Nerone, Italy – It was another moment when the reporter felt the panic of being stuck, of being buried alive deep inside this Italian mountain. What seemed to be a huge cave on the outside was now closing within inches of her head, arms and legs. For a moment she was paralyzed…

That’s when Giacomo Berlocchi offered his prescription for the qualities of necessary becoming a speleologist – a person who explores mountains inside and out: Determination, a desire to discover, and car grease.

A speleologist and rescuer, Berlocchi was also squeezing through the first and tightest hole in the cave of Monte Nerone as he offered the advice. He recalled an outing when a chubby friend coated himself in grease to navigate a really tight spot.

“The caves are pretty safe,” he said. “A car will not hit you. What should we be scared off? If the passage is too small then do not go. There’s nothing to be afraid off.”

Berlocchi is one of 15 instructors for the internal rescue branch of the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS), a volunteer group that carries out rescue missions recovering injured or lost Italian adventurers. It is part of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI).

This region central Italy, Le Marche, is a prime location for their services. Packed with rolling hills and soaring mountains is home to a community that can found hiking the trails in the mountains that line Urbino’s horizons

 On any given day members might find themselves using their kills inside caves, on a hiking trail, a mountain summit or a whitewater canyon river. It’s what makes them speleologists in Italy.

“Being a speleologist is a multifaceted experience,” Berlocchi said. “On the one hand you should be a scientist: someone who knows the cave, knows why it was formed and how its developing. On the other hand, you need to be technically ready as well as physically.”

His fellow CNASA members are prime examples.

“You have to explore yourself, your fears all while taking in the beauty of a place many people will never be able to go.”

Filippo Martelli, speleologist and professor of physics at the University of Urbino, plays a role in building the speleology community by expressing his love and knowledge of the sport to students. He says the sport requires personal exploration as well.

“You have to explore yourself, your fears all while taking in the beauty of a place many people will never be able to go,” he said.

Lorenzo Zanarelli, speleologist and long-term friend of Martelli, agrees the sports requires exploration within and without.

“Experiencing a cave allows you to know what’s inside yourself and not just what is inside the cave,” he said. “It is a personal, more intimate experience.”

And speleologists say the sport creates a close-knit community.

“Speleology allows you to create relationships and share experiences with other people while increasing your knowledge and giving you have a deep understanding go the world which surrounds you,” Zanarelli said.

The hobby has helped the local environment. Speleologist who specialize in hydrogeology, like Zanarelli, created Carta della vulnerabilità , a pollution vulnerability map of the aquifers of Monte Nerone, a vital drinking water source for the city of Urbino.

Video by Zahra Sandhu & Sarah Detwiler

The post Diggin’ Speleology appeared first on 2019 Urbino Project.

SASSOCORVARO, Italy – Emilio Spada, a 36-year-old fourth-generation Italian shepherd, has found a method to protect his sheep from the jaws of the growing wolf population.

In the past, he has tried audio methods that are meant to scare predators away from farms, but they did not work. He tried electric fences, but they did not work either. He even tried videotaping the wolves to understand and predict their behavior, but this was unsuccessful as well. Other shepherds have tried using rubber bullets, but they require being near the flock at all times. These modern methods have failed to effectively protect Spada’s 2,200 sheep from this ancient enemy.

The Italian wolf, or canis lupus italicus in Latin, has been a problem for Italian shepherds for centuries. In the 20^th century, this led to nationwide wolf hunting that brought wolves close to extinction. In 1971, the Italian government made it illegal to kill wolves, which frustrated many farmers who lose livestock to these predators. The controversy has become a canyon-size rift between farmers and government officials.

Luckily for Spada, there is another form of protection: the maremma sheepdog, or in Italian, cane da pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese, or simply, maremmani, a breed similar to Great Pyrenees in their guarding instincts.

Spada is from a long line of sheep farmers who have been using maremmani to protect their flocks for over 40 years. Cau & Spada, named for the families of his mother and father, is a 1,730-acre farm nestled in the rolling hills below the Apennine mountains 15 miles west of the walled Renaissance city of Urbino.

Spada says his 25 maremmani are “the only thing that really works to keep a balance between man and wolf.”

When a wolf kills a sheep

There are more than 1,500 wolves living in the Apennines today, according to an April article in The (London) Telegraph. Meanwhile, a 2017 EU livestock census recorded 7.2 million sheep in Italy.

Recently, the Italian government rejected farmers’ requests to kill wolves, but instead instituted a European Commission system to compensate farmers for lost livestock. This allows them to claim direct costs for damages to their livestock as well as indirect costs such as protection measures, and then be reimbursed by the government.

This compensation allows livestock owners and farmers to get reimbursed for fences or when purchasing livestock protection dogs and even the dogs’ veterinary bills, according to the European Wilderness Society. They can also be paid for search and rescue costs for missing livestock.

But Spada says that the compensation does not really cover all the damages. “When a wolf comes into a herd, there are a 100 or even a 1,000 sheep. A wolf is going to kill one, but the other 99 are going to be so scared and filled with adrenaline that we can not use their milk. Our damages are more qualitative than economical and we cannot report what we lost to the European Union.”

For Spada, his maremmani sheepdogs are the only sensible method of co-existence, because wolves will avoid the maremmani unless they are extremely hungry.

Studying the breeds

There are many breeds of livestock protection dogs (or LPD) that are more well-known than the Italian maremmani, such as the Great Pyrenees. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture evaluated the effectiveness of several other European dog breeds in protecting herds in the American Northwest.

The study found that different breeds’ effectiveness was based on each breed’s unique guarding traits. For example, it found the Bulgarian Karakachans are more likely to stay with their flocks wherever they go, while Kangals are more likely to investigate a threat and Transmontanos are better at assessing threats.

An article published in Carnivore Damage Prevention News saw 90 percent less losses within herds with the use of Pyrenees dogs as LPDs, which increased sheep production 125 percent in the Chacabuco Valley of Patagonia.

But maremanni are mostly Italian dogs and a traditional breed among southern Italian shepherds. Massimo Pandolfi, a former science professor at the University of Urbino, says that maremmani are accustomed to defending sheep from wolves. In his opinion, the maremmani have a “special capability of defending herds of sheep.”

One eye open

On the Cau & Spada farm, 11 employees maintain the pastureland and keep production rolling. But these fromagers (from the French word for cheese) are not the only ones whose jobs affect the production of the pecorino cheese. The maremmani play just as large a role as guardians of the flock.

Visitors are met by one of the largest dogs as she chases approaching cars. These mid- to large-size dogs, with thick white unkept coats, give off agrressive personalities with their deep barks,  but they lose their rugged guard-dog mentality in return for ear scratches and belly rubs.

The maremmani need no formal training but are instead raised alongside the herds of sheep. The dogs feel as though they are part of the flock, Spada explains. This upbringing ingrains a protective temperament in them.

When the sheep are out grazing, two dogs stay with the herd while several others are out circling in the surrounding fields and woods to keep predators away.

Maremmani have been appreciated for their role in protecting sheep for centuries and have been represented in many art forms. Some examples include the “Wolf dogs of Abrussi,” an illustration from Penny Magazine of 1833, “Mariotto di Nardo,” a nativity scene from 1385, and the “Canis Pastoralis” from the second century in the Vatican Museums.

The maremmani may hold an honorable job as protectors of the flock, but when the dogs encounter wolves, it can be fatal for either party.

Spada recounts how one morning, more than 15 years ago, one maremmano came back from the pastures with a hole in his leg. While out protecting the sheep the previous night, the dog had gotten into a fight with a wolf. The maremmano’s injured leg became infected with rabies and the dog began to be aggressive toward Spada’s family, he said, so the dog had to be put down.

“The dogs. . .lose their rugged guard-dog mentality in return for ear scratches and belly rubs.”

As Spada solemnly describes this attack, a large dark-faced maremmano named Sif sits next to him. Spada adds that the dog they lost was not only one of their largest and best fighters, but was partners with Sif. With a grin, Spada admits that Sif is his favorite of the 25 maremmani on the farm. “She is my woman.”

Most fights between maremmani and wolves result only in scratches. But interaction between a maremmano and a wolf coming face to face triggers the dog’s instinct to fight with more anger and want to win future fights even more.

“When a maremmano meets a wolf it will not sleep peacefully the rest of its life,” says Spada. “It’s part of the dogs’ lives, but it’s not pretty to see because they always sleep with one eye open.”

Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino student Lisa Oliva.

Video by Liza Moore & Allison Baxter

The post Protecting the Flock appeared first on 2019 Urbino Project.

FANO, Italy—Anna Cascini bends her knees and extends her arm to pick a strawberry from the ground. She remains in this position as she sorts through one plant, then continues onto the next in line. She places the ripened berries into a container and after it’s full, she carries the container to an outdoor sink to clean them. Meanwhile, Alessandro, her husband, swings a coiled collection of hosing around his shoulder, gripping it with his gloved hands. He strolls past the garden his wife was tending to. He begins laying the hosing in the dirt alongside a row of lettuce sprouting from the ground. After the hoses are situated on the earth, he pauses for a moment. He stands with his hands at his sides, and gazes at the fields of fruits and vegetables. He looks in the direction of the farmhouse, then gazes back to the ground. Then he returns to work.

Anna and Alessandro Cascini appear as normal farmers would. They have hardworking demeanors and kind personalities. Anna’s dark hair rests in a bun, underneath a white head-scarf. Alessandro wears a blue Puma baseball cap, and a bright yellow shirt with the word “Americanino,” and the image of a football on it. Their pants are faded and stained with dirt in the knees, indicative of the many hours they spend working each day on their farm, Semi Di Zucca, which means “pumpkin seeds.” Though they are experienced, this way of life is new to the Cascinis, both having left their prior careers for this different lifestyle. For many years, Alessandro worked as an engineer, designing and constructing small windmills, while Anna hand-made clothing.

Although he says he enjoyed his career in engineering, owning land for gardening and farming has always been Alessandro’s desire. He says farming is his passion, and this lifestyle is more sustainable and better for his family’s well-being. Alessandro says that his family’s health, as well as his own, are one of the many reasons they began farming.

“Everything I am able to do here is beautiful,” says Alessandro.

The Cascins live in Pesaro, Italy, but acquired their land here in nearby town Fano in 2013. Alessandro says a friend of his was renting the land and had to move. When he moved, Alessandro said he took over and began gardening, as the fields were already prepared for it. They were unable, however, to acquire the farmhouse on the property. Though they were still pleased with their purchase of the farm land, the Cascinis dream is to someday live in the house at Semi Di Zucca.

“Everything I am able to do here, is beautiful,” says Alessandro. He finds happiness in everything from putting small seeds into the earth, to watching them grow into organic produce. So, three years after acquiring their land, both he and his wife decided to quit their careers and enter a slower paced yet fulfilling lifestyle at the Semi Di Zucca farm.

A slower paced, but difficult day of work, is typical for the Cascinis. Each morning they arrive at the farm from Pesaro around eight o’clock in an attempt to beat the heat. Anna begins picking the fruits and vegetables that are ripe, while Alessandro handles the physical labor and maintenance of the farm and gardens. After collecting the ripened produce, Anna gives them a rinse at the outdoor sink. Then, she transports them in a wooden cart to the farmhouse, which is about a two-minute walk. When she reaches the house, she parks the cart outside of the door of the kitchen. She begins bringing each fruit and vegetable inside to further clean and sort them. After she sorts them, she creates mixes for their clients.

The Cascinis say that their clients don’t request specific items from them every week. Instead, they collect what they have that is ready to be consumed and create a basket. Alessandro says this method makes their farming more efficient, and environmentally sustainable. He explains that by creating mixes using the specific fruits and vegetables they have on hand they can avoid being wasteful or overselling one particular item. This also sustains healthy lands for growing and producing, by maintaining a balance between what is being grown and cultivated, and what is in excess or scarce.

“We live the land; we don’t cultivate it,” he says. Alessandro explains the importance of living the land, meaning, not just taking from the earth and stripping it of its natural elements but giving back to it as well. He says that this philosophy is what drives him to maintain environmentally sustainable methods of farming. He explains that as farmers, it’s important to farm in a way that gives value back into the earth. To Alessandro, keeping their produce organic and harvesting and selling their produce based on their supply, is one way he can maintain and give value back to his lands.

Their philosophies of farming are common among clients and fellow vendors at the Oltremercato farmers’ market

This is one of many methods that distinguish the Cascinis from other farmers. Alessandro says their philosophies of farming, however, are common among their clients and fellow vendors at the Oltremercato farmers’ market where they sell their produce each week. The Oltremercato, translating to “other market,” is a farmers’ market where locals of the Pesaro, Italy and surrounding areas bring their organic, home-grown produce to sell. Alessandro says he found this market because he is involved in an environmentalist group called GAS or “Gruppo d’Acquisto Solidale,” or GAS. This translates to “solidarity buying group,” and is an informally organized group which takes a critical approach to consumption. Members of GAS, like Alessandro, aim to apply principles of equity, solidarity and sustainability to their purchases of food. He says that this concept can be incorporated into not just farming, but everything you do. He explains that their philosophies transfer from their daily work, to the relationships they make with other people, animals, and even the vegetables and fruit they harvest.

Alessandro says there is a commonality among the vendors and clients of the Oltremercato distinguishing it from other farmers’ markets. Flavio Angelini, a client of the Cascinis and customer of the Oltremercato, says that he values this market over others because of the people and their environmentally sustainable philosophies. He says the reason he and Alessandro met was their participation in GAS, and now he is a regular client and friend.

Angelini says that now he exclusively purchases from the Oltremercato. He explains that before he came to the Oltremercato, he would shop at other markets. However, he would find that even though the produce was local, and vendors claimed it was free of chemicals, it was not completely organic. To Angelini, trusting that the produce he buys is organic is important, as he purchases this food to feed himself and his family. Angelini says that at the Oltremercato it’s all about the relationship and friendship. He says that not only has he formed relationships with the vendors and clients at the Oltremercato, but he has formed a community with them. He explains that he and other clients find a lot of value in the locality of the produce. He says he also gets a lot of satisfaction from purchasing high quality produce from his friends, for his family.

Customer Angelini says vendors like the Cascinisare not swayed by greed, because they aren’t farming for the money.

The community that has formed at this quaint market is unlike that of others. Every Thursday, a group of seven to eight individuals line up on the side of a road in a shady area beneath a stretch of trees in Pesaro. They set up their stands, typically wooden tables that they construct upon arrival. Table cloths are spread and produce is carried, basket by basket, from the back of the vendors’ cars to the displays. Although farmers’ markets are typical of Italian culture, they are often organized at a much larger scale and more business focused. The market in Urbino, for example, which returns every Saturday, stretches longer than a football field and features 20-foot long trucks with canopies and huge displays of items. At this market, though the vendors are familiar with each other, there is not the same sense of community. It’s less personal. While purchasing items, it feels almost rushed. At the Oltremercato, there may not be trucks with grand canopies and large displays, but there is a conversation.

Angelini mentions this concept of conversation and says there is an overpowering philosophy at the Oltremercato which he doesn’t find at other markets. He says vendors of the market, like the Cascinis, have devoted themselves to this lifestyle, to practicing environmentally sustainable and entirely organic methods. They are not swayed by greed, because they aren’t farming for the money. Alessandro says they do this because they enjoy it, and it has become an important part of their lives. He explains that taking care of the earth is important to him as he practices farming, because the earth takes care of him. To the Cascinis, farming is not simply a means of work and business. Alessandro says that although they must sell their produce to live, he and his wife find that the individuals they are selling to and the relationships they form are much more valuable.

Alessandro says his philosophy of farming translates into his daily life. He says that he applies these concepts to everything he does. His philosophies have remained the same, and further progressed throughout the years he has spent farming. He and his wife will return to the farm each morning, ready to contribute to the beautiful lands they own. However, he still has one dream: to move into the farmhouse at Semi Di Zucca permanently.

For now, he says it is not possible. But maybe one day.

Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino students Tonia Perreca, Luca Cocozza, and Roberto Giambona.

Video by Gianna Di Gregorio & Carley Welch

The post Living the Land appeared first on 2019 Urbino Project.

URBINO – Like many Italians, Fabio Duro and his friends spend much of their free time drinking beer, eating various meats and cheeses, and singing traditional songs.

But for them, it isn’t always in the middle of a bustling and ancient piazza.

Instead they might be having fun on a mountain trail, inside a dark, winding cave or climbing a sheer rock wall. They are members of the 400,000-strong Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) – the Italian Alpine Club. These Italians go hiking, trekking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking and spelunking – all of which are deeply rooted in their Italian culture.

“It does not matter the age of the members within our club,” says Fabio Duro, president of the Urbino chapter of the CAI. “Our youngest member is 2 years old and our oldest is 82.”  

Few of the 58 million tourists who flock to this country of 60 million each year are aware of this side of Italian culture. They come looking for the things Italy is most known for: fine food, wine and artistic and architectural gems. But outdoor sports have long been a staple of life here.

Italian explorer Quintino Sella founded what is now known as the Italian Alpine Club in 1863.

Today’s club has expanded well beyond the original mainstay of summiting peaks.

“One of the most important things they do is set up trails [as well as] rediscover ones which already exist, preserving them by sprucing them up to help draw people’s attention to them,” says Duro. The CAI is responsible for the maintenance and waymarking of roughly 37,300 miles of Italian trails.

The CAI gets no public funding, accomplishing its mission solely with the 40-euro yearly membership fee. This includes not only organized outings, but also safety classes, speakers, and rescue operations.

“Preserving and protecting the mountains and showing respect towards the environment and nature is our main mission,” says Sonia Pierobon, president of the Fossombrone chapter.

Sticks in hand and boot laces tightly tied, one Sunday morning in June 95 members gather together to hike through nine miles of rolling mountains near Fossombrone. Children as young as five join long-time members of all ages and skill levels.

After counting heads, Pierobon blows her whistle to signify the start of their journey. Along the way a couple stop to pick wild cherries from the trees lining the path for a little extra sugar in their system.

When the first break comes 90 minutes into the hike, some members are fanning themselves in search of relief from the sun while rookies go to the “old pros” who knew to carry multiple water bottles in their rucksacks. During the 15-minute break, one member begins a lecture on the hike’s theme: 18^th century criminal gangs who roamed these mountain spaces.

As the hike progresses, some members decorate themselves with the wildflowers growing along the trail. And there is a spirit of camaraderie throughout the group. Veteran members make sure everyone has enough water, help adjust hiking poles, and assist those having trouble on the steeper stretches.

However, the most impressive member of the club is a four-legged friend that accompanied its owner. He was able to complete the trek better than the most advanced human hikers.

Five hours after starting, a tired but happy group reaches trail’s end at a café in the town of Fossombrone to enjoy a traditional victory celebration with cold drinks, food, and good company.

“All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy,” Duro points out.

The hike might be over, but the spirit of the club and its mission is present in the everyday lives of many members. Each has a passion for the natural beauty provided by the earth around them and uses their drive both within the club and in their personal life.

For example, rock climbing instructor Francesco Angeli found his connection with the environment after a religious experience on a pilgrimage to the Catholic holy site Medjugorje in Bosnia. He recreates religious art from pieces of dead wood he finds along the trails on CAI hikes.

His knowledge as a restorer of ancient furniture provides the skills needed for this sideline.

“It’s a hobby,” he said. “It’s a passion of mine. I enjoy it very much. It helps let steam off, like climbing.”

Mountain biker Alberto Crinelli embraces his adventurous side both within the CAI and through a club of his own. Because bikes can tear up trails, he is working to create a natural bike park on a nearby mountain to reduce the negative effect of the tires on CAI trails.

Crinelli, an avid archer, also plans on building an archery park for the Compagnia Fetria Aquile Ducali, a club he founded and leads. Members perfect their archery skills in a private wooded area and also participate in Renaissance festivals.

“You have to have good reflexes for both of these skills,” says Crinelli, “it takes a lot of practice and training.”

Speleologist Filippo Martelli, a physics professor at the University of Urbino, incorporates his childhood fascination of the earth by exploring caves with other members. Speleologists face extreme conditions, risking their lives every time they step foot into a cave, he said.

“But the goal of your activity is to explore yourself and your fear and to look at this beautiful place that not many people go inside of.”

Martelli reminisces about a time when he brought along students to a spelunking course and they noticed how serious he became. When asked by his students why he wasn’t talking and laughing with them he replied, “because this is my life.”

“Technical aspects are important when in a cave because it is connected to your safety,” he said. “But the goal of your activity is to explore yourself and your fear and to look at this beautiful place that not many people go inside of.”

Duro ensures that even the disabled can play an active role in the club. The CAI held a fundraiser to help raise money for a local group to purchase a joelette – an all-terrain chair that enables those reduced mobility or disability to join hiking excursions or running activities with the help of at least two guides.

“Sometimes they have a few individuals who are disabled join the club. [Members] in the club are trained to help disabled people use the machinery during a hike,” says Pierobon.

For example, the club was able to use the joelette to aid a member with polio participate in a hike.

And the club often offers its help and expertise during emergencies. After the 2016 earthquake destroyed 80 percent of Amatrice in southcentral Italy, the Urbino chapter helped restore farming operations and raised funds to aid the many post-storm homeless.

“We intervene in social issues when we come to know about it,” Duro said, “ultimately giving hope to the hopeless.”

When asked how close the community aspect among the members of the Urbino chapter is, Duro shook his head in silence until uttering, “very, very close.”

Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino students Lisa Oliva, Liliana Cogliandro, Beatrice Burani.

Video by Sarah Detwiler & Zahra Sandhu

The post Italy Beyond Wine, Pasta and Art appeared first on 2019 Urbino Project.

SASSOCORVARO, Italy – He dips his left hand into the vat of white liquid and brings it up to let the small chunks drip down and bounce against his right. The light coming in from the warehouse windows illuminates the line of scientific symbols tattooed around his arm.

“It’s the chemical process of the sheep’s milk forming to the cheese,” Emilio Spada explains. “It’s like a marriage, two halves coming together and by the end they are completely united, and the love story is complete.”

Emilio Spada is the owner of Cau & Spada, a farm tucked away in the hills above Sassocorvaro. He uses milk from his sheep to create different types of pecorino cheese.

In the 1970s, Spada’s father moved his flocks of sheep from the region of Sardinia to this province of Montefeltro to pursue his dream of cheesemaking in the area. The original house where the family lived on the second floor and the sheep on the first, still stands on the property today.

But Spada is no traditionalist.

“Tradition to me means there is no attempt to experiment and create something new and having too many rules keeps you in a box,” he says. “There are no rules!”

“Tradition is what is in my blood, white just like the color of milk.”

Spada motions to the green hills that roll up and down around the farm, then points to himself.

“It is my responsibility to put all of nature into my cheese,” Spada says. “My sheep turn everything that they encounter and breathe into milk.”

A soft breeze blows through, rustling the olive trees. The ringing of bells signifies that the sheep are near. The sheep are brought in for milking during the afternoon. Three sheep produce the six liters of milk needed for one kilo of cheese.

Spada pauses the milking machine process to milk a sheep himself. He hands back a wine glass to a visitor containing warm, fresh, and frothy milk.

“To have the full experience, there is an order that you must follow. You start with the softest and then follow with the more intense aged ones.”

“Remember the taste of the milk,” he instructs before opening the door to his workspace. Inside there are towers of rounded cheeses, big and small, aged and fresh.

He grabs an assortment of these cheeses and lays them out on a wooden board. He shows off each individual knife that is used for cutting each particular cheese.

“To have the full experience, there is an order that you must follow,” he explains, gesturing towards a bright spongy cut of cheese. “You start with the softest and then follow with the more intense aged ones.”

Indeed, the softest fresco cheese practically melts in the mouth like a kind greeting. But the pecorino degli amanti, a special cheese that is aged in a pit for 100 days, explodes on the taste buds with a sharp smack that is similar to the attentiveness of seeing someone attractive walk by.

Pecorino degli amanti translates as “the cheese of lovers.” The traditional aging process gives birth to formaggio di fossa (cheese of the pit), but Spada refuses to call his cheese that.

“Like every beautiful thing, man ruins it with business,” Spada laments. “The formaggio di fossa was exploited by business man when it was a fad and people grew tired of it as the quality worsened.”

Spada knew he could not sell a formaggio di fossa under that name. Instead he named the cheese after the chapel that is housed in the same building as the cellar-hole where his cheese is aged. This chapel holds relics of St. Valentine, the saint associated with love. The cheese also gets its name from the warm feeling one gets in the stomach after ingesting it, because it has been compared to the same feeling one experiences when he or she is in love.

Looking around, it is hard to believe that this small farm hidden in the hills has managed to make its cheese known throughout Europe and earned its way into the preparation of dishes for prominent figures such as President Obama. It is when one encounters Spada that the reason is made clear.

In Urbino, meanwhile, Raffaello Degusteria wine and cheese shop owner Alberto Carinelli proudly presents every Cau & Spada cheese in his front display.

“Emilio is really the face of Cau & Spada,” Carinelli explains. “I was convinced to sell his cheese after tasting it, but Emilio and his passion are the ones that really sold me.”

Back in the town of Sassocorvaro, Spada leads his visitor to the building where the pecorino degli amanti is buried for 100 days of aging every August to November. The walk to the building that hosts St. Valentine’s chapel is lined with poster blow-ups of black and white wedding photographs showing beaming newlyweds. A water spigot set in a wall bursting with color stops walkers in their path. The spigot is set in between a couple kissing. These romantic elements enforce even more Spada’s naming of the cheese.

“It started as a part time job, but then it was a passion,” Spada explains as he walks. “Passion pushed me to explore new things and the beauty around me ignited curiosity.”

Spada pushes open a door. Dust billows up as he moves around, flicking on lights. He says the building dates from the 10th century. He proudly shows off the pit that stands out in the middle of the cellar floor. It is deep and reaches down several feet into the earth. A metal ladder leads down into the dark abyss.

“I had no idea what I was doing when I started all this,” Spada explains. “I was ignorant and had no formal teaching. I just experimented until I felt that we created a product that tastes like it is a part of us and what people from far away think that Italy is.”

As he closes up the hole and returns to the outside world, Spada once again poetically relays his business philosophy.

“The Earth welcomes us, and we respect her as she respects us, and this is Cau and Spada.”

Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino student Lisa Oliva.

Video by Allison Baxter & Liza Moore

The post The Cheese of Lovers appeared first on 2019 Urbino Project.