The “forge” of the Taste

The forge was in the past the place where blacksmiths

forged utensils and tools for everyday life

…but we can also intend it as a laboratory where different

elements fuse to create innovation and progress

The “Forge” of the Tasteis a project purposive to create, as the

formerly forge, a sort of laboratory composed of a network of a lot of different subjects (institutions,

associations, farmers and artisans) to realize innovation and progress about

local products and sustainable development in a particular territory

The territory involved in the project incudes 13 municipalities belonging to the Pedemontana del Grappa, an area at the feet of Mount Grappa in the Veneto

region, in the north of Italy

The 13 municipalities:

inhabitantsfarmers

factories

The territory from the Economic point of view

After the Second World War the territory was characterized by a slow economic transformation:

after a long agricultural past it became artisan and industrial

The territory is now characterized by a lot of Small and Mediumsized

enterprises, a model of economic development

which increases the value of differences and peculiarities.

Some manufacturing sectors have already developed the so called “industrial district”, as the district of sports

footwear in Montebelluna ex. Diadora, Geox

It means that all enterprises work in network to realize a product rich in

quality and unicity using less productive costs

The most of the Small and Mediumsized enterprises now tend to pay attention to the

sustainable development of the area:

Using alternative energy (solar panels);Creating new enterprises with techniques based on

energy saving (wall insulations);Using methods to reduce emission of CO2 into the

atmosphere.

Example: Grisport

In the area some examples of bad enterprises still exist. They

contribute to make worse the air pollution and the environment impact.

The hills of the Pedemontana present pits created by man to have gravel and clay

(to produce curved tiles);A big cement industry in the area produces

flue gas which contaminates water and air and which is probably the cause of

frequent cases of tumours.

The territory from the Cultural point of view

The area of Pedemontana del Grappa, situated in the province of

Treviso, has a big artistic and cultural heritage composed of

little, often unknown, tresures.

Many are the walled cities and the castles built during the Middle Age

belonging to the Lords who had power in the main cities of the Veneto

During the Renaissance (XVI century) many villas were built in the landscape (the region was

called “Garden of Venice”) as agricultural and representative residence for Venetian nobles.

The main architect was Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580)

In 2008 it was the Fifth Centenary of Palladio’s birth and many events to celebrate it were

organized: shows, visits to the palladian villas with entertainment and food tasting, concerts,

meetings (as “Life in the Villa”), enogastronomic events.

During the XVIII century the cultural movement of the Neoclassicism was represented by Antonio

Canova, a famous italian architect who was born in Possagno where he built a temple – church

for the population – and where we can visit his plaster collection.

In 2007 it was the 250th Anniversary of Canova’s birth and many events were organized: shows, particular visits to the temple and to the

gallery of plaster casts, concerts, meetings.

The Pedemontana del Grappa, and mainly the Mount Grappa, were the places where atrocious battles

of the First World War (1915 – 1918) took place.

In 2008 many were the events for the commemoration of the End of the War (90 years): visits to the Grappa massif (paths, tranches and military mule tracks), to the Ossuary, to the Italian memorial chapel and to the Great War History Museum; opening of the

Vittorio Emanuele III gallery.

The territory from the Environmental point of view

The Pedemontana del Grappa is composed of three areas:

• Mountains (the Mount Grappa is the highest one, m …)

• Plane• Gentle hills

Thanks to the near mountains, the climate of the Pedemontana is mild. The plane and the hills are in general exposed at the sun during all seasons of the year. Nature is consequently rich and it offers products characterised by

quality and variety.

The richness of economic, cultural and environmental resourses should be valorized integrating them with

the new Social resourses (institutions and policy makers, associations, all

people interested in development of the own area)

The weaknesses are:

• No network between subjects• No great promotion of the resourses

(agricultural, natural, cultural resourses)• The area is monopolized by the places with international attraction (Venice, Verona, the

Dolomites)

To solve these problems many could be the initiatives to grant the sustainable

development of the area:

• Creating a network between institutions and people who produce resourses to purpouse a stronger image of the area

• Awaking public opinion to the importance of the resourses of the area through meetings, events and other possibilities to know the resourses

One solution is the promotion of the territory through events and one event proposed is The

“forge” of the Taste.

As the forge was once fed by Earth, Fire, Water and Air,

so the project of The “forge” of the Taste could be metaphorically seen through these four

elements

Earth elementRaw materials, typical products of the territory,

the so called “products of the Taste”…

…as metals were the raw materials to create the utensils in the forge

peasappleshoneybeans

chestnutscherries

Oiltruffle

Fire elementElements which transform raw materials,

men who produce and transform the products of the territory to make them products of the market

…as fire was used to forge metals, to make metals easy to be formed in the forge

ArtisansFarmersCooksBakers

ConfectionersDistillers

Wine producersMeat producers (cattle-breeders, poultry and pig farmers)

Water element

Elements which solidify the final products,associations which solidify the relationship between men involved

in the production and in the offer of the “products of taste”…

…as water was used to solidify the hot metal of the fiinal utensils

Trading associations:

CNA (confederation of artisans)Ascom (services for commercial enterprises)confartigianato (confederation of artisans)

Cia (italian confederation of farmers)ebav (bilateral association of artisans of Veneto region)

aprolav (association of milk producers)Coldiretti (association

Unicarve (association of meat producers)

Air elementElements which power the fire,

authorities which direct, instruct and support men involved in the process concerning the development

of the territory…

…as air was used to make fire bigger

Local authoritiesProvince

Comunità Montana del Grappa (consortium of municipalities in the mountain area of the Mount

Grappa)SchoolsUlss

Objectives of the Forge of the Taste

Economic

Cultural

Social

Environmental

Economic objectivesPromotion of the enterprises which work in the area through:

• Encouragement of the direct sale of quality goods (locally-grown, garantee origin, garantee of freshness, naturally and organically grown, nutritional content preserved, handmade production) in farmers and enterprises without the presence of a middle man;

• Maintaining traditional productions and local culture;

• Supporting biological productions (less pollution):• Spreading biological and traditional techniques

Promotion of tourism interested in local food and wine: a new way to discover the natural and cultural territory where farmers are located

fotografie

Cultural objectives

Education about taste and its quality (differences between local products and

imported products)

Food education

Possibility for students to learn how to cook local products

fotografie

Social objectives

Network between farmers and enterprises

0 Km project (bar and restaurants use products coming from the local

territory without travelling long distances before reaching the table)

socialization in restaurants

relations between producers and consumers

Fotografie incontro alla fucina

Environmental objectives

To make policy makers aware of environmetal problems

To promote biological techniques

To promote environmental care

Fotografie incontri - convegno

Economic activities

COOKS IN THE KITCHEN: restaurants present typical menu with local products for two weeks

SHOP OF THE “FORGE” OF THE TASTE: possibility to buy all the presented and tasted products during the two

days of the “forge” of the taste

MEETING WITH THE PRODUCER:Possibility to meet directly the producer of the products during the two days of the “forge” of the

taste

The profit is not economic but it concerns health and development of the territory

Cultural activities

LABORATORIES: children of local primary schools prepare their own snacks

EDUCATIONAL SESSION: students of local secondary schools meet the producers and learn how to

product local biological products

EVENINGS: meetings about tasting, people learn how to taste correctly local products (for

example oil)

Social activities

TASTING: moment to stay together

THE WAY OF TASTING: possibility to meet the producers and to speak with them

(questions and curiosities)

CREATION OF A NETWORK: relations between producers, consumers and insitutions

Environmental activities

MEETING about OGM and promotion of the territory

TOURISM: augmentation of the tourists who come here for local products (vising the “forge” of the taste and the area

where they are produced)

filmato

Any questions?