G. Caporale Institute 2011 Calendar

Abruzzi and Molise landscapes: culinary tradition and food safety

The cultural roots of Italy are amply demonstrated through its cuisine. Together with the landscape, which directly conveys the world around us, cuisine is one of the most authentic expressions of a people's culture. In the Abruzzi and Molise, the art of cooking has deep roots that have undergone recent upheaval with the arrival of exciting new chefs. These young entrepreneurs have had the intelligence to understand that while the future lies in innovation, this must be rooted in local culture and traditions. Their creativity (an essential part of any great cuisine), combined with painstaking experimentation and an analytical knowledge of their own gastronomic culture, has given a fantastic boost to the renewal of the great culinary tradition of the Abruzzi and Molise. Their inventiveness meets and embraces the landscapes of our region, enriching this year's calendar through the images of their gastronomic preparations. This conveys a strong, clear message about the ancestral conjunction of land and tradition whose evolution produces unique and unexpected results and, above all, stimulates a new local economy.

Istituto G. Caporale, which celebrates its 70th birthday in 2011, also has its roots in the rural Abruzzi of the last century and in the bedrock of an ancient, ingrained agro-pastoral culture. The Institute has been one of the drivers of innovation and progress in the Abruzzi since its beginnings and can be counted on to fulfil the same role in the future. The local population can rely on this authoritative institution to ensure that the food they eat complies with the most stringent standards of health and hygiene, while the local, national and international agricultural industry can depend on its expert and efficient services. In our everyday work, which involves special attention to safeguarding the Abruzzi and Molise region and its gastronomic traditions, we are particularly pleased to find that the concept of food safety is ever more understood and taken to heart: this translates to respect of the nutritional and sensory properties of food and attention to health and hygiene in its production, processing, preparation and consumption. The future holds no fear for those who are aware of their own culture, values and abilities.

We aim to be an important part of our regional culture. We interpret the economy of knowledge as also comprising technological innovation applied to local culture, and we look forward to a future in which our scientific and technological skills can unite with those of our farmers, our agricultural and food industry and our restaurateurs to develop a top quality gastronomic hot spot capable of generating a new economic and social wellbeing for the youth of the Abruzzi and Molise in the third millennium.

(Vincenzo Caporale, Director)

Cover. Oratorio di Santa Maria della Pietà, Calascio (AQ). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi
Back cover. Campi aperti, Santo Stefano di Sessanio (AQ). Photograph: Michele Carrelli

Third cover. Tracce di animale selvatico, Monti della Laga (TE). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi
January. Piana dei Quarti, Pescocostanzo (AQ). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi
February. Monti Gemelli, veduta al tramonto da Bellante (TE). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi

March. La Majella vista da Filetto (CH). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi

April. Veduta dal porto al tramonto, Giulianova (TE). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi

May. Golfo di Vasto (CH). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi
June. Valle dell'Aterno (AQ). Photograph: Vincenzo Caporale
July. Lungomare e trabocchi a Termoli (CB). Photograph: Michele Carrelli
August. Teatro di Sepino (CB). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi

September. Porto Canale (PE). Photograph: Michele Carrelli

October. Area nei dintorni di Tornimparte (AQ). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi

November. Veduta da Rigopiano, Farindola (PE). Photograph: Giovanni Lattanzi
December. Gran Sasso d'Italia visto da Colledara (TE). Photograph: Vincenzo Caporale

Editorial coordination: Walter Mazzitti