Italy
participants
The main goal of the activity was to share part of our beloved and worldride famous culinary heritage with Erasmus students coming from all over Europe. Many International students affirm that "Italy is pasta, pizza and gelato" and whilst this country is so much more, and this definition is clearly stereotypical, we believe that sharing our traditions with people of different cultures is a very effective way to break down cultural barriers. We made sure to raise awareness on the exploitation and mitreatment too often characteristic of the food production chain: our gelato tasting was organised in local gelaterie, famous for their commitment to a more conscious and environmentally sustainable production (such as De' Coltelli and Rufus). We shared the history and the ideals of the places with the participants, and discussed about the importance of using local products in a sustainable way.
The event consisted in a gelato tasting in five different gelaterie displaced in the city centre of Pisa. We gave the participants a meeting point in front of the first one, Cremino, and then we proceeded stop by stop, tasting our way through the city. We had agreed with the gelaterie to get one scoop of gelato per place, whichever flavour the participants would have liked. Only at the last stop, we have opted for a bigger portion of gelato, but it was almost unnecessary, since the participants were all quite satisfied already. During the tour, before every stop, we would tell the story of the next gelateria, mostly focusing on the ideals and the people behind it. The participants seemed to particularly appreciate this, they were engaging in the conversation and curios.
