem strictly old school particularly when you consider the opportunities offered by new media such Web 2.0, social networks, viral marketing etc and particularly if part of a comprehensive image marketing campaign.

A little bit of Po

What does the visitor to Italy know about the River Po? Next to nothing probably. 

Apart from alternate mass floodings and low water non navigability, this mightiest of Italy's rivers is overlooked.

Fortunately, film maker Giacomo De Stefano is currently making a boat journey from the  source to the Delta to document the river today.

The aim is to highlight the state of the river and to make us aware of how we have turned our backs on this fundamental natural resource.

His journey is being done by traditional river sail boat and can be followed everyday on Radio 24 and also on the dedicated blog - http://unaltropo.com.

Un Altro Po is also a wonderful play on words and means both 'another side to the River Po' and 'just a little further', obvious reference to his fabulous but tiring journey.

La Passione - si sente

'La passione si sente' is the popular tag being used by the increasingly popular Radio 24 here in Italy.

Translated that's 'the passion, you can feel it' and T-Shirts are available for purchase. 

But it's a good moment for Italian passions. Not least for fans of cycling and vintage sports cars, both at the two ends of the same scale.   

Both the Giro d'Italia cycle race is well underway as is the Mille Miglia. The former began in Palermo and finishes in Milan, while the latter does Brescia-Rome-Brescia. 

What fabulous events and who would not want to follow both from start to finish, ideally by bike or in an Alfa Romeo Spider.

www.radio24.ilsole24ore.com
www.gazzetta.it

Savvy Venice - you must be joking!

We received an email from SavvyTravel based in London asking to swap links. 

A very precise request as the website wanted a link from a food tour related page in return for a link to their Venice shopping page.

All we can say is that when we read the SavvyTravel Venice comments on eating out in the lagoon city, we naturally declined.

Their page begins 'Venice is a great city - pity about the food'.

From their point of view the reference is strictly to the well beaten track around Saint Marks and there is some truth here.

But the overall tone is to suggest it's not even worth trying to discover the rich cuisine of the city because, in effect, it does not exist anymore.

And even if you do you'll be massively out of pocket.

According to SavvyTravel Venice, and the all too clear image in the left column of the page, you'd be better off at Burger King!

How ungenerous.

What is the scope of this website and on whose experience are these opinions based.

We want names.

www.travelsavvy-venice.com/eatingout

Lemon crush

Further to our first post about the new James Bond film being filmed by Lake Garda, it seems  not everything is going to plan.

Not only was a 250K Aston Martin DBS driven into the Lake on its way to the shoot location, but a couple of stunt men also escaped unhurt from another smash only yesterday.

Well, at least they do these things for real like in the old days. No CGI effects here, mate.

Also about this time of the year the annual stats come out telling us where the most dangerous roads in Italy are located. 

If even stuntmen are crashing high performance cars you may think the B roads around Lake Garda might be among them, but alas.

The most dangerous roads include the Pontina south of Rome and the Venice-Marghera by-pass.   

You will need one this spring near Lake Garda.

Croatia - land of truffles, fine wine and olive oil

'Croatia - land of white truffles, fine wine and olive oil'.

Not exactly, but the actual pay off line being used by the Croatian national tourism board is a lot more subtle in relation to their neighbour just over the Adriatic Sea.

That's Italy by the way.

The actual line is 'The Mediterranean As it Once Was' and it is a statement full of intent. 

But it is the Croatia Tourism Food ad which really sits up and looks you straight in the eyes

In particular the line our gastronomic friend in the spot relishes saying: 'the wine produced in Croatia was so good, it was considered the best in the Roman Empire'. 

http://press.croatia.hr/video%5Farhiva/

No April Fool

We thought this was an April Fool, but apparently not.

The Regione Lazio has decided to come out fighting against the recent buffalo mozzarella scare by distancing itself from its Campania cousins.         

The buffalo mozzarella produced south of Rome, typically in the province of Latina, is to be rebranded as 'Collosella' with obvious references to gladiators and lions.

Apparently, 10% of all buffalo mozzarella is made in Lazio.

If we can make a couple of observations.

Firstly, in our humble opinion, the Italian buffalo mozzarella industry should be closing ranks and putting together a concerted Pr and advertising campaign for the benefit of all.

Secondly, branding and marketing initiatives need to be treated with great care and not a little prior research. What is the image of buffalo mozzarella abroad today?  Does anyone care where buffalo mozzarella is made in Italy? Is 'Collosella' the right communication? 

Osella by the way is a famous brand of cheese from Piemonte distributed across Italy. What do they think?

www.fattorieosella.it

Toxic BBC mozzarella sample

We always refer first to the BBC to add a certain measured perspective to a newsworthy argument.

The media organization's summary of the mozzarella case in Italy is as succinct, up to date and hysteria free as it gets with some useful institutional links.

But 'Tainted Love - How Italy's highly-prized mozzarella turned sour' by journalist Stephanie Holmes seems to us a lazy, hatchet job.

Lets take it apart.

Tainted Love -  reference to a 1980's Soft Cell song of dubious content. Why?

How Italy's 'white gold' turned sour - white gold! so Italy loses its gastronomic Midus touch?

Like the cholera outbreak that hit Naples in 1972 - selective and inappropriate quotation.

Choosy Italian consumers have been turning their noses up at the product - since when? who are they? A gross exaggeration and sweeping statement.

Regardless of how many mouthfuls of the stuff are eagerly swallowed by smiling ministers - the world over Stephanie, the world over!

But the European Commission is taking no chances - of course. As the piece says, it is a highly regulated EU product. Normal par for the course and consumers would not expect otherwise.

That's the first half of the article and, to be fair, the second half resets the balance, but the damage has been done.

Anyone scanning the article quickly receives a concentration of cliched verbal and visual communication nurturing prejudices and exaggeration.

The last thing small family buffalo mozarella cheese makers in Italy need and deserve. 

FAI - 16th Spring Event

The XVI Edition of the FAI Spring Days takes place on the 5th and 6th April 2008.

FAI or 'Fondo Per L'Ambiente Italiano' is a non profit organization who do good work highlighting and protecting the artistic and natural heritage or patrimony of the country and regions.

An equivalent would be the National Trust based in the UK.

The doors will be open in all 550 FAI locations in 240 Italian cities during the weekend.

An dedicated area in the FAI website is worth a visit to find out where.

www.fondoambiente.it