“Terra Madre Salone del Gusto”, Slow Food looks to the future in the vivid memory of Carlo Petrini

The vivid memory of Carlo Petrini, whose legacy continues to shape the future; the opening address by President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, underscoring the institutional support for a movement which, arisen 40 years ago in the small Piedmontese town of Bra, has transformed the way the entire world, from civil society to industry and politics, approaches food-related issues; the focus on food, gastronomic, wine, and cultural biodiversity in all its forms; and more than 1,500 delegates from 120 countries, gathered not only to discover products and flavors from every corner of the globe, but above all to share practices, knowledge, and reflections on food, and to help write its future in a global geopolitical, climatic, and socioeconomic landscape undergoing profound change. These are, in essence, the key ingredients of the edition NO. 16 of “Terra Madre Salone del Gusto”, the world leading Slow Food event dedicated to good, clean, and fair food. Organized in partnership with the City of Turin and the Piedmont Region, the event will take place from September 24th to 27th in Turin, at the heart of the city which was once the first capital of unified Italy. Four days dedicated to the flavors of the world, wine, food communities, projects, and the future of the movement. At the center of this edition is the theme of biodiversity, encapsulated in slogan “Biodiversity - Be Diversity”, interpreted through its environmental, economic, social, and political dimensions. The aim is to reaffirm a message that has always been at the heart of Slow Food: the material and immaterial wealth created when diversity brings people together and multiplies its value, instead of becoming a source of division. Among the event protagonists, there will also be the 600 exhibitors from across Italy participating in the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto Market, offering a true gastronomic journey through the country finest specialties and curiosities (from the Aosta Valley genepy liqueur to Abruzzo black garlic, from Garfagnana spelt to Calabria three-grain bread, and from Emilia-Romagna Malvasia Casalini wine to Puglia tarallo made with Black Pig capocollo).
There will be an extensive program of events, workshops, and in-depth discussions. As mentioned, the event will officially open on September 24th at the Teatro Regio (11:00 a.m.) with an address by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. That same day will also feature another key event: the conference “I semi del futuro” - “Seeds of the Future”, dedicated to the presentation of the 18 “Atlanti dell’Arca del Gusto” - “Atlases of the Ark of Taste” covering Italian regions. The project was strongly championed by Carlo Petrini and developed by Slow Food Italy and the University of Gastronomic Sciences, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture. The conference will take place at Gallerie d’Italia (2:00 p.m.) and will be attended, among others, by Barbara Nappini, president of Slow Food, Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy Minister of Agriculture, and Nicola Perullo, president and rector of the University of Pollenzo, and not only. Later that day, also at Gallerie d’Italia (4:30 p.m.), the event “Il futuro è già qui” - “The future is already here” will bring together Luciana Castellina, journalist and historic figure of the Italian left, and young farmers, shepherds, and students from the Slow Food Italy network, moderated by Massimo Cirri, the well-known voice of the Rai Radio2 program “Caterpillar”.
Also on September 24th, at the Slow Food Arena in Piazza Castello (4:30 p.m.), the event “Dopo Carlo. Una visione, molte voci” - “After Carlo. One vision, many voices” will take place. It will be the first Slow Food Participants Assembly held without Carlo Petrini, offering an opportunity to reflect on the movement identity, direction, and future, exploring what makes Slow Food unique and what will enable it to grow stronger in the years ahead. Among the speakers, there will be Alice Waters, chef, activist, author, and long-standing vice president of Slow Food, together with Edward Mukiibi, Marta Messa, and Paolo Di Croce, respectively president, secretary general, and director general of Slow Food. Among the other key events, the Reale Mutua Auditorium (6:00 p.m.) will host the conference “Il gusto del potere. Il gusto del cibo” -“The taste of power. The taste of food”, which will explore the power dynamics shaping food systems while promoting food sovereignty, social justice, and territorial protection. Contributors will include Jessica Duncan, sociologist at Wageningen University, and Raj Patel, researcher and lecturer specializing in global food systems and inequality. The spotlight will also be on excellence from the Piedmont Region with the presentation of the collective brand “PiemonteIS”, taking place in the Piemonte Excellence area at Terra Madre (6:30 p.m.). Starting on September 24th, the brand may be requested and displayed on the packaging of already existing certified products, including PDO, PGI, DOC, DOCG, Organic, SQNPI, SQNZ, PAT products, and other regional specialties, as well as on agri-food products that comply with the brand usage regulations and production requirements, which will be officially presented on that occasion.
September 25th will begin with “Le radici di un’alleanza” - “The roots of an alliance”, once again at Gallerie d’Italia in Piazza San Carlo (10:30 a.m.), a journey spanning the history of Italian cuisine and the practices of chefs belonging to the Slow Food Alliance. Speakers will include Massimo Montanari, food historian and professor Emeritus at the University of Bologna, alongside Tiziana Favi, a Slow Food Alliance chef; Piero Alciati, Michelin-starred chef and manager of the Guido restaurant at Fontanafredda Estate; Federica Mignacca, Slow Food Alliance pizzaiola; and Katia Zanghì, chef and instructor at the hospitality institute of Messina. This will be followed by a discussion dedicated to one of the movement most important educational initiatives, capable of rebuilding the relationship between people, communities, and the land: the Slow Food Gardens project. The debate, entitled “L’orto come terzo paesaggio” - “The garden as a third landscape”, will take place at Gallerie d’Italia at 12:30 p.m. Speakers will include Anna Kauber, director and documentary filmmaker, author of “In questo mondo” - “In this world”, dedicated to Italian women shepherds; Roberta Mazzanti, scholar and literary critic; and Rita Tieppo, former teacher and key participant in the project. Another topic under the spotlight, reflecting the increasingly complex relationship between rural and urban environments, will be “Nutrire le città del futuro: mercati, diritti e donne al centro delle agende politiche” - “Feeding the cities of the future: markets, rights and women at the center of political agendas”, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento. The event will compare urban food policies in Milan (with Deputy Mayor Anna Scavuzzo), Turin (with Deputy Mayor Michela Favaro), and Rome (with Rome City Councillor for Agriculture Sabrina Alfonsi). Later, at the same venue (4:30 p.m.), the discussion “La via italiana alle food policy: dalle piazze alle mense” - “The Italian path to food policy: from public squares to school canteens" will showcase the experiences of cities such as Turin, Milan, Melpignano, Messina, Livorno, Genoa, Rome, Capannori, and others.
Among the highlights of September 26th, there will be the conference “Le ricette come strumenti di apprendimento” - “Recipes as learning tools”, held at the Reale Mutua Auditorium (11:00 a.m.), once again featuring Alice Waters. The discussion will examine the journey from the Edible Schoolyard Project, created by Waters in Berkeley, California, in 1971, to the School Supported Agriculture initiative. At Gallerie d’Italia (12:30 p.m.), the event “Alle radici del Gusto” - “At the roots of taste” will explore taste as a tool for knowledge and intercultural dialogue, encouraging reflection on food education and food sovereignty. Participants will include Mary Valeriano, winner of the 2026 edition of the national literary competition Lingua Madre; Duncan Okech, graduate of the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo and author of Keep Your Dream Sitting Beside You; Fidaa Abuhamdiya, chef, food blogger, cultural mediator, interpreter, teacher, and author of Pop Palestine Cuisine, who also worked at the three-Michelin-starred Le Calandre restaurant; Silvia Chiarantini; and Piero Ling, Slow Food Alliance chef at Ristorante Zheng Yang in Turin.
The program will continue in Piazza San Carlo (2:30 p.m.) with “40Pod”, a collective narrative through the voices of leading figures and prominent authors from the Slow Food community, retracing the ideas, campaigns, and insights that have accompanied the movement from its origins to the present day. Participants will include journalist and writer Mario Calabresi, co-founder of podcast production company Chora Media; Barbara Nappini, president of Slow Food Italy; and Riccardo Gudini, deputy director of Banca Etica. At Gallerie d’Italia (3:30 p.m.), the discussion “Designing Taste” will focus on how Slow Food vision has influenced fields seemingly distant from food itself, from design and architecture to fashion, helping to imagine new balances between aesthetics, sustainability, and responsibility. Speakers will include Fulvio Marino, baker and miller from Piedmont; Dario Casalini, president of Slow Fiber; Gloria Lucchesi, coordinator of the Slow Food Community of the haybox cooking project in San Casciano dei Bagni; and Mona Caron, an artist known for her large-scale murals dedicated to plant life.
This will be followed by “Un’altra idea di mondo” - “Another idea of the world” (4:30 p.m.), a discussion on Slow Food ability to propose not only a different vision of food, but also a different model of society and the future. Speakers will include Barbara Nappini, actor and comedian Paolo Hendel, and Marco Noferi, writer, farmer, and Slow Food activist. At 5:00 p.m., visitors can embark on “La Tavola nel Tempo” - “The table through time”, a project conceived by Coop to explore the connections between food and the history of Italy. Hosted at the Fiorfood Coop space in Galleria San Federico, the podcast-style event will feature writers, journalists, anthropologists, and chefs such as Antonio Pascale, Marino Niola, and Chiara Pavan, moderated by Chiara Galeazzi, Radio Deejay presenter and author. The occasion will also include the award ceremony for the three winners of the “Storie a tavola” - “Stories at the Table” competition, launched at the beginning of the summer, recognizing the best food-related stories and anecdotes transformed into recipes and dishes available for tasting. The day will conclude with “Pensa come Mangi” - “Think as you eat” at the Reale Mutua Auditorium (6:00 p.m.), an event designed to understand how the agri-food system has become concentrated in the hands of a few multinational corporations and how consumer choices can contribute to building a fairer and more sustainable economy. Speakers will include Julian Baggini, philosopher and journalist specializing in the ethics and philosophy of food; Elisabetta Recine, professor and President of Consea, working on food security, the right to food, food sovereignty, and agroecology; and Eric Schlosser, author and filmmaker known for his investigations into the industrial food system and its social and economic consequences.
The final day, September 27th, will feature “Slow Food Story” at Gallerie d’Italia (12:30 p.m.), an event dedicated to the history of the association through the first documentary film entirely devoted to Slow Food, produced in 2013 by screenwriter and director Stefano Sardo.
Francesco Amato, documentary filmmaker; Carlo Mazzoleni, president of the Società Valli del Bitto and spokesperson for the Slow Food Presidium Storico Ribelle; Galdino Zara, long-time activist and Slow Food Alliance chef; Valentina Gucciardo, coordinator of the “Slow Food Gardens” project; and Gigi Padovani, journalist and writer from Turin, author, among other works, of “Slow Food. Storia di un’utopia possibile” - “Slow Food: History of a possible utopia”, co-written with Carlo Petrini (the book also contains a mention of WineNews, ed), will join him to retrace the movement history.
Following this is “La terra e la musica” (2:30 p.m.), which uses words, sounds, and folk traditions to explore the richness of cultures and the deep bond between communities and their territories. The program features Pippo Bessone, author and longtime vocalist of Trelilu; actor Luca Occelli; anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Ettore Castagna; and Sonia Totaro, vocalist for Eugenio Bennato’s musical projects and a researcher in folk music and ethnomusicology. Also among the closing events will be “Good, Clean, and Fair” (4:30 p.m.), an invitation to continue “sowing utopia to reap reality”, in the spirit of Carlo Petrini’s cultural legacy. The storytelling will be led by Moni Ovadia, an actor, singer, and playwright who is a leading figure in Yiddish theater and klezmer music in Italy, and Lella Costa, an actress and writer who is one of the best-known voices in Italian narrative theater.
But, of course, there will also be ample attention for wine, which has a deep and historic connection with Slow Food. In 1986, in fact, while Slow Food was founded in Bra, Italy’s wine industry was reeling from the methanol scandal, which, in its dramatic aftermath, spurred the sector’s “renaissance” toward a standard of quality that is now recognized worldwide. And “forty years later, Terra Madre is celebrating this anniversary with major masterclasses dedicated to the wineries that have helped shape the history of winemaking in Ital”, explains Slow Food. At the Arcadia Restaurant in Galleria Subalpina, each event in the “40 Years of Slow Food, 40 Years of Great Wines” program will feature a vertical tasting of at least five vintages of the winery’s most iconic label, sometimes complemented by a guest wine: the event kicks off on September 24 with Biondi-Santi’s Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (11 a.m.), an icon and a symbol of the Tuscan region, and Ceretto, a world-renowned producer of Barbaresco and Barolo (5 p.m.); the event continues on September 25 with Gravner’s Ribolla (11 a.m.) and Fieramonte, Allegrini’s Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva (5:30 p.m.), and moves on to three more iconic producers on September 26: Ca’ del Bosco, a symbol of Franciacorta (11 a.m.), Gaja, a legend of the Langhe (3:00 p.m.), and De Bartoli (5:30 p.m.), among the great names of Sicily and Marsala; and finally, on September 27, with another piece of Barolo history: Barolo Mascarello (5:30 p.m.).
To raise a toast to Slow Food’s past, present, and future, in memory of Carlo Petrini, with the goal of further bringing to life his great moral and philosophical legacy, in the spirit of good, clean, and fair food (and wine) for everyone.