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Bra Italy

Bra is a small, quiet town in the region of Piedmont in northwest Italy. There is not much to do or many attractions to see in Bra, as it is just a great place to appreciate the lives of the locals. One site that travelers can visit is the Chiesa di San Andrea which dates back to the 18th century and was designed by Bernini. Visitors can also head over to Santuario della Madonna dei Fiori which is a chapel complex known for its architecture and for an alleged spotting of the Madonna in 1336.

So why bother recognizing Bra if there is nothing to do there? Bra is famous for being the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is the very opposite of fast food. Slow Food is more than just a boycott for fast food; it encompasses the notion that every individual should be connected to their food sources. Every individual should be eating local, organic, clean, healthy food made by traditional and sustainable methods. It is a farm-to-table organization that encourages natural foods made with no preservatives, produced with an environmentally sound techniques.

At the same time, supporters abound are urged to slow down and truly enjoy their meal, relishing the varying tastes, textures, and aromas with friends and family at their sides. As of April 2008, Slow Food had 85,000 members in 132 countries. National offices were established in countries that are at the forefront of the organization: Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the USA, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

People have a right to know what they are putting into their bodies during mealtimes. This is one of the motives of Carlo Petrini, an activist who founded Slow Food in 1986 and shaped it into what it is today. As a young boy, Petrini grew up in the region of Piedmont, Italy surrounded by a gastronome’s dream: chestnuts, honey, freshly made cheese, white truffles, Bavolo wine and many more fresh Italian ingredients characteristic of that area. In his college years, his interest in sociology, music, politics and humor, coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit paved the way for his success in spreading epicurean awareness.

Carlo Petrini noticed that the local foods of his area that made the region so unique were disappearing due to the inability to make a living on a farm. Those who were once farmers and producers of regional products and cuisines were going to work in factories for better wages. In an attempt to help the blue collar workers, and to revive the Piedmontese fare that he so adored, Petrini and his friends opened a restaurant in the middle of Bra, Italy, what, unbeknownst to Carlo Petrini, would become the birthplace of Slow Food itself. The restaurant, Osteria del Boccondivino, soon became the host of many dinner parties serving local, fresh, seasonal food at affordable prices. Carlo and his friends were joined by many natives and tourists, all of whom took their time eating, drinking, and truly treasuring the native ingredients.

After college Petrini went on to write about food and wine, and also broadcasted a radio segment on similar topics. Seventy-two supporters and founding members of this food and pleasure fueled group labeled themselves "Arcigola" after a Milan-based magazine and appointed Carlo Petrini as their President in 1986. Over the next few years wine guides and slow food newsletters published by Arcigola became inserts in other well-known papers. Their wine guide "Gambero Rosso" (Red Shrimp), which is a leading authority on wine selections today, went on to be extremely successful, attract new members, and provide financing, enabling the group to flourish. The concept of a food guide was extended to osterie (casual, family restaurants), roadside restaurants, farmhouse inns, etc., all places linked by their unique representation of their regions, low prices, and local food.

The year of 1989 brought with it a tragedy in Italian culture, the efforts of the McDonald's corporation to build a McDonald's in the vicinity of the Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Steps). With the driving force of Arcigola in mind, the desire to rescue restaurants serving traditional, genuine cuisine, the members pushed forward to boycott the opening of the new McDonald's. Upon the arrival of this new challenge came renewed courage and solidarity among the ever-growing group, and a new name to better represent their intentions: Slow Food, a direct opposition to the fast-food pandemic.

Today Slow Food is proactive about saving endangered foods and methods used to produce them. Loans are given to help farmers and artisans thrive. Chefs and artisans are asked to adopt an endangered food or dish and produce it. Many chapters representing countless regions of the world are all fighting to revive honest epicurean practices, dishes that represent a culture's heritage, and the slow-paced pleasure that should be embodied when dining and living.