The Birds, the Bees and Flowers

Indigenous seeds for better tourism

This is a rewrite of two now unpublished Delicious Italy articles on the shared theme of bees, flowers and olfactory experiences. We didn’t want to archive the pages completely, so here is a merged version.

main image - copyright Delicious Italy - Spring in Garfagnana, Lucca, Tuscany

"By now we all know that leaving a spoonful of sugary water on the garden table does not save bees. But what just might is the project Bee the Future, a collaboration between Eataly, the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, and the University of Palermo.

A project to encourage farmers to sow a special mixture of Italian seeds on their land to encourage bee-friendly plants to establish themselves and propagate. 100 hectares of land within some of the most important agricultural areas of Italy were targeted in July 2019.

The initiative brought together farmers and beekeepers who have a common desire to re-establish natural ecosystems and a culture of the environment. Why? Because since the Second World War industrial agriculture in Italy, through monoculture, has destined thousands of hectares of fertile land to single plant species whether they be corn, rice, soya etc.

Combined with a massive use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides, once naturally rich soils have become genuine deserts for pollinators such as bees, bumblebees and butterflies.

If they even manage to find enough sustenance to survive, their life cycles are unnaturally cut short.

Honey maker Francesco Colafemmina of Azienda Agricola La Pecheronza in Bari, Puglia, explained further.

“Beekeepers are the first to realize that the soil or 'suolo' is under attack. If the land has been set over for monoculture there is nothing left after the harvest has taken place, literally. The fertility of soil can actually be gauged by measuring the level of microbiological activity.”

Indeed, over the last 50 years the once naturally fertile River Po plain (Val Padana) has dropped to dangerously low levels. What was once a healthy 7-8% on the 'fertimetro', today's 0.7%-0.8% suggests desertification is not far off.

Francesco Colafemmina added. "Maybe the bees will go elsewhere, but we can't and so cannot survive economically. Add to this the now common irregular weather patterns and ever present pesticides. Well, total devastation.”

The numbers back him up. The unusually wet May of 2019 meant that honey production in Italy was down by 70-80%.

The Solution

Bee the Future activated 50 'agricoltori resistenti' or farmers who have been sowing the perimeters of their fields with a special mixture of Italian seeds produced by Antonio Lo Fiego of Arcoiris.

The areas of interest are the corn monocultures in Piemonte, the territories of Prosecco in Veneto, the areas of intensive cattle breeding in the Po Valley and the hazelnut monocultures in the province of Viterbo.

Bee the Future is a concrete act which gives farmers an ancient and formidable tool to make a difference: the sowing of biodiversity. The seed mixture or 'bombe di semi' contains 10 organic, naturally pollinated and mellifluous (giving honey) species.

They include cornflower, grano saraceno, marigold, coriander and turnip tops. In this way the use of pesticides is avoided and a real beneficial action is taken in favour of pollinators.

Andrea Guerra, President Eataly Executive, explained further.

"The creation of a network of virtuous sectors such as agriculture, beekeeping and landscape protection, which don't usually collaborate, can only support the health of the environment and the beauty of our landscape". And let’s not forget, you need a bee to make a seed!"

The bees, exposed in recent years to incredible climatic stress and the killer effects of pesticides will, therefore, find refuge in the fields of Resistant Farmers. A strong and courageous message which cannot remain unheard by the agricultural associations and institutions.

Olfactory Tourism

You may never have of heard of olfactory tourism. You may think it will never apply to you. But it is all around us and seems to be the latest trend in travel.

In short, smells and odours are part of cultural heritage which allow us to live experiences, places, traditions and history more intensely by imprinting indelible memories in our minds.

Neuroscience then, with smell the only one of our senses directly linked to memory and the only one which can trigger vivid and instant emotions from our past. Indeed, researchers from Odeuropa and UNESCO are working together to establish policies to protect the smells we perceive and contribute to the richness of heritage.

The former is even developing novel methods for collecting information about smell from digital text (surely printed text would be more interesting!) and image collections.

Fair enough, but in the real world what do this actually mean?

Can we have an olfactory memory of a place we've never even been to? Artificially applied it would remain an approximation, an illusion of sorts or plain sensory hint of a historic past we may never have experienced.

An example of this must surely be the Jorvik Centre in the UK where its 'world-famous ride takes visitors around the sights, sounds and smells of Viking-age York'. You can see where this may be heading with the recent Odeuropa collaboration with Museum Ulm in Germany. "Follow Your Nose: a Guided Tour with Smells” officially launched in April 2022 and continues to run. Was that pun intended!

Best Practice

Promo FVG (Friuli Venezia Giulia) recently audited their tourism offers for suitable olfactory experiences and deduced that certain places at certain moments will leave the visitor with unique emotions which might be induced to pop up at any time once back home. Try these.

The Azalea Garden of Gorizia

Located within Piuma Isonzo Park in Gorizia, three terraces of plants release their best fragrances in the Spring as well as offering a splendid view of Gorizia and Nova Gorica (jointly the 2025 European Capital of Culture). And from March to June, rhododendrons, azaleas, lilacs, hydrangeas, peonies, climbing roses, flowering apple trees etc can be admired and inhaled.

The Sage Trail in Karst

The nature reserves of the rocky Karst plateau overlooking the sea offer many unique hiking opportunities. One path in particular, surrounded by wild sage which unleashes an unmistakable aroma in specific months of the year. The path is sheltered from the Bora wind, which means that the scents also linger here for a long time.

The Aroma of Picolit

Picolit is a white grape variety and indigenous to Friuli Venezia Giulia. The passito is known for its sweet fragrances of acacia honey, peach and ripe apricots. The grapes are harvested by hand to avoid spoiling the fruit. Do visit the local villages during harvest time when the air is filled with sweet fragrances.

Wild Plants of the Riviera and Mountain Farming

The rediscovery of the wild dwarf orchid Sphedodes Atrata Miller, which grows among the sand dunes of the coast, has led to the creation of a line of cosmetics. The essence has become a souvenir. While in Piancavallo, the Arnica plant offers a pleasant aromatic scent in late June and is sought after by many mountain lovers.

Olfactory Experience in a Winery

An analogous experience is also proposed by winemaker Agricola Gian Piero Marrone in La Morra in Piemonte. Available every day, at 10.00 in the morning or 15.00 in the afternoon. Reservation required at least 2 weeks in advance, subject to availability of the expert.

You will be accompanied in the tasting by a professional who will entertain you with identifying scents and help you name those sensations most commonly found in a glass of wine but are not so easy to describe precisely.

The activity stimulates your attention in a very personal way, even without any basic skills.

“A new, innovative and pleasant approach to experiencing wine.”