I want to be a professional bee veteranan. Or honey taster. At the Alce Nero production facility we visited outside of Bologna yesterday, I was introduced to two new career options. Alce Nero is one of Italy's biggest producer of organic products and honeys, all of which are produced entirely in Italy - no products are shipped in from Spain, Turkey, France - which I've learned is a frequent practice in many products, specifically olive oil. Alce Nero, the Italian translation of the Black Elk, was founded after the owners were inspired by the Native American traditions of respecting land and agriculture. The honeys were amazing, specifically the chestnut from Tuscanny and the orange blossom from Calabria. Alce Nero also has a line of products called Libra Terre, which are grown on lands reclaimed from the mafia. They farm these lands in Sicily and Calabria under some incredibly dangerous conditions. In retaliation, the mafia frequently sends threats, burns down fields, and destroys their equiptment. The farmers, all young and clearly dedicated, have no help from the government after being given their land. The pepperoncini pesto I picked up was not only the spicy, oily spread I love, but also has a great reason to buy it. The highlight of the day was Pegah asking our male professor, Fabio Parasecoli, about a small bottle she though was organic detergent. He awkwardly tried to explain it was something "feminine". I'm not sure who was more embarassed, but that combined with the beautiful organic greens for lunch made for a wonderful start to a cloudless, sunny day.
The biodynamic vineyard, unfortunitely, was not as impressive. It was another two hour os so drive up into the mountains, and though I respect the fact that they are a small production facility and don't have the access to equiptment and decor of the larger vineyards, it seemed like the men running the vineyard weren't as enthusiastic as they could be about their unique methods of production. I'm sure there is more then a little "something" that gets lost in translation, but excitement and passion can be seen through any language barrier. It was just a little disheartening after such a long ride. And the wine was not that great. It's just a little too much bus travel for two days - about 12 hours total.
We returned to Firenze, and went to our favorite bar of beautiful people in Piazza Strozzi. Everyone is dripping in Prada, Gucci and Dior, and after such a long day in the hot sun, I certainly did not fit in. With a drink is included the lavish buffet inside, so for the price of a Negroni, you can score a pretty filling meal of appetizers that I'm more then certain the twig thin women at the door have never tasted.
Most importantly, this was a whole day without cured meat products. We are on our way to Roma (again, for me) for a few days, then on to Salerno and Pompeii, returning to Firenze on Wednesday. Tonight, we celebrate the birth of Miss Jackie London, and have a group dinner at a craft beer bar in Trastevere. I've come up with the title for my paper - "From Grapes to Grain: The Cultural and Historical Reasons for Italy's Booming Craft Beer Business". Now I just have to get a presentation ready for Friday.
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