To
The Ark
Story and Photographs
By: Stephen Ashton
So
by this time the idea of this event is beginning to sink in. I
now appreciate the importance of putting nearly extinct dishes
onto the gastronomic ““Endangered Species
List" known as The Ark Of Tastes.
We all head over to the Spedale di Sant’Antonio,
a beautifully designed 15th Century building consisting of a series
of seven arches made from the stone that Lastra a Signa
is famous for. The building originated as a Hospital (“spedale"),
more in the sense of offering hospitality in the form of a resting
place for travelers. Since the 15th century travelers were provided
bread, wine, vegetables from Guild gardens, and a place to sleep.
Since Lastra a Signa was on an important trade
route, it was the Consoli dell’Arte della Seta
(Consuls of the Silk Guild) that had the building designed
by Florentine master architects – in fact, many argue that
it too was designed by the famed Brunelleschi.
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These
endeavors and beneficial services, started nearly 600 years ago,
are the result of enlightened cooperation between business interests,
religious orders and the municipality. In fact, this historic
project is a model for today's cooperative activities not just
in this lovely little town, but in the Florentine and Tuscan regions
in general. Tuscany has through the ages been at the vanguard
of progressive humanist thought and human rights. On November
30th, 1786, Tuscany became the first State in the Western world
to pass an Act banning torture and capital punishment. And Tuscany
today is the leader in the movement towards “Sustainable
Agriculture and Biodiversity.
The
tradition of compassion and social responsibility continues in
Lastra a Signa with the Antichi Sapori
event: it includes an “EcoFest”
with a special symposium called “Water For Peace,”that
tackles Global Water Issues in honor of the International Year
of Water. The dining tent is decorated with huge panels that illustrate
the problems and propose solutions. A major figure in the Antichi
Sapori event is the 49 year old Mayor of Lastra
a Signa, Carlo Moscardini, a visionary
who has enrolled a number of his colleagues from 9 neighboring
villages to participate in a project that provides drinking water
for villages in “The South"(South
Italy and especially third world villages of the Southern Hemisphere)
that suffer from drought. We are blessed to live in the
rich North,”Mayor Moscardini says,
“but we have a moral duty to the poor in The South. We raised
900,000 euros (over one million $US) for food and water
projects in South Africa. We need to cultivate sustainable ideas
for an equitable society as well as wonderful foods.”
Other
Great Links
Antichi
Sapori di Toscana
To
The Ark
The
Valdarno Chicken
Roventino
Antichi
Sapori di Toscana, The Slow Food Way Ancient Tastes of Tuscany
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