Field Trip

07:00 Departure from Genoa Piazza Principe Railway Station

08:00 - 08:45  Quick stop at Azienda Agricola Casotti

The Casotti family farm, located in Prà on the western outskirts of Genoa, has cultivated basil for several generations. Combining traditional growing methods with modern technological innovations, the farm has become a leading producer of high-quality basil and has played a key role in promoting the Genoese Agricultural Union Quality Mark. Genovese Basil PDO (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of Liguria's most distinctive agricultural products and the essential ingredient of traditional Genoese pesto. Protected under the European Union's Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) scheme, it is characterized by small, tender leaves, a delicate aroma, and cultivation methods that preserve its exceptional sensory qualities.

10:15 - 11:15  Stop at Cascina Giacobbe

Located within the Beigua Regional Natural Park and UNESCO Global Geopark, Cascina Giacobbe is a family-run goat farm integrating livestock breeding, artisanal dairy production, and direct marketing. By combining environmental stewardship with local food traditions, it represents a good example of the small, family-run farms that characterize many rural systems in Liguria and, more broadly, in Italy. Cascina Giacobbe products are recognized with the "Gustosi per Natura" ("Naturally Delicious") quality label, which promotes locally produced fresh and processed foods originating within the Park. By highlighting regional distinctiveness, seasonality, and biodiversity, the initiative supports traditional food production while enhancing the area's cultural heritage and gastronomic identity

11:30 - 13:00  Meeting with Beigua Regional Park Authority and short walk at Pian del Fretto blockfields 

The Pratorotondo blockfields, located within the Beigua UNESCO Global Geopark, are among the most significant periglacial landforms in the Ligurian Apennines. Their distinctive morphology provides important evidence of gelifluction processes that occurred during the last glacial period, offering valuable insights into the region's paleoclimate and Quaternary landscape evolution.

13:00 - 14:30  Lunch at Rifugio Pratorotondo 

15:30 - 16:30  Stop at Amaretti Virginia  

Founded in 1860, Virginia is one of Liguria's oldest confectionery producers, renowned for its traditional Amaretti. For over a century, the company has combined artisanal expertise with product innovation, earning international recognition at major exhibitions while preserving the authenticity of its historic recipes and the region's confectionery heritage.

16:45 - 18:15  Stop at Azienda Agricola L’Ape Operaia  

Founded in 2021, L'Ape Operaia is a family-run beekeeping farm with apiaries extending from the Ligurian coast to the inland hills. Benefiting from diverse habitats and microclimates, the farm produces a variety of seasonal honeys while exemplifying adaptive beekeeping practices that contribute to biodiversity conservation under  changing climatic conditions.

20:00 Dinner at Beigua Docks by il Mulino di Sassello 1830

Beigua Docks by Il Mulino di Sassello 1830 is a historic, family-run enterprise located in the Beigua Regional Park. For five generations, the Assandri family has operated a nineteenth-century watermill, preserving traditional stone-grinding techniques for processing locally grown cereals, including wheat, rye, and spelt. Alongside the production of artisanal flours, the enterprise has diversified into the distillation of a unique range of moonshine and whiskey made from local cereals and local spring water, integrating traditional craftsmanship with contemporary innovation. Supported by European rural development programs, the restoration and continued operation of the historic mill exemplify the conservation of industrial and agricultural heritage within a multifunctional rural economy.

08:00 Departure from Sassello

10:30 - 12:30  Stop at Casone dei Sepponi and Mulino del Travo

The Casone dei Sepponi and the Mulino del Travo together constitute the Living Chestnut Cultivation Museum of the Vara Valley. Through the restoration of a historic chestnut-drying barn, dating to 1821, and a traditional chestnut orchard, Maurizio and Silvia have undertaken an important project to preserve the area's agricultural heritage and agrobiodiversity. The orchard now conserves all the known local chestnut varieties, safeguarding a valuable genetic resource that was at risk of disappearing. The project also includes the restoration and reactivation of the Mulino del Travo, a historic watermill dating from 1690 that was traditionally used to mill chestnuts, maize, wheat, and legumes. Together, these restored structures illustrate the historical importance of chestnut cultivation in the Vara Valley and its role in shaping the local rural landscape. The visit concludes with a tasting of castagnaccio, the traditional chestnut-flour cake that remains one of the valley's most distinctive gastronomic products.

13:00 - 15:00 Lunch at Agriturismo Pasta Matta and meeting with Val di Vara Biodistrict former President

Pasta Matta is a family-run agritourism farm in Cembrano, within the municipality of Maissana. The farm exemplifies the integration of sustainable agriculture, local food production, and rural hospitality, offering visitors an opportunity to experience traditional dishes of the upper Vara Valley alongside products derived from more recently introduced crops, including spelt, chestnuts, potatoes, and local cereals. The visit is complemented by a presentation from Alessandro Triantafyllidis, former president of the Val di Vara Organic Biodistrict (Valle del Biologico). Established in 2013, the Biodistrict promotes organic farming, technological innovation, and sustainable land management while strengthening cooperation among local producers. His presentation examines the origins of the valley's transition to organic agriculture, its subsequent development, and the contemporary organization of the local agri-food supply chain within the broader framework of sustainable rural development.

16:00 - 17:30  Visit to the Museo contadino di Cassego

The Peasant Museum, established in Cassego in 1968 by the local parish priest and scholar Don Sandro Lagomarsini, has collected artifacts, oral histories, and traditional knowledge from farming communities affected by the progressive depopulation of the Vara Valley. These efforts culminated in the establishment of the museum in 1975, which today preserves more than 500 artifacts documenting the region's rural heritage. Beyond its role as a museum, the institution has functioned as a center for cultural transmission and community engagement. Through a people's school and after-school educational programs inspired by the pedagogical principles of Don Lorenzo Milani, Don Sandro promoted the intergenerational transmission of local knowledge while fostering awareness of the historical and cultural significance of peasant traditions. Over time, the museum has also developed an international academic profile through collaborations with the Universities of Genoa, Nottingham, Cambridge, Toulouse, Granada, and Bergen, establishing itself as an important center for the study and preservation of rural cultural heritage.

18:00  Return to Varese Ligure; free time until dinner, at Albergo Amici 

09:00 Departure from Varese Ligure

11:00 - 13:00  Meeting with 5 Terre National Park Authority and Manarola Cinque Terre Foundation

Established in 2014 following the devastating 2011 floods that affected the Cinque Terre, the Fondazione Manarola promotes the restoration of abandoned terraced vineyards to strengthen landscape resilience and raise awareness of their cultural and environmental significance. By rebuilding dry-stone walls and returning rehabilitated land to local farmers, the Foundation contributes to biodiversity conservation, slope stabilization, and the long-term preservation of this UNESCO cultural landscape.

13:00 - 15:00 Lunch and wine tasting wine tasting at Cantina 5 Terre

Founded in 1973, the Cinque Terre Winegrowers' Cooperative supports local agriculture and preserves the infrastructure essential to the region's heroic viticulture and biodiversity, including terraced vineyards, dry-stone walls, rack-and-pinion vineyard railways, water management systems, and historic footpaths. Together, these features constitute a unique agricultural landscape and an outstanding example of vernacular architectural heritage. The Cooperative's work has helped prevent vineyard abandonment, promote heroic viticulture, and strengthen the international reputation and protection of the PDO wines Cinque Terre and Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà.

15:00 - 18:00  Hike to Manarola and free time

20:00  Return to Genoa Piazza Principe Railway Station