The Twentieth Anniversary of the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo

A six-day celebration from Wednesday, May 29 to Monday, June 3, 2024

The University of Gastronomic Sciences will celebrate its twentieth anniversary with a six-day festival in Pollenzo from May 29 to June 3.

Twenty years represent not only the peak of youth and vitality but also a rich history of sharing, ideas, and transformation.

UNISG is a community that unites students, faculty, alumni, experts, producers, companies, and institutions. It provides a platform for dialogue, reflection, debate, research, exchange, and enrichment.

During these six days in Pollenzo, we will delve deep into our relationship with food. This conversation extends beyond the table, encompassing culture, innovation, sustainability, and education.

Carlo Petrini, the founder and president of UNISG, explains:

"When we opened the doors of Pollenzo in 2004, we recognized a significant need for food experts and scholars with interdisciplinary training. The challenge lay in making the world understand the importance of gastronomic sciences and their ties to various professional fields. Today, we can proudly state that for 20 years, the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo has been educating gastronomes. These professionals are capable of balancing the needs of the productive world with a vision of food that addresses current economic, social, environmental, and climate challenges. As we celebrate this anniversary, I want to emphasize a fundamental theme closely tied to the role and identity of the gastronomer: food education. Indeed, the young gastronomers trained at our university spread awareness, knowledge, and critical thinking about the relationship between food and nature through their work. Educating and informing about the numerous issues that connect individual lives to the way food is produced, chosen, and consumed is one of the foundational pillars of Pollenzo."

Rector Bartolomeo Biolatti confirms:

"The University of Gastronomic Sciences is a higher education and research project solely dedicated to food. It upholds the values of sustainability and has significantly raised the international profile of Pollenzo and its surrounding territory. The university is inspired by the philosophy of Slow Food and is characterized by a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, which innovatively enhances experiential learning and stakeholder engagement.
The substantial focus on humanities and social sciences, along with technical-scientific disciplines and life sciences, ensures the cultivation of professionals who are conscious of their social responsibility. These individuals understand how to responsibly interact with the environment and use their specialization to contribute to a food system that protects natural resources and promotes their regeneration. This approach cares for the health of the environment, humans, and animals alike. In Pollenzo, a new degree class, "L-GASTR," was established and approved by the MUR in 2017. Numerous universities have since included the degree in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures in their educational offerings. Pollenzo's approach has set a precedent and continues to shape the education of future professionals for a sustainable food system."

The Twentieth Anniversary events are a collaborative effort of five entities deeply rooted in Pollenzo: UNISG, Slow Food, Agenzia of Pollenzo, Banca del Vino, and Albergo dell'Agenzia.

From May 29 to June 3, each day will feature a significant series of events.

A conference focused on Italian agri-food entrepreneurship will be held, followed by lectures and UNISG talks given by our faculty and renowned national and international experts. Students and UNISG alums will conduct experiential workshops. The Pollenzo Food Lab will host Masterclasses, which are laboratories of experimentation and innovation. In collaboration with Slow Food Educa, mini-gastronomes will be provided with educational activities.

There will also be meetings focused on art, performance, culture, and information. The Wine Bank and Slow Wine will organize masterclasses and tastings. We will host the "Hungry Minds Festival" film competition and the Conference for the National Day of Agricultural and Food Biodiversity of the Piedmont Region. We will repeat the highly successful event "Se la Langa è Cosi" which revisits the history of Langa over the past century and a half and promotes dialogue between wine producers and local youth.

From Friday to Sunday, there will be a producers' market featuring former university students and Piedmontese producers dedicated to promoting the agri-food biodiversity of the region.

To keep the event lively, there will be a carousel, music, and a selection of food and drinks provided by the UNISG Academic Tables, Hotel Agency, the Wine Bank, and Slow Food.

The event schedule can be viewed on our dedicated anniversary website: https://www.ventennaledipollenzo.it/.

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