Before we arrived in Italy we talked a lot about what we wanted to eat and drink (pasta, pastries, wine, etc.) but I don’t think we spent much time thinking about how those items are grown and produced.
That changed however, on Friday when we spent a day in the Marche countryside. Our first stop was at a Pasta factory started in the 1970’s by an Italian visionary who looked at a deserted monastery and saw an organic farming operation. Today you can tour the old building and the much newer factory to see how they produce and package the pasta they ship all over the world. https://www.girolomoni.it/en/ For those of us most familiar with the Kraft macaroni and cheese versions of pasta the variety of pasta shapes here in Italy is almost overwhelming! https://www.nonnabox.com/types-of-pasta/ Highlights of the pasta production visit for us included our canine escort who took it upon himself to guide our tour (his owner works at the plant) and the free bags of spaghetti they gave us when we left. From there we went on to have lunch at one of a growing number of agritourisimo “farm to market type” organic restaurants and farms that serve locally based meals, and often offer vacation accommodations as well. https://www.duvine.com/blog/what-the-heck-is-an-agriturismo/ The one where we had lunch was a Co-op which somehow managed to serve plate after plate of delicious antipasto, bread, and pasta to 65 of us at the same time. Although most of us could have taken a nap after our Italian pranzo (lunch) we traveled on to an organic wine and olive oil farm. After a tour of the production facilities (they grow 5 kinds of olives and several varieties of grapes) we got to taste a couple of their wines, and olive oils. Bet you didn't know that the proper way to taste olive oil is to put a small amount in your mouth and essentially suck it through your bottom teeth. If it make you cough it is a sign that it is good oil. Personally I stuck with tasting the oil on bread. A number of the students were fascinated by how the wine is made, so given the growth of the wine industry in the Texas Hill Country maybe this visit will inspire some of our students to make their mark in that field (pun intended) . https://www.winespectator.com/articles/future-is-bright-for-texas-wine
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