Events

Terroir Tuscany: rural logic. Program Itinerary

Turning traditional techniques into future innovations. Set in the heart of rural Tuscany at the beautiful Castello di Potentino, this week-long culinary retreat unites world-renowned chefs with ancient Etruscan food and farming practices to build a modern understanding of how we can apply traditional wisdom in innovative ways to modern food systems. The tour is led by Terroir Hospitality’s Arlene Stein and Castello di Potentino’s Charlotte Horton, and includes guest talks and workshops hosted by internationally acclaimed chefs and gastronomy experts.

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Terroir Tuscany: rural logic. Program Itinerary

Program Itinerary

Itinerary is subject to change as more participants and activities are added.

DAY 1 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2018 – ARRIVAL AND WELCOME

Transportation from Rome (tbd)

Afternoon Guests arrive at Potentino and settle into their rooms.
18:00 Welcome drink and conversation with Charlotte Horton, Arlene Stein and Christian Puglisi.
19:00 Dinner by resident chef Lughan Carr.
22:00 Evening conversation with Eric Archambeau, a social entrepreneur.

DAY 2 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2018 – ETRUSCAN DAY

9:00 Breakfast talk on the theme of “Food and Early Tuscan Civilisation”. Dr. Helen Farr will give us a background of early Etruscan settlements and why this rural area was the perfect home for this ancient culture.

10:00 Exploration of the Potentino property and neighboring farms as we discover the changing landscape of the area from the Etruscan period to modern times.

13:00 Lunch by local chefs and lunchtime discussion on the theme of “How place creates civilizations”. Sarah Wolferstan will give an overview of the anthropology of a civilization and explain why the Etruscans populated these valleys.

17:00 Pre-dinner conversation about Pagan rituals, continuing traditions and the vestiges of the past with Charlotte Horton.

18:00 “Maintaining tradition through recipes”: Voula Halliday will talk about how recipes have become a form of cultural storytelling.

19:00 “A modern take on a traditional land”. For dinner Matylda Grzelak and Adrian Klonowski will work together with local produce, traditions and folklores to produce a highly localised dinner experience.

DAY 3 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH – WINE DAY

9:00 Breakfast talk: “What is Wine?” What is the anthropology of wine? Our host, Charlotte Horton, leads us through a conversation about wine in Etruscan society.

10:00 Emily Harman is a young wine consultant stationed in Berlin who advises restaurants across the globe. Her speciality is the rise of the natural wine movement. During this morning discussion she’ll expand on this trend and what it means in the world of restaurants.

11:00 Local wine expert Eleanor Shannon, editor of Uncorked in Italy , will lead the group through a comparative tasting of Tuscan wines.

13:00 Lunch will be curated by Voula Halliday, author of Eat at Home.

15:00 Our group will have an experiential day looking through the vineyards of Tuscany.

18:00 Pre-dinner discussion with Fabio Pracchia, writer for Slow Wine on the history of Italian wine.

19:00 Dinner will be a celebration of vegetables with guest chef Amanda Cohen.

21:00 After dinner Priscilla Occhipinti will lead us through a grappa tasting and teach us all about the associated practices and techniques of this fabled spirit.

DAY 4 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH – OLIVE DAY

9:00 A breakfast discussion with Dr Xand Van Tulleken, an expert in health and nutrition, on the importance of “place” in the human body’s physiological make-up and what that meant in the development of ancient civilisations.

10:00 Brid Torrades will explore the value a rural diet based on local fauna and flora from a nutritional perspective.

11:00 The morning will be spent in the olive groves harvesting and tasting the liquid gold.

13:00 Lunch today will be curated by Christian Puglisi and a team of our local chefs.

14:00 Luigi Caricato will take us on a historical journey of olives exploring their role as a key staple in Etruscan diets all the way up to their modern day place in every chef’s pantry.

15:00 Giorgio Franci will lead a structured tasting of his award-winning olive oils.

16:00 “The Etruscan pantry and the core ingredients of the indigenous diet” Farrell Monaco, founder and editor of Tavola Mediterranea and Edible Archaeology will lead a discussion on the ancient Mediterranean diet and how we still benefit from it today. We will sample an array of local produce and learn about their historical connections to the land.

17:00 Mario Morellini will take groups on foraging mission before our dinner feast.

18:00 Pre-dinner discussion: “Food, Culture & Identity:What does “Terroir” mean?” Trine Hahnemann has produced many books based on her Danish heritage. She will lead a group discussion based on what food means to her personal identity.

18:30 Matylda Grzelak and Adrian Klonowski are a pair of young passionate restauranteurs and proud advocates of Polish-Baltic identity. Prior to dinner they will lead a conversation about their traditional food and how they created one of the most celebrated restaurants in their home town of Gdansk.

19:00 Dinner will be provided by a local restauranteur and featue a chestnut polenta-making workshop.

DAY 5 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH – SHEEP DAY

9:00 A breakfast discussion with local sheep milk cheese producers Francesca Ruffaldi and Lorenzo Messana from Caseificio Murceti. They’ll talk to us about the importance of sheep in human history; about their connection to our communities, our preservation and our winter survival.

11:00 We will go out in the field to meet the Potentino flock of sheep where we’ll heard, milk, and later produce some fresh cheeses.

13:00 Second-generation Italian chef Albert Ponzo will prepare today’s lunch combining new and old traditions.

14:00 After lunch our cheese producers will take us through a tasting of a variety of local cheeses.

15:00 Clare Louise Frost, a textile specialist at Potentino, will lead us through a felt-making workshop.

18:00 Pre-dinner discussion with Poul Lang Nielsen, a pig farmer from Copenhagen, and Ruth Klahssen, a sheep milk producer from Canada. Together, the two will lead a comparative analysis on farming and production methods from different parts of the world.

19:00 Dinner will be a feast of local lamb curated by Trine Hahnemann.

DAY 6 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH – PLANT DAY

9:00 Breakfast discussion on “Food Stories” with Margo Baldwin, editor at Chelsea Green Publishing. Margo will share with us the importance of food in storytelling by sharing some of her author’s best selling books.

11:00 Today we will celebrate nature by planting trees on the Potentino property. Each tree you plant will leave a contribution to this place and to our program.

13:00 Local Michelin-starred chef Roberto Rossi will lead the group through a pasta-making workshop that will be the cornerstone of our delicious lunch.

15:00 After lunch resident chef, Lughan Carr, will lead us through bread making workshops using the castle’s wood-burning oven.

18:00 With the help of Luca Farinotti, a restaurant owner and writer from Modena, we’ll hold a discussion about restaurant ethics, tradition and the economy.

19:00 Dinner

DAY 7 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH – FEAST DAY

9:00 Breakfast conversation with Charlotte and Christian about the key learnings from our week spent together.

11:00 Local butcher Fabio Borgoni will lead a butchery workshop with a traditional pig break down – including lots of delicious sausages and head cheese.

13:00 Lunch today will be prepared by Potentino head chef Lughan Carr. During lunch the group will have time to reflect and discuss all of our shared experiences during time at Potentino.

18:00 What is the role of the chef in the food system? Eric Archambeau will moderate a conversation between all of our guest chefs on how they can help shape our food systems and policies.

19:00 Our final dinner will be a traditional Etruscan feast and include a performance by local polyphonic singers from Monte Amiata.

DAY 8 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH – DEPARTURE

9:00 Breakfast and guest departure.

QUESTIONS ABOUT TICKETS?

If you have questions about any aspects of Terroir Tuscany please email: renee@terroirtalk.org

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