FAENZA, Italy-
Environmentalists, foodies and travelers, unite!
You have nothing to lose but your boring supermarket produce.
The Festival of Forgotten Fruits–scheduled for Oct. 14-15 in the town of Casola Valsenio, Italy–is an event designed to bring attention to little-known and sometimes ancient varieties of wild fruit that are still cultivated locally.
The festival will feature pomegranates, vulpine pears, rose apples, jujubes (also known as red dates or Chinese dates), quince apples, sorb apples, cornelian cherries and unusual types of berries, as well as medlars, which are used as an ingredient in desserts, jelly and wine. When ripe, medlars taste and feel a little like apple sauce.
Local farmers will display baskets of fruits and nuts, and sell jams, marmalades, pies, syrups, wines and liquors derived from them. Local restaurants will feature the fruits in recipes like pasta with pomegranate seeds.
A "Road of Forgotten Fruits" runs between the Senio and Santerno river valleys towards Casola Valsenio, with eight "oases" in which these fruits have been planted and are allowed to grow wild.
Casola Valsenio also has a botanical garden that grows about 450 different types of herbs. Local dairy products are often flavored with these herbs, such as pecorino with thyme or goat's milk with basil.
Casola Valsenio, near the city of Faenza, is about 40 miles from Bologna.
Faenza is home to the International Ceramics Museum of Faenza, known for its collection of majolica, a richly colored and decorated glazed pottery.
For help in planning a trip, visit or call the local tourism office at 011-39-0546-74627.
