Celebrating 30 Years of Slow Food: The Story of the Sommacampagna Earth Market
29 Nov 2019

The first Earth Market in the Veneto, created by the Slow Food Garda Veronese Convivium in 2018, is held every first Sunday of the month in a tree-lined square in Sommacampagna’s historic town center. Bringing together 50 farmers, producers and food artisans who showcase their products, it offers a colorful kaleidoscope of flavors and traditions from the local area. All of the market’s producers are committed to helping to save biodiversity and protect the environment with their work.
Fruits and vegetables are on display alongside bread, rice, honey and more unusual specialties like legume pasta, apple cider and even saffron, giving locals a chance to shop for good, clean and fair food.
“The Sommacampagna Earth Market is not just a place where consumers can buy directly from the people who cultivate, farm, produce and process the fruits of the land with respect for the environment, but also a hub for meetings and educational experiences that can attract people who didn’t know anything about Slow Food and its projects,” says Cristina Piazza, who runs the market together with Flavio Marchesini.
In the winter months the market welcomes three street-food vendors, who offer fried pumpkin chips from nearby Mantua, Lessinia roast chestnuts and fried Custoza broccoletto.
“In addition to the great attention paid to the products sold at the market, we also care about sustainability and the environment. Producers take care not to produce waste, leaving the piazza clean after every market, and are focused on using biodegradable and recyclable materials so as to prevent and combat waste.”
This winter, the taste education workshops will be joined by another initiative run by Slow Food Garda Veronese, the “Earth Market Osteria.” As well as buying dishes made using ingredients from the market directly from a food truck staffed by a local chef, there will also be a chance to sit down and taste the dishes in a dedicated space. This will be a convivial venue for meeting, tasting, talking and promoting the local area. “We want the Earth Market to become a place where you can buy what you eat and taste and learn about what you’re buying,” adds Cristina.
To learn more about the Sommacampagna Earth Market, visit: www.facebook.com/mercatodellaterra.sommacampagna
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This year we are celebrating 30 years since the signing of the Slow Food Manifesto, a moment that marked a turning point in the organization’s history. To celebrate this anniversary, we have launched the international campaign, 30 Years of the Slow Food Manifesto – Our Food, Our Planet, Our Future, which looks back at the successes and forward to the future challenges that await us.
This is why we are sharing a selection of initiatives from our network around the world that are promoting good, clean and fair food for everyone. Contributing to Slow Food’s projects means helping to implement activities that support local communities, protect biodiversity and seek to make access to food a right guaranteed to all.
Celebrate with us! Support Slow Food (https://www.slowfood.com/donate/en/projects/save-biodiversity/) and take part in the event closest to you (https://www.30ym.slowfood.com/en/).

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