Farm to Table/Slow Food Movement in Abruzzo

 Have you ever heard of the Slow Food Movement? 

Slow Food began in Italy with the founding of - Arcigola in 1986 as a consequence of the opening of a McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Hence the name Slow Food instead of fast food.  In 1989, the founding manifesto of the international Slow Food movement was signed in Paris, France by delegates from 15 countries.  The Arcigola has now expanded to include over 100,000 members with branches in over 150 countries. 

Slow Food is an international organization with local chapters all over the world.  Check out slowfood.com to see if there is a chapter in your area!  The aim of this non-profit organization is to promote local foods, traditional cooking and especially food production. This means an opposition to fast food, industrial food production and the sharing of agricultural and production practices across borders.

You also may know the term ‘Farm to Table’.  Farm to Table is a phrase that can mean different things to different people depending on the area. At its heart, Farm to Table means that the food on the table came directly from a specific farm, most likely is organic, without going through a store, market, or distributor along the way. 

In Abruzzo there are numerous Farm to Table restaurants.  Our favorite of all time is Sapori Di Campagna (Country Flavors) in the hillside of Ofena.   

There is also a tourist railway journey that connects a local village here in Abruzzo, Sulmona to Isernia, which is located in the adjacent region of Molise.  This journey is named the Transiberiana d’ Italia. It crosses the Appenines, exposing the vivid and remote scenery of the region.  There are various themed journeys one of which is the Slow Food train.

​The Slow Food trip begins at 9am departing from the Sulmona Station.  There are five station stops along the way. At each stop, there is a tasting of various artisan products such as cheese from cow, goat or sheep milk, flavored honey, traditional homemade salami, peperoni dolci - sweet peppers, truffles, artisanal beer, porchetta - slow roasted pork freshly seasoned, wines of the Peligna Valley, genziana - a locally made bitter liqueur from the gentiana root (Domenico’s favorite) and various local sweet treats.

​If you are planning a trip to visit us here in the beautiful Abruzzo region, check with us and we will schedule an amazing journey for you.  Each train ride is different, and station stops vary according to the theme. A sampling of the various themed train journeys include: artisan beer, local wine, or Christmas to name just a few.