All Luca Pala could see was white snow swirling in the wind and sleet falling from a gray and gloomy sky. He touched his windowsill and knew immediately that the temperature outside was below freezing. His stomach churned as he watched the snowfall accumulate on his farm with every passing minute.

Icy pellets slammed against the tin roof of the nearby barn as agitated sheep and squealing pigs lay on the hay-covered ground. Suddenly the roof caved in, triggering an uproar that could be heard from miles away.

Pala rounded up a herd of shivering, frost-bitten cows with raw hooves. Barely able to see in the whiteout, he led them for an hour, single-file down the road through deep snow to the shelter of a neighbor’s stable. Before the snow and ice were through, more roofs on Pala’s farm collapsed, some of his livestock perished, water pipes burst, and he lost electricity.

“Logical reasoning would have made me entirely shut down my farm,” says Pala, looking back at the severe storm that struck much of Italy and parts of Europe in early 2012. But despite all the damage, which put production on pause for two months and has kept him operating at a slower pace ever since, Pala remains a well-respected and popular maker of organic cheese in the Le Marche region.

Sitting on more than 270 acres of picturesque green pastures, hills, and valleys in Tavoleto, Pala’s farm focuses on all aspects of organic farming. It has done so ever since his parents Sebastian Alterpiece and Sebastiana Sistu, moved here from Sardinia to start a business selling cheeses and meats. Luca and his two brothers, Marco and Giuseppe, grew up working the farm. In 2003, Luca decided to to continue his family’s legacy when his parents retired. He took over the farm, guiding it in what he considered to be the right direction by maintaining his parents’ organic philosophy.

Luca Pala holds his cheese that is held in the cheese storage room at 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The cheese matures in this room for 20 days before its available for consumption.

Azienda Agricola Paletta, the official name of Pala’s farm, specializes in organic pecorino cheese made from sheep’s milk. Paletta also makes other varieties of pecorino as well as seasoned cheese and ricotta. His cheese is sold in locations throughout the region, including in San Marino, Rimini, Pesaro, and Urbino.

Every day before the sun rises over the nearby Tavoleto mountains, the alarm clock blares in Pala’s ear. He jolts out of bed, eager to start his workday, a chaotic frenzy of caring for his 250 sheep and 20 cows as well as managing the business side of his farm. What keeps him going is his dedication to the belief that natural methods are good for his animals, his farm, and his customers. Following regulations set forth by the Association for Organic Agriculture and the European Union, Pala’s farm uses its own naturally grown resources to make all its organic products.

“Buying organic food is a guarantee for one’s own health, and it helps nature,” says Pala.

Pala’s prized pecorino starts with raw milk from sheep raised in excellent living conditions and fed strictly organic hay. The milk is heated to 37 degrees Celsius, rests at this temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, and is then transferred to a large silver machine where it conglomerates. After steel wire blades cut the thickened milk into pieces, the cheese is molded into a wheel-like shape for two hours. The cheese is placed in a cold room—the temperature is a mere 20 degrees—where salt is applied after 24 hours. Finally, it remains in the cold room to mature for 20 days.

Pala unbolts a steel gray door leading to his cold room. In the dim light, several metal carts hold hundreds of pale white-and-yellow wheels of pecorino. The cheese looks thick and creamy. In a few weeks, he explains, it will be ready for delivery.

A mother and father lick their 2-week old puppy that will one day become a sheepherder like his parents. This breed is called Maremma Sheepdog.

One destination for Pala’s products is Degusteria Raffello, a specialty food shop that sits near the base of one of Urbino’s steepest climbs, at the corner Via Raffaello and Via Bramante. The store’s doors are often wide open, inviting customers to check out their assortments of pasta, wine, olive oil, and especially cheese.

Store owner Alberto Crinella slices a sample of Pala’s organic pecorino cheese into pieces on his dark brown cutting board with a sharp knife. He instructs the customers to break their pieces into fragments with their fingers in order to release and smell the rich aroma. Then a taste: a rich, milky flavor that lingers in the mouth for minutes.

“Luca Pala was one of the first producers that we contacted when we opened our shop seven years ago,” says Crinella, who describes Pala as a dedicated cheese maker who is serious about quality. “Since then, we have never stopped selling his products.”

Pala’s products are also in demand at Urbino’s Galleria AE, a shop that Pala established with a few of his colleagues. Workers there say they often run out of his popular organic pecorino.

On a recent June afternoon, Luca Pala gazes out over his farm and talks about his plans to continue recovering from the snowstorm of 2012. He hopes soon to increase his cheese production beyond the still-reduced frequency of two times per week. He would like to pay off his loans from the bank. He is looking into establishing a purchasing group, a network of loyal customers who would set up long-term agreements to buy his products.

“This project would allow people, maybe even our own customers, to invest in our farm,” Pala says.

He says he continues to face many challenges, including restrictive rules imposed by Italy and the European Union, the unpredictability of Nature, and a farmer’s built-in risks from being “right under the sky.”

But on this warm day under clear, precipitation-free skies, Luca Pala puts on a smiling face and says he will continue to work at the thing he loves.

This article also appears in Urbino Now magazine’s Mangia Bene section. You can read all the magazine articles in print by ordering a copy from MagCloud.

URBINO, Italy – Like workers in the U.S., when residents of this famous hilltop Renaissance head home after a long day, they are eager for a satisfying meal, and a relaxing beverage.

But you won’t find any drive-through windows here. This is a place immersed in Slow Food – a growing worldwide movement and cuisine that speaks to more than just cravings by emphasizing the use of locally produced products. 

“It sustains a more genuine approach to the territory, a sense of appreciation for the territory,” said Francesco Ovarelli, restaurant owner and Slow Food member. 

Slow Food, in fact, was founded in Bra, Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini. Outraged by the opening of a McDonald’s in Rome, Petrini and other activists became motivated to remind people of the traditionally slow pace of Italian life and the pride they should take in their locally produced foods.

It’s almost ready! Time to add some finishing touches.

Its motto “good, clean, and fair” seems simple, but it covers plenty of important details surrounding the use of local foods:

• A diet consisting of local products tastes better because it uses fresher goods.

• It helps the local economy by supporting area growers.

• It’s better for the environment because local production requires less energy to bring the good to users. 

• It requires members to produce products using environmentally friendly methods.

• And knowing where food comes from fosters an appreciation for local cuisine and traditions.

Let’s see what’s cooking! Angela handles preparing multiple dishes at a time in this busy kitchen.

Because the Slow Food organization considers education a key to success it hosts events such as farm tours, workshops and dinners to inform the public about healthy eating habits. And in 2001 it began an effort to educate children about the benefits of growing their own healthy foods by starting the “school gardens” programs. Of the 180 school gardens worldwide, 125 are in Italy.

Slow Food also works to promote and draw attention to local products that are close to extinction with an initiative called The Ark of Taste. In the Urbino region, for example, local chapters are striving to continue the production of “Mele rosa dei Monti Sibillini,” or rose apples. Once highly sought after, the tiny pink apples have not been able to compete with the larger apples in today’s markets and have almost disappeared from the landscape.

Another local food currently under the protection of Slow Food is “Cicerchia di Serra de’ Conti,” a grass pea specific to Le Marche. Usually gathered in bundles, this legume is typically hung in the sun to dry, then soaked in water before being cooked. It is traditionally used in soups or served as a side dish. 

Saving those foods and spreading the Slow Food ethic requires the attention not only of individuals, but also restaurants.  Francesco Ovarelli, owner of La Valle Del Vento, only recently registered his restaurant with Slow Food, but he’s been a strong supporter of local vendors since he opened 12 years ago.

 “We started with an idea to work with good products just from the area,” says Ovarelli, “It’s simple for us because we live in a beautiful area with good products and great farmers.”

Ovarelli’s philosophy includes an effort to have secure all the products within “0 kilometers” from his kitchen. That means his menu has no choice but to change with the seasons. 

 “We serve seasonal dishes and depending on the period, we change our menu,” he said, “not imitating our traditional meals, but revisiting them.”

 This summer, he says, they are using a lot of vegetables from local farmers such as eggplant, tomatoes, and asparagus, to name a few.  That showed up on a recent Saturday menu with  Spaghetti alla Chitarra con asparagi e noci, a pasta with asparagus and walnuts. And  Gnocchi di Patate con Crema di Melanzane, potato gnocchi with eggplant cream.

Slow Food might be Ovarelli’s guiding philosophy, but there is nothing slow about how his restaurant operates. There is constant chopping, stirring, mixing, and breezing in and out of the kitchen doors to deliver food to hungry customers. Everything is prepared fresh by hand with ingredients from local vendors such as Longhi Rovaldo (for fresh truffles and mushrooms), Grossi Family Salumieri (for cooked meats), and Verde Mela (for fresh fruits and vegetables each season). Over ten different vendors are listed in the back of the La Valle Del Vento menu, all from Urbino and the surrounding provinces.

Ovarelli says the extra care in keeping the Slow Food ethic helps his business, as well as local producers.

 “We work with foreigners, mostly coming from northern Europe and Italian cities as well,” says Ovarelli.

 “They are attracted by products which they can’t find ordinarily.” 

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ACQUALAGNA, Italy – Built in 1825, its paint aged the color of burnt roses, the building housing the Ristorante Antico Furlo sits at the mouth of the Furlo Gorge, a slice in the Apennines Mountains celebrated as one of Italy’s natural masterpieces.

But inside the building, a famous chef is at work in the kitchen creating magic with another of the nation’s celebrated natural masterpieces: truffles.

He takes the job seriously.

“I feel very important when I cook with truffles,” Chef Alberto Melagrana admitted.

In a city that bills itself as Italy’s capital of truffles, Melagrana is one of its shining stars. His expertise in the kitchen with these pungent members of the fungi family has made his name known throughout the region and even across the seas. He is the only chef in the Marche Region to be mentioned in the book about black truffles, “L’Altro Tartufo del Premonte” or “The Other Truffle.”

Chef Alberto Melagrana stands in the doorway of the restaurant after a shift in the kitchen and takes in the beautiful city that is Furlo.

His restaurant and hotel is off the traditional tourist paths, yet gourmands still seek him out.

The guest register shows widespread appeal, with names from across Europe and North America.

 “When white truffles come, [the hotel] rooms are full every day,” Melagrana said.

But as it turns out, Melagrana’s road to fame in the world of truffledom was all a happy accident.

That trip started in the kitchen of his hometown in the coastal city of Fano where a 13-year-old Melagrana helped his mother at her seafood restaurant, “Fosso Seiore.”

“My mother was a fish cook in Fano,” he recalled. “So that was my prime teaching.”

Melagrana moved to Paris and later London as a young adult where he worked as a waiter and a cook fine-tuning his culinary skills. He carried them back to Italy and was able to put them into action in 1989 when his chance for stardom arrived with a stroke of luck: The owner of the Antico Furlo asked Melagrana if he was interested in taking over the business. On January 5, 1990, they opened the doors and went to work. 

But with a minimal truffle background, Melagrana knew he would have to take a crash course from an expert in the field already.

“I met truffles in London and Paris but it wasn’t like here,” he recalled. “Here, people look for them every day.”

Black truffles are in season during the summer so Melagrana must select his menu to fit the availability of truffles.

Under careful tutelage Melagrana learned some of the basics:

• There are two types of truffles, black and white.
• The season for whites is from October to December while the season for blacks is from May to September.
• White truffles have a more delicate flavor, which works best with white meats such as poultry and pork but is easy to lose when paired with darker meats.
• Truffles flourish in the Marche Region because they thrive in its wet, warm climate.
• Chefs must “respect the temperature of the truffle.” The ideal temperature to cook white truffles is from 131-136 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Black truffles more often are grated raw onto dishes.
• Extra virgin olive oil is used to cook black truffles and butter is used to cook white truffles.

Melagrana also had to learn the high-dollar economics of the truffle business.

 “Buying the truffles is 90% of the work because you need to know exactly what you are looking for and what it’s worth.”

The sign outside of the restaurant says “Albergo Ristorante” meaning hotel and restaurant.

Prices vary between the black and white truffles with white typically being in the higher end of the spectrum. One kilogram of white truffles can cost upwards of $2,220 during a plentiful crop season and up to $6,800 during a bad or dry season.

As his education progressed, so did the popularity of Antico Furlo and today Melagrana is known as one of the best truffle chefs in Italy, with signature creations.

One such dish is Uovo croccante con Vellutata di patate di Acqualagna, or fried egg with potato cream and truffles from Acqualagna. A fellow chef lent the recipe to Melagrana who added his own twists.

An egg precooked similar to a poached egg is coated with breadcrumbs and fried for a few seconds in corn oil. The purpose of using the poached egg is to cook the white but have the yolk runny.

The fried egg sits on a bed of creamed potatoes seasoned with rosemary and Worcestershire sauce. A cured and seasoned egg yolk is grated over the egg before the creation is topped with black truffle shavings.

Melagrana’s reputation spread across the Atlantic in 2006 when the mayor of Acqualagna invited him to be one of the chefs for the Urbino Press Awards announcement held annually at the Italian Embassy in Washington. He’s been asked back every year since.

In Washington, he usually prepares two dishes specific to the Marche Region. Casciotta d’Urbino is a fondue using the soft white cheese from this region that has its origins in 1545. Truffle crostini is toasted bread topped with a sauce containing truffle cream, garlic, and anchovies among other ingredients.

Melagrana has built a reputation for himself not only for his skill as a chef but also for his knowledge of truffles. Now he is thinking of passing on his years of truffle education to a new generation by opening a cooking school at Antico Furlo exclusively for U.S. chefs.

If he is successful, Americans might be able to create their own version of Uovo croccante con Vellutata di patate di Acqualagna.

They can feel as important as Alberto Melagrana by cooking with truffles. 

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Sitting back in his chair, Matteo Grossi grasps at his dark beard and thinks back to two years ago when his family’s business began. His eyes, through a pair of lime-green-rimmed glasses, sweep over a gleaming platter of fresh salumi and cheese. Each item is carefully positioned and proudly laid out on the dark blue tablecloth covering his table at Il Cortegiano, a popular restaurant in downtown Urbino.

Matteo has asked his grandfather, Vittorio, to join him at the restaurant to reminisce. “Do you remember what your reaction was when I said I wanted us to start our business?” Matteo asks, trying to suppress a grin.

Both men burst into laughter. For a moment, the differences fade between the wise, soft-spoken grandfather and his wildly animated grandson. Though almost 50 years of age separate them, they are joined by a single cause: to produce to the finest quality of salumi in the Le Marche region.

When the laughter subsides, Vittorio cracks a delicate smile at his grandson and answers his question, repeating the words that define the artisanal style of “Famiglia Grossi Artisti Salumieri” to this day: “You’re crazy, but I’m with you. And if you’ve got the passion, you can do it.”

To the average American, salami is a type of sausage. But to Italians, salumi refers to all sorts of cured meats, including sausages, hams, bolognas, and pork. And like other appetizing delicacies in Italy, salumi is treated with an exceptional degree of culinary care.

For Matteo, starting a business with his grandfather would also be an apprenticeship. Vittorio has been curing meat for six decades. “To be like him, it will take me all of my life,” says Matteo. “And I think it will take me at least 60 years just to learn everything.”

Vittorio came from a family of farmers in the Marche region who raised the hogs and other animals that were transformed into cured meat with the help of butchers. While Vittorio’s father and grandfather were passionate about their work as farmers, Vittorio took a special interest in the curing side of the trade.

As a boy, instead of going to the cinema, Vittorio would sit out in the barn with the butchers for entertainment. He would watch for hours as they led the hogs to slaughter, boiled their meats, and carved away the fat. And he observed as the meats were dried with salts, flavored with spices, and hung in a cool place for storage to preserve the sustenance. Thus, by the time he was five years old, he had a passion for curing meat.

One of the hogs moves along the barbed-wire fencing at the Montefeltro farm. While the hogs are free-range livestock, the fences offer protection from wolves who might prey on them.

When Vittorio was a young teen, a neighboring butcher’s son declined to learn the craft — and Vittorio eagerly accepted an apprenticeship.

For the next 60 years, Vittorio made his living as a freelance butcher, traveling from farm to farm in search of work cutting and curing meat. At first, he strapped his tools to his back and hiked the miles between farms. His reputation grew, and soon he could afford a moped, then a car. Eventually Vittorio became known in the Le Marche region as a salumi master.

While growing up, grandson Matteo would huddle with Vittorio about twice a year in their dimly lit basement “laboratory” — as Matteo calls their home’s production space — working over a wooden table to arrange the family feast. For several years after college, Matteo served as a manager in a local furniture company, but he lost interest in the work and felt he needed “a life change.” His childhood memories of helping Vittorio got him thinking about returning to his roots to “to rediscover passion.”

“And so, when we started two years ago,” says Matteo, “I was with him to learn.”

Matteo understood the path would be challenging, and he needed to follow every direction precisely so as to not lose his way. He had to learn how to spot a healthy hog that was raised to provide the purest meat. Then came mastering the maneuvers of fat carving with the butcher’s knife. Only human hands can succeed. Industrial cutters can’t spot each hog’s unique distribution of fat. Lastly, he was taught about flavor: how the right application of salts, peppers, and other spices during the curing process would retain the seasoning — without the use of preservatives.

“I wanted to go back in time and feel the real work of the relationship with the land and man. I wanted to make our passion a business,” Matteo says. “But I also wanted to make good food, and good food means not only good for the flavor but good for the health.”

Matteo Grossi, who helped begin Famiglia Grossi Artisti Salumieri, cuts fresh slices of ham for a customer’s sandwich in the lunch hours.

Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Matteo made his pilgrimage around farms in Le Marche in search of the highest quality hogs for their product. At a farm along the backwoods borderline of Emilia-Romagna and Le Marche, he met a duo of farmers who allowed their hogs to live free-range lifestyles and fed them only custom-prepared organic cereals and grains. Minimal human contact plus freedom to roam, Matteo decided, was the best way to ensure a healthy hog.

“We can’t get close, because they only know the farmer,” Matteo explains one day during a visit to the farm, which has become a critical partner in the new Famiglia Grossi operation. He makes sure to stay more than 30 feet from the nearest hog. “If they saw us, it would ruin the free way they live.” Matteo says that once a hog reaches 230 to 250 kilos — between 500 and 550 pounds — they lead it on its final march before becoming the center of attention in the Grossi’s laboratory.

Back in the laboratory, Matteo always works side-by-side with his grandfather, treating each month’s new haul as another lesson. Even at 80-years-old, the master still takes his weapon firmly in his hands, both calloused from years in the salumi line of duty. With each cut from his butcher’s knife, Vittorio achieves perfection — a feat Matteo is still chasing.

After the carving, each slab of meat is cured and stored based on its unique attributes. Some meats, like salame and lonza, take only 30 to 50 days. Others, such as prosciutto, can take more than 20 months. Those long periods got Matteo thinking about a new wrinkle in his dream for the family’s business, and so he came to his grandfather with a proposal: “Why don’t we cure the meat and cook the meat?”

At first the idea seemed too drastic a break with tradition, and the master turned down the student’s idea. After all, Vittorio still had much of the craft to pass along before he felt there would be room for innovation.

“He’s trying to give me a thing I don’t have, which is patience,” Matteo says. He looks across the restaurant table to see that the humor is not lost on his grandfather.

“Now, he’s a good boy,” adds Vittorio, smiling.

Today, customers can find both types of products at the most visible part of the Grossi family’s modernized salumi empire, L’orto del Sorillo — or The Garden of Smiles — in “new” Urbino, just a few kilometers outside the city’s ancient walls. Vittorio’s legacy thrives in the cured meats hanging from the ceiling and in thick, tempting hunks behind the glass display of the deli counter: prosciutto, pancetta, lonza, and salame. During lunch and dinner hours, scarcely more than a few minutes go by without a new customer entering the shop. And most of them either leave with a ready-to-go cooked sandwich or their own stock of cured meat, to be eaten at their convenience.

“It’s tradition linked to innovation,” Matteo says.

To complement the meats, there are several choices of formaggio, or cheese. Rounding out the supporting cast throughout the shop are colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, and other assorted essentials.

On most afternoons, Matteo’s bearded face can be seen beaming on the other side of the glass. Usually, he waits patiently for the customer to decide — though, sometimes, he can’t help but offer his recommendation, bursting forth like a kid telling his parents about his first day of kindergarten. Ever the modern businessman, Matteo uses his skills in English, French, and German to give foreign travelers a welcomed touch of home.

Salame, or sausages, sit atop the deli counter at the Grossi’s shop, tagged with their businesses name and logo.

L’orto del Sorillo is truly a family affair. On Matteo’s days in the shop, he usually works beside his girlfriend, Marta Campaioli. When he travels for business, his parents or grandmother run things. Behind the scenes, Vittorio and Matteo are already teaching the art of salumi to the next in the family line, Matteo’s younger brother, Tommaso.

As for Vittorio, he sticks to what he knows and rarely ventures from his side of the artisanal craft. Sitting now at the table across from his entrepreneurial grandson at Il Cortegiano, he quietly explains that his absence from the shop should not be mistaken for a lack of interest. Rather it shows trust in his partner. He says he takes no issue with Matteo spreading their family’s name, as when he convinced this very restaurant to put Grossi salumi on the menu.

Vittorio says he will always remember finding his passion in traditional salumi as a butcher’s apprentice decades ago. And he is proud to see his grandson discovering the same love — but in his own way. Vittorio notes that through the years, he never went to Matteo and asked him to join him.

A passion — a “crazy idea” — must first be discovered alone, the elder Grossi has told his grandson since they started. Then, and only then, can the master take the student’s hand and show him the way.

This article also appears in Urbino Now magazine’s Mangia Bene section. You can read all the magazine articles in print by ordering a copy from MagCloud.

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For most of us, the words “tomato” and “gelato” just do not seem to go together. You would probably turn up your nose at the suggestion of spinach in gelato as well. What about carrots or saffron? Way too bizarre to be found in any normal gelato flavor, right? Not to Roberta De Sanctis.

In fact, De Sanctis, a food scientist, nutritionist, and teacher at the University of Urbino, believes in these odd combinations. After much research and taste testing, she is using them to create a new kind of gelato. She calls it “functional gelato.”

“Functional gelato is the future of gelato,” De Sanctis declares. Her basic strategy: combining one fruit and one vegetable of the same color with many other beneficial ingredients to turn gelato into a healthful snack or even a meal replacement.

To explain her four color-coded flavors, De Sanctis flips through a brochure titled “Il Gelato Che Fa Bene Alla Salute” or, “Gelato That Is Good For Your Health.” First is Giallo/Arancio, (yellow/orange) a gelato made with peaches and saffron. Because her formula calls for a lot of fruit, this flavor is rich in fiber and antioxidants, among other things. De Sanctis says it can help protect the skin from the aging effects of the summer sun. Her Rosso (red) gelato is made with raspberries and cherry tomatoes. Its high amounts of fiber, vitamin C, and lycopene help defend against inflammation of the cardiovascular system, according to De Sanctis. Viola (violet) combines purple carrots and blackberries. Also filled with fiber and vitamin C, Viola can prevent inflammation of the urinary tract, De Sanctis believes. Her Verde (green) flavor blends spinach and kiwi. Vitamin C in the kiwi helps the body more readily absorb iron from the spinach, which is especially important for people who may be anemic.

Urbanati’s niece anxiously waits to have her order taken at the counter.

De Sanctis explains that one of the challenges in developing these naturally sweet, fruit-based gelatos is controlling the types and amounts of sugar. She replaces some of the sugar in a standard gelato formula with inulin, a sweet-tasting dietary fiber that comes from the plant chicory. Regular doses of inulin are thought by some to promote immune system function, support the cardiovascular system, and enhance the absorption of minerals in the body. Inulin also may help with weight loss and ease digestion.

Inulin is not the only additional ingredient that makes functional gelato nutritious, says De Sanctis. Among others, she also includes casein, a protein found in milk and eggs that supports proper growth and development of children; omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower the risk of heart disease; and probiotics, naturally occurring bacteria that are believed to improve digestive health.

Of course, the abundance of healthful ingredients—not to mention the color green—is enough to make any gelato fan wonder whether functional gelato will offer the sweet and delicious tastes that the Italian people love. De Sanctis says she is used to skepticism. She recommends a trip to a gelato shop a few minutes outside Urbino for some first-hand research.

Polo Gelateria-Torteria sits on a quiet street in the small town of Gallo. On a recent hot evening in June, people are perched on benches outside, enjoying their cold treats. Stepping under a faded blue awning and into the shop, customers find the familiar rainbow-filled counter behind which the operator hurries back and forth. Although Polo may look like many other gelato shops in Italy, it is one of only three that offer De Sanctis’s four functional gelatos. A paper sign taped to the glass counter lists “I Colori Della Salute”—”the colors of health.”

A mother and her two sons enjoying a treat outside Polo on a hot June evening.

Shop owner Claudia Urbanati, looks up, scoop in hand, to see De Sanctis enter. “Ciao! Ciao!” she exclaims. Urbanati and De Sanctis hug and chat like good friends as well as business partners. After De Sanctis became a customer a few years back, they instantly connected and started collaborating. De Sanctis does research perfecting her functional formulas in the “laboratory” in the back of the shop. Urbanati serves as the entrepreneurial half of the team by producing and selling De Sanctis’s products out front. As the secretary-treasurer of the Association of Maestros of Gelato, a group that promotes artisinal gelato, Urbanati is committed to authentic methods and health benefits for all the products she offers.

De Sanctis confidently steps behind the counter and starts scooping gelato for her six-year old daughter, Eleonora. The little girl’s face lights up as she watches piles of classic vanilla come to rest on top of her cone. De Sanctis says her three young children are not ready to appreciate her functional flavors. The same could be said of many adults. She says that despite increasing health consciousness among Italians, most are probably unaware of—or possibly unconvinced about—the good taste of gelato that is also good for you.

Which brings us back to the need for a first-hand functional gelato tasting.

De Sanctis emerges from behind the counter offering a large cup with four generous scoops. The four functional flavors make up a beautiful assortment of lavender, pink, orange, and green gelato.

With the first bite of Rosso, you instantly get a sensation of tomato, but not an overpowering one. The raspberry kicks in quickly, balancing the tomato with a flavorful zing. It’s subtle and sweet, but also invigorating. Although this is perhaps her most unusual flavor combination, De Sanctis says, it is also the most popular.

The variety of gelato makes it hard for customers to choose a flavor here at Polo Gelateria-Torteria.

Viola begins with a bold, possibly worrisome note of carrot, but any bitterness fades in a few seconds as sweet blackberry comes into play. It’s a satisfying blend.

Don’t let any feelings you may have against spinach stop you from trying Verde. Luckily, it does not taste anything like a spinach leaf. It is full of tangy, mouth-watering kiwi.

As soon as you try Giallo/Arancio, it is obvious that it is made with fresh peaches and not a lot of added sugar. It tastes like summer, a sensation you never want to end.

After a tasting like this, you are no longer worrying about health benefits and nutritious ingredients. That, of course, is part of De Sanctis’s strategy. Functionality is trumped by sweet, homemade flavors that leave you satisfied, feeling healthy, and wanting more.

This article also appears in Urbino Now magazine’s Mangia Bene section. You can read all the magazine articles in print by ordering a copy from MagCloud.

ACQUALAGNA, Italy - It is early evening when Giorgio Remedia and his dog set off into the woods of Acqualagna, Italy. The June air is warm and light, and the ground moist from days of rain–the perfect weather for a truffle hunt.

“Dov’é, Chicca? C’é?” (Where is it, Chicca? Here?) Giorgio calls out to his dog repeatedly. Chicca sniffs frantically through the dirt and begins to dig. “Brava, brava, Chicca!” Giorgio yells as his dog returns to him with a small black truffle inside her mouth. Giorgio rustles the black and white fur on her head and removes the black summer truffle. He holds it to his nose taking in the earthy aroma of the mushroom before placing it into his side pocket.

Giorgia and Chicca walk through the field in search of black summer truffles.

A typical hunt can take hours depending upon the truffle type and the season. Because the dogs are initially trained to perceive the hunt as a game, they will continue to keep their noses in the ground until told to stop. In the small mountain town of Acqualagna, Italy, the black summer truffle—also known as scorzone—is plentiful. This area is known as the truffle-hunting capital of the region of Marche.

Giorgio Remedia is a third generation truffle hunter who started at a young age with his father and grandfather. Remedia and his 8-year-old dog, Chicca, spend each season in the Acqualagnan fields and woods in search of different types of truffles. After each hunt some truffles are sold to private clients while most are sent off to laboratories like Acqualagna Tartufi. In these factories the expensive fungi are cleaned, stored, and transformed into various truffle-infused products.  They are also sold fresh and frozen.

Emanuela Bartolucci oversees Acqualagna Tartufi, a family-owned company started ten years ago. She is scheduled to work from 6 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon, seven days of the week, but she admits to working as long as 14 hours a day 

Emanuela turns over a red crate of black summer truffles onto a metal surface.

“Checking the quality of the truffle is most important,” she says as she rubs the truffle with a white brush. “The product must have just been freshly picked.”  Emanuela needs to process the truffles within 24 hours of receiving them, otherwise the quality is compromised. Acqualagna Tartufi brings in approximately 200 kilos of truffles daily and, once the truffles are brought to the lab, they are stored in crates and kept cool in a refrigerator. From there, the truffles are transformed into 70 types of products or sold fresh or frozen. Any of the nine types of seasonal truffles can be infused into foods like oil, crème, or pasta.  In contrast to the white truffle,the scorzone is the least expensive and less pungent truffle and, because of its delicacy, complements food well. Least expensive is relative, however.  According to Giorgio, even this truffle sells between 100-to-200 euros a kilo (2.2 pounds). However, when truffles are infused into crèmes or oils, their prices drop proportionally. T&C Tentazione, a truffle retailer in Acqualagna, sells 250 ml of white truffle olive oil for 18,50 euros (about $25.00 US). By comparison the online “Gourmet FoodStore” based in Florida sells 250 ml of white truffle olive oil for $32.25 dollars.

Giorgio holds truffles in his hand—a clear sign of a successful hunt.

The scorzone is a well-known mushroom that grows underground in areas far from grass and near trees. It grows and matures for months leading up to the June to November harvesting season. The truffles are hidden in the earth close to old oak and hazelnut trees where the soil is generally moist. According to Giorgio, water is the most important factor in ensuring a truffle ripens well. He prefers to hunt in the morning or evening away from the midday heat.

Giorgia and Chicca walk through the field in search of black summer truffles.

Once the truffles are brushed, scraped, and weighed they are ready for production. Acqualagna Tartufi uses a combination of machines and manual labor to process these delicate mushrooms. After the products have been made, they spend the next few days being sterilized and put into jars.  Emanuela says, “70 percent of the products made in this laboratory are disseminated to the commerce abroad.  The other 30 percent of these products are sold to residents of Acqualagna and throughout Marche.”

One shop, Tartufi Antiche Bonta, is located 30 kilometers from Acqualagna in the university town of Urbino. “We sell high quality products from the Marche region…most importantly, the truffle from Acqualagna,” says sales clerk Dominica.

These products all come back to the hunter, like Giorgio Remedia. Without his expertise and his trained dog, this aromatic delicacy could remain hidden in the soil.  Giorgio relies upon his years of experience in other ways: “ There are many breeds of non-edible truffles. But here maybe I’m a teacher. It is my responsibility to know the truffle.”

Chicca prods the ground with her nose, eager to find another black treasure. This time Giorgio scrapes away the dirt and grabs the truffle from the ground. It was the size of a quarter, not yet ripe and not able to be used. He compares it to a truffle from his pocket, then laughs and puts the small one back on the ground. “Grazie, Bella,” he says to Chicca as he rubs her head. “Grazie!”

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URBINO, Italy – When Leonardo Cossi decided in 2008 to make his passion for wine his livelihood, he was familiar with this old piece of piece of black humor: “The best way to make a million in the wine business is to invest three million.” 

But instead of taking that truism as a warning, Cossi accepted it as a challenge.

Six years and just under $4 million later Cossi is standing on a sun-kissed hillside outside the Renaissance city of Urbino ready to cut the ribbon on Ca Sciampagne –  House of Champagne – the newest winery in the province. 

“I am a Capricorn,” joked Cossi, speaking through an interpreter. “I know I am both stubborn and persistent.  That is why I think my business will work out.” 

Cossi’s story is becoming a familiar one in Le Marche (pronounced Lay Mar-kay), the region in central Italy between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennines Mountains, which has begun a concerted effort to elbow its way into the front ranks of one the world’s most renowned wine-growing countries.

Even with a year to go before Ca Sciampagne officially opens, Leonardo Cossi wine has already started to age wine in several oak and cherry barrels.

The Marche has long been one of the smallest wine producers of the country’s 20 regions. For example, in 2012 the Marche produced 24.2 million gallons compared to the Vento region that topped out at 199.4 million gallons. And historically when wine writers toured the Marche, they were interested only in its indigenous white, Verdicchio.

But over the last decade, things have begun to change. The region’s red wines are gaining respect, and the number and quality of wineries has grown. The hills between Urbino and the coastal city of Pesaro have been part of that development.

Terracruda, opened in 2005,  has already become  one of the area’s most successful new wineries. Located near the small town of Fratte Rosa about 19 miles from the coast, its 50 acres have flourished.  The guide, “Good Wines of Italy (2014),” deemed their Lubaco as a “wine not to be missed.”  In 2011, Terracruda’s  Bianchello  swept both gold and silver medals at the International Competition in Lyon France.

But Cossi isn’t aiming to match Terracruda.  He hopes to surpass it.

New grape vines were planted in 2008 alongside vines that were planted over 40 years prior.

“To me, Terracruda is a middle quality winery and it has a good quality-to-price ratio,” admitted Cossi, “It is a respectable winery, in any case.”

While Terracruda’s facility is a modern layout, Cossi is in the process of finishing a winery that is compatible with the surrounding landscape and history of the Urbino area.  The décor throughout the still-rising complex is full of historic detail.  The floors are made of used oak wine barrels and every piece of furniture is an antique or family heirloom.

Cossi, an Urbino native, said he couldn’t find evidence of a previous winery to ever operate so close to Urbino, even though there were 40-year-old grape vines already on the property when he bought it. He hopes eventually to earn the DOC – Designation of Origin – for the Urbino area.

The Marche region already has 13 varieties of wine labeled DOC. To qualify, the wine makers must follow very strict rules set by the DOC board.  These rules ensure that the method of wine production is ethical and check to see if the procedures match the guidelines. 

When Leonardo Cossi bought the property, forty-year-old grape vines were already planted there and remain there today.

The DOC label doesn’t denote quality, Cossi pointed out, because even the simplest of table wines can qualify for the label.  But he knows wine enthusiasts rely on it to confirm the type of grapes the wine was made of and the terrain they were grown in.  And he said the designation would help convince people – even his fellow Urbino residents – he can produce valuable wines in his hometown. 

 “Like the tall city walls, the people in Urbino can often be close-minded,” claimed Cossi, “so, it will be a challenge to persuade them to come.”

Although Ca Sciampagne only started selling wine to local shops and bars this year, the cellar is already storing 27,000 bottles. Currently eight different grape varieties are growing, including Bianchello del Metauro , Sangiovese dei Colli Pesaresi, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Bianco, Aleatico and Alicante.

If all goes according to plan, Cossi said,  Ca Sciampagne will be producing about 50,000 bottles per year. And if he can sell 30,000 to 32,000 of those bottles each year, he can avoid becoming part that old joke about the wine business.

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In the waning heat of a June day, Giordano Galiardi glanced over his grove of 350-year-old olive trees, taking a deep breath of the grassy air that hovers over the field. He pointed, and moved slowly, making sure to be gentle with each tree as he searched for olives that may have sprouted a bit early. With the sun on his back, he picked through the branches. Sunlight sneaked over his shoulders and past his arms like spotlights, following his movements and flickering over the serious look in his eyes.

His focused expression shifted into a shy grin and he turned, opening the tree to all of the light and revealing the mallet, or cluster of baby olives dangling off a branch. The tight green buds showed that the season was approaching.

Galiardi, a farmer, producer, and environmental advocate, has built himself into an olive oil connoisseur. His passions are organic production, quality products, and the desire to leave a small environmental footprint on his land. Based in Cartoceto, a region long known for olive oil, Cantine Galiardi stresses excellence through progressive ideas.

A 350-year-old olive tree, one of the oldest in Galiardi’s groves, stands amid the rolling hills of Cartoceto, a region long known for its excellent olive oil.

Located only 16 km from the Adriatic Sea, the Cartoceto area boasts the perfect climate and environment for growing olives, with its mild winters and long, dry summers. “The land plays an important part in this,” Galiardi said. “And so does the geography of the area. It’s a kind of natural arena facing the sea.” For centuries, this area was owned by Popes, who prized its olive oil.

In 2004, olive oil from the Cartoceto area earned the European Union’s Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin), also known as having a DOP label. To maintain DOP standing, Cartoceto producers must use certain strains of olives including the four that Galiardi grows: leccino, frantoio, moraiolo, and raggiolo. The Olio DOP Cartoceto label also prohibits the use of anything other than traditional harvesting and processing methods, and ensures that the products are local and of consistent quality. “Some local varieties of olives produce some of the best oils in the world,” Galiardi said. Galiardi currently serves as secretary of the Cartoceto DOP group, which began with him and five other producers and now includes 26 olive oil makers.

By the time the region’s oil earned that coveted label, Galiardi had been in business for four years. Growing up in Cartoceto, he never had plans to take on the organic olive oil industry. “At the beginning of my career I was an athlete,” Galiardi explained. His passion began as a hobby with six of his friends and fellow cyclists. “At the end of the sports season I used to manage an olive crusher with my team-mates. We did that as a hobby, but my passion for oil was born out of that.”

The friends began to learn from locals and become more interested in the production of the oil. “We started working with the oil producers, and most of them were old people, so they had started abandoning their work in the fields,” said Galiardi. “We started with one field, and then it expanded.”

Guests reach for hors d’oeuvres – olives, bread with olive paste, and olive oil – to start off an olive oil tasting at the newly constructed Cantine Galiardi.

After breaking apart from his friends to start his own company, Galiardi, a quiet man with a strong will, made the bold choice to pursue an organic route. “From a moral standpoint, I didn’t want to use herbicides or pesticides that would upset the environment,” he noted. “I decided to go organic as a matter of personal ethics. It dates back to my childhood.”

His business began long before many stores carried, much less endorsed, organic products. Despite an unwelcoming market and skepticism from fellow producers, Galiardi stuck to his goal and achieved organic status on his farms after a three-year approval process with Suolo e Salute, a national organic inspection and certification group based in Fano.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for [Galiardi] because he is going the way that he wants to,” said Marieke Nooder, who collaborates with Galiardi and other local organic producers to build and market their businesses. “Despite what other people say to him, he continues on his way—and it is the right way for him. He believes in it and I respect that.”

While only two other Cartoceto producers are currently organic, the organic trend is growing in Italy. In February, the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported that Italy’s organic industry grew by 7.3 percent in 2013, and is valued at 1.7 billion euro.

“The world is asking for organic,” Nooder said. “A lot of people see that we cannot do what we have done before by destroying a lot of things. We have to be careful with all of the beautiful things of nature.”

These days, Galiardi not only takes his organic standing seriously, but he also goes the extra step when caring for his business and nurturing his plants. He claims that he is “trying to take back the old traditions that our grandfathers would have used while harvesting.” This approach is called “biodynamics,” a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture that often involves following moon phases and operating by wind directions to cultivate and harvest crops.

While olive oil makes up 60 percent of Galiardi’s business, he also produces olive paste, artichokes, wine, and some jams and creams. He grows 1,000 kilo of olives yearly, creating up to 12,000 kilos of olive oil. The products come from four local varieties of olive that are DOP approved, including Raggiolo. “Raggiolo is local and known as ‘our own olive,’” Galiardi noted. Those olives sprout from 8,000 trees ranging in age from 16 to 350 years old and rooted in over 15 hectares of land.

The silvery leaves of an ancient olive tree shade olive oil maker Giordano Galiardi as he shares his organic philosophy and reminisces about his evolution from cyclist to farmer.

From the field to the frantoio—oil mill—there is a specific process to make olive oil, beginning with shaking the olives from the trees during the harvesting season, between October and December. Using a touch as careful as Galiardi’s, the harvesting machines shake the trees gently. The olives are then cleaned and put into the frantoio, which presses and crushes the olives and then spins the remnants twice to separate liquid from solids and water from oil. Following organic methods, Galiardi avoids copper-based treatments and uses natural antibiotics during production.

“Experience is how I learned to produce oil first and foremost, but we also followed courses with degustatori, or taste testers, and other experts back when we were inexperienced,” Galiardi said, looking back on how he’s reached this point. “Actual experience is definitely what makes you understand and makes you better as you go.”

At the end of the process, Galiardi’s oil gives off a deep yellowish color infused with light green, as well as an aroma that he describes as grassy with a hint of fruity undertones. Visitors have the chance to experience those observations themselves in his tasting room, which is nestled in a lush hill that looks over the rolling terrain of the area—the same terrain that Galiardi used to spend his time cycling through.

“I still ride in the mornings, from 5 am to 7 am. I don’t enter competitions anymore, though. This is my passion now,” Galiardi said with a confident nod towards his frantoio.

“We are fascinated by the person that produces the oil,” said Alberto Crinella, who works at Raffaello Degusteria in Urbino. This local gourmet food shop is one of 300 shops that carry Galiardi’s products internationally. “He’s a true person that really cares about his territory and the product of his territory. He is human. He really understands the meaning of selling a good product because he makes them with passion.”

Crinella continued, “The oils from Cartoceto are all good, but this one is excellent. As we say all over the world, we are what we eat. The less bad things you eat, the better you feel, or at least we think it goes like that.”

Galiardi’s land is currently being transformed into an olive oil destination, equipped with a full processing frantoio, as well as a bed and breakfast and a tasting room. Like his products, his buildings are constructed with care. His building incorporates natural cork, and the basement is made of stones from the mountains of the nearby Gargano National Park, which are stacked without using any cement. His goal is to utilize some of the ancient Roman building techniques.

“This structure is meant to be a point of reference in central Italy concerning bio-architecture. Our goal is to make it beautiful and welcoming, based around hospitality,” Galiardi said.

His new estate will also serve as the first location of three in a project that he calls the “olive oil school.” Galiardi will bring in people of all ages to teach them about olive oil. Each student will get to harvest and crush their own olives, resulting in a small vat of homemade olive oil for them to take home. Other possible locations for the future of the olive oil school include London and Malta.

“Quality is what sets us apart,” Galiardi said, as he prepared for a group of visitors by pouring his thick yellowish-green oil onto a plate in one fluid motion. He describes his philosophy in the same simple, fluid way—driven, focused, and to the point: “Respect.”

This article also appears in Urbino Now magazine’s Mangia Bene section. You can read all the magazine articles in print by ordering a copy from MagCloud.

The editors of Urbino Now thank the folks at Living in Le Marche and Olivaverde for bringing Cantine Galiardi to our attention.