A blossoming study visit to Tuscany’s finest biocultural heritage
On Saturday 7th of May all project partners gathered at DISEI (Department of Management and Economics), University of Florence (UNIFI) to participate in a study visit part of an EUniWell seed project on Advancing Wellbeing tourism.
Students from both the Linnaeus university (Lnu) and UNIFI were represented as well as Mexican researchers. This summary is written by one of them, Ibrahim Badmus Oluwatosin, student of the master program in health science at Lnu.
The field visit was taking part in the Chianti region of Italy and included an exploration of Pruneti “The Art of Healthy Living” and a sensory experience at “Casa del Chianti Classico”. The group visited Iris flower cultivations and olive groves with an exquisite panoramic view on the Chianti hills. The main discussion was related to the history of cultivation and extraction of produce from the Iris flower root as well as the importance of this heritage to tourism experiences. The Iris flowers are cultivated among the Olive trees and blossom only during a short period each spring.
Later followed a presentation on olive oil production, the diverse varieties of oil, and the important difference between virgin and non-virgin oils. Since the tasting of the oil is the main technique used to determine its quality there was an opportunity to try different oils and experience how well (or not) they combine with different local foods.
In the afternoon the field visit continued to Casa del Chianti Classico where a multisensorial experience was offered together with a tasting of local food traditional products. It was also explained how the former monastery was restored to now host the Pruneti Extra Gallery. We returned to the city of Florence enriched by beautiful experiences, networking, and fruitful discussions.
Text by: Ibrahim Badmus Oluwatosin, student representative, Lnu. Edited by: Lali Lindell, Lnu
