Pietro Valente, UNISG alumno, and the shared dream of Valleponci
How did you develop an interest in gastronomy, and what brought you to Pollenzo in 2017 to pursue a three-year degree?
Before studying at UNISG, I worked for a few years in catering in different parts of the world. I was looking for a course of study that did not take me away from my passion for travel and did not slow down my creativity. Australia, South East Asia, Austria, Holland, and other places; until, after 4 years, I realized that I missed my roots and decided to return to Italy. Originally from Turin, as soon as I found out about UNISG, I understood that this University was a great way to stay in my Country but at the same time be in an international environment, learn about new cultures and continue to feed my curiosity.
Valle Ponci project: how was the idea born and when?
It all comes from strong close ties during university with 2 former students of the Master of Gastronomy: Creativity, Ecology and Education and my girlfriend, a former three-year undergraduate student. After ending our journey in Pollenzo, we realized we wanted to deepen the peasant, educational and political aspects of food through an agricultural community project. Each of us has worked in various companies in the agri-food, wine, academic, and small catering world. In 2021 we started with our project, Valleponci, a farmhouse nestled in an environmentally and historically fascinating valley in the hinterland of Finale Ligure. 50 hectares with woods (holm oaks, chestnut trees), vineyards, orchards, pastures, and an active accommodation facility with 18 beds and a restaurant. The current owners want to find a group of people to pass the baton to. We want to give new energy and develop the immense hidden potential of this valley. From the beginning, two Swiss investors decided to focus on this project with us. Thanks to them, we started a search for investors 1 year ago. All summer, I worked with the current owners to better understand the reality and its daily management, and now in the fall, we are almost ready to leave as new owners.
What values did Pollenzo leave you, and how do you apply them in your daily life and in this new project?
During my time in Pollenzo, in my second year during Professor Paola Migliorini’s course on ‘Agro-Food Systems,’ I was very impressed by a quote from Wendell Berry: ‘to be interested in food but not in food production is clearly absurd.’ This sentence sums up very well what Pollenzo left me. I went from serving food and wine, as a waiter and sommelier in restaurants, to working the land and following the processes of transforming and selling its fruits. Now with this project, we will bring together agriculture, catering, education, hospitality, service, and enhancement of agricultural products.
Pollenzo helped me develop a critical view of the world through food. I like to think of it as something that can change ourselves with the world.
Do you have any advice for those who want to pursue a career as a gastronome?
Pollenzo left me a tremendous resource: the network, the most important added value. Thanks to it, I was able, together with my friends, to embark on the magnificent Valleponci project. Teaming up, talking, discovering, and creating shared dreams are essential steps because you can’t go anywhere alone. For my thesis with Prof. Migliorini, I evaluated the hypothesis of agricultural recovery of a limestone quarry, and during the months of writing, I was in the mountains to work. I was very passionate about the topic, thinking I could undertake a post-thesis project on that quarry. What was the problem? I was alone. Nonetheless, thanks to the thesis and that project idea, I understood that my direction was that of a project linked to the care of the land and sharing.
