There is great news for the international event that brings thousands of farmers and food producers from 150 countries to Turin, Italy every two years. On the 20th anniversary of the first edition of Salone del Gusto and Slow Food Italy’s 30th birthday, the organizers have decided to celebrate two important milestones of the organization by completely turning the event upside down with an innovative approach.
Where
The location inside a convention center is outdated by now. The philosophy of good, clean and fair food, which involves the Slow Food and Terra Madre worldwide network, belongs to everyone and should be enjoyed by the broadest possible spectrum of public.
That’s why the Region of Piedmont, the City of Turin and Slow Food decided to open the doors of the event and take over the most beautiful and prestigious sites in the city. Parco del Valentino, Borgo Medievale, Palazzo Reale, Teatro Carignano, Circolo dei Lettori and Reggia di Venaria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are just some of the venues where the event will take place.
The name
Since 1996, the year of its first edition, Salone del Gusto has grown up and changed together with Slow Food. In 2004 the first edition of Terra Madre deeply influenced the whole international association and therefore also Salone del Gusto, until they were finally joined together as one event in 2012.
To make it unequivocally clear that there cannot be any gastronomic pleasure without responsibility and sustainability, and to shed more light on food communities, starting in 2016 the event will be called Terra Madre Salone del Gusto.
When
Terra Madre Salone del Gusto will be held from September 22 to 26, 2016. The traditional dates of the Salone have been moved almost a full month earlier in order to fully enjoy the warm weather of late summer/early autumn in the charming city of Turin.
Carlo Petrini, Slow Food President: “We already said it at the end of Expo 2015: our work there was just the beginning. Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, with its new setting, will represent the essence of this renewed commitment and of the will to continue the path undertaken by Slow Food in 1986. That is the best way to celebrate not only 20 years of Salone del Gusto but also Slow Food Italy’s 30th anniversary”, Petrini continued. “Now more than ever we want to create an event in line with the places that host it, making visitors and foreigners even more aware of the need to preserve our common heritage. For this reason we will not build structures in the squares and historical sites of Turin, and we will seek to give the city a highly tangible contribution for the common good.”
For further information, please contact the Slow Food International Press Office:
Paola Nano, +39 329 8321285 – [email protected]
Salone del Gusto, first held in 1996, is one of the world’s most important events dedicated to artisan and small-scale food and wine producers, as well as a forum of exchange for producers and consumers from around the world.
The last edition, held at the Lingotto exhibition center in Turin in October 2014, attracted 220,000 visitors from over 60 countries, saw the participation of 3,000 Terra Madre delegates from around 160 countries, and featured a large market with 1,200 exhibitors from 100 countries, including 300 Slow Food Presidia producers and 400 Terra Madre food communities.
Slow Food involves over a million of people dedicated to and passionate about good, clean and fair food. This includes chefs, youth, activists, farmers, fishers, experts and academics in over 158 countries; a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide (known as convivia), contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize; and over 2,500 Terra Madre food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.