A good glass of wine and a very good food (better if organic and local grown), is the best way to capture the authentic atmosphere of a place.
We have met Andrea Chierici, engineer and curious traveler 28 years old, who in his blog Taste Bologna shares his passion for food and for sustainable travel, giving all paths discover the excellence of his city, far from the tourist tracks.
A beautiful place in Italy, that you recommend to visit?
I was literally speechless on the streets of Lecce , I visited other Baroque cities like Modica, Noto , Siracusa, Scicli ( all beautiful ), but walking around the streets of Lecce in one May evening was love at first sight. You turn the corner and find truly amazing and unique churches, squares and palaces. Speaking of my land, there are hidden treasures that I think few people know. For example a few days ago I visited Villa Guastavillani the hills of Bologna, a real gem.
Food and Travel, a winning combination, why?
I think that traveling does not mean only visit the main monuments of a city or close yourself in a museum. When I travel my desire is to try to understand as much as possible about the habits , traditions and roots of the people who live there, and I think the food is perhaps one of the most important tool (certainly the most tasty) to approach this goal.
The colors and smells of the markets, making shopping in the historic workshops, having conversations maybe with gestures with the neighbors table in a tavern: these are the experiences of a journey that I love to take with me . Maybe in a few years I’ll have a faint memory of the beautiful blue mosaics of the Chora Church in Istanbul, but the taste of a baklava is always with me.
How can we make our holidays more sustainable?
I might repeat you the same old lesson about traveling by public transportation, using bicycles and so on. The truth is that to move around, especially in Italy, and to see what deserves to be seen is often necessary to travel by car. However, we can try to improve the impact of our presence through small actions, such as buying fruit and vegetables from local farmers , maintaining clean beaches or staying in agritourism or green farms. In general travel in a sustainable way for me means first of all to respect the place where I’m a guest.
A soundtrack of your ideal trip, what would it be?
Music and food are my greatest passions, and is often the main reason that drives me to travel. I love to see concerts abroad, especially in countries where music is still considered Culture, and visit the places of music (I recommend ViaggiVerdi readers to visit the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, a jewel of Catalan modernism ).
So as the soundtrack of a carefree and sustainable travel I choose an album that made me travel to France recently: it’s Bon Iver self-titled.
Thanks Andrea for the suggestions and for the beautiful video. Ready to go?
Info: for more information about the Bologna Food Tour offered by Andrea visit: Taste Bologna