The upcoming ceremony for graduating University of Gastronomic Sciences students will be held in Pollenzo on Friday 10 March at 3.30pm, with a prestigious line-up of guests of honor: politician Emma Bonino, formerly the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs; Lucrezia Reichlin, an economist who teaches at the London School of Economics; Stefano Boeri, an architect, urban planner and politician; and S.E. Mons. Marco Brunetti, the Bishop of Alba.
The tradition of Graduation Day has been running in Pollenzo for six years now, and has become a important opportunity for congregation for the students and the wider university community, who come together to celebrate the graduating students’ achievement along with their friends and families.
As always, the ceremony will start in the afternoon, following the thesis discussions in the morning. It will begin at 3.30pm when the students will don their caps and the tabarro, the typical black cloak of the Langhe. The graduating students, guests of honor, UNISG professors and other university officeholders will form a procession that will lead from the Agenzia di Pollenzo courtyard to the nearby parish church of San Vittore, where the newly minted graduates will receive their degree certificates. The guests of honor will then address the audience, speaking, as is the custom, about their own studies.
This year, the graduates hail from 11 Italian regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia) as well as from Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Brazil and Australia. Of these students, 22 will be concluding the two-year graduate program in Gastronomic and Tourism Heritage Promotion and Management, while 34 will have finished the three-year undergraduate program in Gastronomic Sciences.
Here are their names and thesis titles.
Two-Year Graduate Degree
Alessio Bambina, age 27 from Alcamo (TP), will discuss the thesis “La birra artigianale è legge: analisi, criticità e possibili sviluppi futuri” (“Craft Beer Is Law: Analysis, Critical Issues and Possible Future Developments”), supervised by Prof. Michele Antonio Fino.
Matteo Benedetto, age 24 from Pavone Canavese (TO), will discuss the thesis “Esplorare il contesto delle produzioni locali: la razza bovina Cabannina” (“Exploring the Context of Local Production: The Cabannina Cattle Breed”), supervised by Prof. Roberta Cevasco.
Francesco Bigatti, age 30 from Chieri (TO), will discuss the thesis “Progetto sistemico per la valorizzazione del Freisa di Chieri D.O.C.” (“Systemic Project for Promoting Freisa di Chieri D.O.C.”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Guido Bravi, age 30 from Coccaglio (BS), will discuss the thesis “Analisi di supporto al progetto di apertura di un nuovo bistrot nella città di Torino” (“Analysis to Support the Project to Open a New Bistrot in the City of Turin”), supervised by Dott. Damiano Cortese.
Federico Chiara, age 27 from Turin, will discuss the thesis “Panis angelicus. Storia della gastromorale cristiana” (“Panis Angelicus: History of Christian Gastronomic Morality”), supervised by Prof. Antonella Campanini.
Camilla Cipriani, age 31 from Empoli (FI), will discuss the thesis “SYSTEMIC EVENT DESIGN S.Ee.D. Ricerca applicata per Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 e regolamento di premialità per gli eventi sostenibili della Città di Torino” (“Systemic Event Design S.Ee.D.: Applied Research for Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 and Reward Regulations for the City of Turin’s Sustainable Events”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Federico Di Gregorio, age 25 from Buttigliera Alta (TO), will discuss the thesis “Analisi dei cambiamenti relativi alla produzione e alla ritualità del Tartufo Bianco di Alba” (“Analysis of Changes Relating to the Production and Rituals of Alba White Truffles”), supervised by Prof. Roberta Cevasco.
Federico Dotta, age 23 from Rome, will discuss the thesis “Analisi economica – aziendale di un menu: Menù Engineering” (“Economic and Business Analysis of a Menu: Engineering Menu”), supervised by Prof. Valter Cantino.
Gloria Feurra, age 25 from Seneghe (OR), will discuss the thesis “Il Latte Nobile: una strategia per spezzare le catene di una commodity” (“Noble Milk: A Strategy to Break the Chains of a Commodity”), supervised by Prof. Carmine Garzia.
Gennaro Mazzola, age 24 from Benevento, will discuss the thesis “Insetti nel piatto. Rivoluzione alimentare in Occidente?” (“Insects on the Plate: A Food Revolution in the West?”), supervised by Prof. Gabriele Volpato.
Chiara Mizzan, age 24 from Milan, will discuss the thesis “Il Turismo Enogastronomico Esperienziale: proposta di un nuovo Format per il suo sviluppo nel Canavese” (“Experiential Food and Wine Tourism: Proposal for a New Format for its Development in the Canavese:”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Federica Parodi, age 24 from Ovada (AL), will discuss the thesis “La nutrizione e la gestione delle alterazioni dell’alvo dovute a radioterapia in area pelvica: un progetto dedicato ai pazienti del Policlinico Sant’Orsola – Malpighi di Bologna” (“Nutrition and the Management of Alterations in the Bowels Due to Radiotherapy in the Pelvic Area: A Project Dedicated to Patients at the Sant’Orsola Hospital”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Francesca Parpinel, age 25, from Brandizzo (TO), will discuss the thesis “Convivialità: il laboratorio della cucina e della tavola per la gestione dei conflitti. Come realizzare attraverso il convivio l’arte di vivere insieme” (“Conviviality: The Laboratory of the Kitchen and the Table for Managing Conflicts: How to Realize the Art of Living Together Through Feasting”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Agostino Petroni, age 25, from Andria (BT), will discuss the thesis “Memoria Nueva – Lezioni di resilienza gastronomica da tre comunità indigene latino-americane” (“Memoria Nueva: Lessons in Gastronomic Resilience from Three Indigenous Latin-American Communities”), supervised by Prof. Gabriele Volpato.
Stella Ricciardelli, age 26, from Rome, will discuss the thesis “Il gruppo alberghiero Marriott International analisi sistemica per la città di Milano” (“The Marriott International Hotel Group: Systemic Analysis for the City of Milan”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Edoardo Umberto Emile Simontacchi, age 26 from Milan, will discuss the thesis “Riflessioni sulla produzione di vino e sul fenomeno vino naturale” (“Reflections on Wine Production and the Natural Wine Phenomenon”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Paolo Solinas, age 25 from Seneghe (OR), will discuss the thesis “Aspetti qualitativi dell’olio extravergine di oliva: considerazioni critiche per la creazione di una classificazione legale premium” (“Quality Aspects of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Critical Considerations for the Creation of a Premium Legal Classification”), supervised by Prof. Michele Antonio Fino.
Alice Terzolo, age 25 from Asti, will discuss the thesis “Gli orti educano le città: focus sulla città di Torino” (“Food Gardens Educate the City: Focus on the City of Turin”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Mara Ventura, age 25 from Milan, will discuss the thesis “Allevare il vino. Cura, rispetto e apprezzamento nei nuovi modelli di produzione e consumo” (“Rearing Wine: Care, Respect and Appreciation in New Production and Consumption Models”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Pietro Vincenzi, age 26 from Turin, will discuss the thesis “Il valore comune di Terra Madre Salone del Gusto” (“The Common Value of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto”), supervised by Prof. Valter Cantino.
Dauro Mattia Zocchi, age 26 from Merate (LC), will discuss the thesis “Ricerche per l’identificazione e la valorizzazione della biodiversità del Perù: ruolo e prospettive del progetto Arca del Gusto” (“Research for the Identification and Promotion of Peru’s Biodiversity: Role and Prospects of the Ark of Taste Project”), supervised by Prof. Roberta Cevasco.
Luigi Zoli, age 28 from Forlì (FC), will discuss the thesis “Funghi e batteri: l’agricoltura simbiotica come approccio innovativo per una filiera sostenibile” (“Fungi and Bacteria: Symbiotic Agriculture as an Innovative Approach for a Sustainable Chain”), supervised by Prof. Silvestro Greco.
Three-Year Undergraduate Degree
Margherita Bacci, age 23 from Milan, will discuss the thesis “La rinascita del vino georgiano dopo la caduta dell’Unione Sovietica tra storia, cultura e gusto” (“The Rebirth of Georgian Wine After the Fall of the Soviet Union: History, Culture and Taste”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Fulvia Bechis, age 23 from Bra (CN), will discuss the thesis “Canapa sistemica, progettazione di una filiera integrata per la coltivazione della canapa in Piemonte” (“Systemic Hemp: Design of an Integrated Chain for the Cultivation of Hemp in Piedmont”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Rolando Belardoni, age 35 from Minturno (LT), will discuss the thesis “Turismo e gastronomia nel territorio aurunco” (“Tourism and Gastronomy in the Area of the Aurunci”), supervised by Prof. Piercarlo Grimaldi.
Paolo Candido Bertocchi, age 24 from Pontirolo Nuovo (BG), will discuss the thesis “Studio etnobotanico sull’uso tradizionale delle piante spontanee alimentari nella bergamasca e loro proprietà nutraceutiche: dalla catalogazione alla creazione di un menù degustazione” (“Ethnobotanic Study of the Traditional Use of Edible Wild Plants in the Bergamo Area and Their Nutraceutical Properties: From Cataloguing to the Creation of a Tasting Menu”), supervised by Prof. Andrea Pieroni.
Beatrice Bistolfi, age 22 from Alba (CN), will discuss the thesis “L’oro rosso di Monforte: lo zafferano come opportunità di sviluppo rurale nella zona del Barolo” (“Monforte’s Red Gold: Saffron as a Rural Development Opportunity in the Barolo Area”), supervised by Prof. Paola Migliorini.
Francesco Cucinotta, age 23 from Villafranca Tirrena (ME), will discuss the thesis “The hidden Mediterranean diet of Vulcano Isle: traditional wild vegetables and their gastronomic cultural heritage“, supervised by Prof. Andrea Pieroni.
Lorenzo Di Gennaro, age 23 from Collegno (TO), will discuss the thesis “Ristorazione in Langhe e Roero: analisi della clientela e dell’offerta” (“Restaurants in the Langhe and Roero: Analysis of Clientele and Supply”), supervised by Prof. Paolo Corvo.
Alice Di Prima, age 22 from Palermo, will discuss the thesis “Caratterizzazione microbiologica dell’impasto acido del pane di Monreale: relazione tra scienza, tradizione e gusto” (“Microbiological Characterization of Monreale Sourdough: The Relationship Between Science, Tradition and Taste”), supervised by Prof. Claudia Picozzi.
Matheus Esteves Sborgia Ferreira, age 27 from São Paolo, Brazil, will discuss the thesis “Analysis and Alternative Plan for Development – São Simão’s Farm – MS, Brazil,” supervised by Prof. Silvestro Greco.
Laura Falcetta, age 26 anni from Cumiana (TO), will discuss the thesis “Cannabis: possibili usi alimentari e terapeutici” (“Cannabis: Possible Culinary and Therapeutic Uses”), supervised by Prof. Gabriella Morini.
Alice Fassò, age 22 from Bra (CN), will discuss the thesis “I signori del Cerrado tra gloria passata e presente incerto: i Kraho e il loro miele per costruire il futuro” (“The Lords of the Cerrado Between Past Glory and Present Uncertainty: The Kraho and Their Honey to Construct the Future”), supervised by Dott.ssa Cinzia Scaffidi.
Lisa Sabine Thekla Fellmann, age 24 from Rodersdorf, Switzerland, will discuss the thesis “Legumes in Switzerland’s organic agriculture. Incentives and obstacles for farmers to grow old varieties,” supervised by Prof. Paola Migliorini.
Sara Fumagalli, age 22 from Lurate Caccivio (CO), will discuss the thesis “Il Cuoco senza pretese di Antonio Odescalchi: la cucina lariana in un ricettario dell’Ottocento” (“Antonio Odescalchi’s Chef Without Pretensions: Larian Cuisine in a 19th-Century Cookbook”), supervised by Prof. Antonella Campanini.
Lorenzo Innocenti, age 25 from Como, will discuss the thesis “Analisi del prodotto Mezcal nello stato di Oaxaca” (“Analysis of Mezcal in the State of Oaxaca”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Lea Kristina Ligat, age 24 from Kiel, Germany, will discuss the thesis “Truly local – Rhetorics, Perception and Identity of Regionality“, supervised by Prof. Michele Antonio Fino.
Riccardo Gino Liopi, age 25 from Cisliano (MI), will discuss the thesis “La Retorica del Sommelier” (“The Sommelier’s Rhetoric”), supervised by Prof. Michele Antonio Fino.
Alice Masi, age 22 from La Maddalena (OT), will discuss the thesis “Sardegnam: Evento enogastronomico per l’isola, nell’Isola” (“Sardegnam: Food and Wine Event for the Island, on the Island”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Valentina Masuelli, age 22 from Collegno (TO), will discuss the thesis “La Marenda Sinòira – Storia e morfologia di un rito contadino” (“The Marenda Sinòira: History and Morphology of a Rural Rite”), supervised by Prof. Piercarlo Grimaldi.
Bianca Mazzi, age 23 from Rimini (RN), will discuss the thesis “Acquacoltura per l’alimentazione umana del futuro: pratica sostenibile o problema ambientale?” (“Aquaculture for the Human Diet of the Future: Sustainable Practice or Environmental Problem?”), supervised by Prof. Silvestro Greco.
Bianca Minotti, age 22 from Milan, will discuss the thesis “Le urban food policies in Italia: verso una cooperazione C2C nazionale” (“Urban Food Politics in Italy: Towards a National C2C Cooperation”), supervised by Prof. Franco Fassio.
Caterina Pira, age 22 from Turin, will discuss the thesis “Tutto è zuppa. Rivoluzione Estetica dell’Educazione Alimentare” (“Everything is Soup: The Esthetic Revolution of Food Education”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Antonella Piscitello, age 22 from Palermo, will discuss the thesis “La mise en place. Scenografie alimentari dal fast food al Quirinale” (“Mise en Place: Food Scenographies from Fast Food to the Quirinale”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Camilla Rostin, age 23 from Campodarsego (PD), will discuss the thesis “Il cosmo in un bicchiere. La miscelazione come estetica alchemica” (“The Cosmos in a Glass: Blending as Esthetic Alchemy”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Andrea Sangiovanni, age 28 from Latina, will discuss the thesis “Il cioccolato: terroir, savoir fair e segni distintivi” (“Chocolate: Terroir, Savoir Faire and Distinctive Signs”), supervised by Prof. Lorenzo Bairati.
Fabio Tesauro, age 23 from Brandizzo (TO), will discuss the thesis “La gastronomia marocchina: transizione in Occidente e influenze culturali dei flussi migratori” (“Moroccan Gastronomy: Transition in the West and Cultural Influences of Migratory Flows”), supervised by Prof. Paolo Corvo.
Federico Levent Uluturk, age 24 from Voghera (PV), will discuss the thesis “L’influenza del senso uditivo nell’esperienza estetica gastronomica” (“The Influence of Hearing in the Gastronomic Esthetic Experience”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Viviana Versio, age 22 from Neive (CN), will discuss the thesis “Fenomenologia dei disturbi alimentari. Il rapporto con se stessi, gli altri e il cibo negli individui affetti da anoressia e bulimia” (“Phenomenology of Eating Disorders: The Relationship with Oneself, Others and Food in Individuals Affected by Anorexia or Bulimia”), supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Nicolò Villa, age 22 from Vigevano (PV), will discuss the thesis “Analisi sul consumo della carne in Italia” (“Analysis of Meat Consumption in Italy”), supervised by Prof. Paolo Corvo.
Mathilde Vilsen, age 29 from Thisted, Denmark, will discuss the thesis “What Gave Shape To The Danish Food Culture – Looking at a food culture from different perspectives,” supervised by Prof. Nicola Perullo.
Michele Vitali, age 22 from Melegnano (MI), will discuss the thesis “Il prestigio sociale e il ruolo della donna nella produzione di cibo: il caso del Wolayta (Etiopia)” (“Social Prestige and the Role of Women in Food Production: The Case of the Wolayta (Ethiopia)”), supervised by Prof. Piercarlo Grimaldi.
Rebecca Vivenzio, age 23 from Collegno (TO), will discuss the thesis “Orti urbani: i risvolti sociali” (“Urban Food Gardens: The Social Implications”), supervised by Prof. Paolo Corvo.
Valeria Vozza, age 23 from Modena, will discuss the thesis “Viaggio nei gusti delle altre: Studio etnografico sull’integrazione attraverso il cibo a Modena” (“Journey Through the Flavors of Others: Ethnographic Study of Integration Through Food in Modena”), supervised by Prof. Piercarlo Grimaldi.
Lucinda Williams Moore, age 29 from Leura, Australia, will discuss the thesis “Please pass the Goanna: Where native food fits into the modern Australian diet and how it got there,” supervised by Prof. Simone Cinotto.
Laura Wuethrich, age 25 from Zurich, Switzerland, will discuss the thesis “Experimental beverages beyond beer: The role and potential of fruit, gruit and honey in today’s Scotland,” supervised by Prof. Claudia Picozzi.