paolo Corvo

Among the forms of travel which have spread significantly in recent years, gastro-tourism certainly represents the most interesting from both a socio-cultural viewpoint, interpreting the new motivations of tourists in a satisfactory way, and in terms of economics, involving different production and commercial sectors. This book by Erica Croce and Giovanni Perri, Gastro-Tourism lecturers at the University of Gastronomic Sciences and founders of Meridies-Culture and Tourism Itineraries, addresses the various aspects of the phenomenon effectively and exhaustively. With simple and immediate language and an innovative interdisciplinary approach, the authors present these aspects to a readership of students, tourism and food-industry insiders and managers and tourists. The three vital worlds that interweave in culinary vacations, namely food, tourism and territory, are analyzed starting from their mutual interactions, which can provide important added value to local societies and economies. The book’s first three chapters are conceptual and serve as a theoretical introduction to the later section describing projects. The authors meticulously define food and wine tourism as ‘the inclination to move from one’s own place of residence with the aim of reaching and understanding the culture of a destination known for its high-quality food production, entering into direct contact with food producers, visiting the areas where raw materials are processed and packaged, tasting in situ and, if possible, personally acquiring specialties to take home’. These characteristics identify this as a type of integrated cultural travel , easily integrable with other organizational forms of cultural or environmental tourism, such greenways, farm holidays and parchi letterari (literary parks). The relationship between tourism and territory remains complex, particularly in terms of environmental impact, which does not always respect the criteria of sustainability and protection of the landscape. Croce and Perri underline how there must be respect for the principles of ecosystem integrity, social equity and true economic efficiency, taken as a collective well-being. In terms of added value, tourism as a business sector must join with other socio-economic activities without replacing them. Another aspect to consider is that of quality, in the various modes of expected, proven, technical, functional, certified and experiential.
The second chapter is dedicated to an in-depth interdisciplinary analysis of the different theories concerning territory and its evolution—the most important geographical theories (Lundgren’s model and Jotart’s classification of urban polarities) and evolutionary theories of tourist areas (Miossec’s studies, Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle, Plog’s psychogeographic model)—and concludes with an interpretation that seeks to combine a geographic approach with sociological investigation and economic evaluations. No less interesting is the third chapter, which deals with the motivations of gastro-tourists, analyzing the four constitutive periods of a trip: the decision to go, circulation, reception and return. It articulates a typology that includes, among many other characters, ‘wine tourists’ (defined as consumer-connoisseur-discoverers), for the most part males, aged between 26 and 45 and of medium-high social and economic standing. The ‘gastronaut’ limits his or her visit to a single day and pays great attention to eating and enjoying a lot of food. The ‘foodtrotter’ takes a longer holiday and gastronomy is not his or her sole reason for traveling. We completely subscribe to the rules of etiquette for food and wine tourism, which involve a series of attitudes and behaviors that the traveler must adopt before, during and after the vacation, in order to respect places, people, products and landscapes, thus helping to boost good practices of sustainable and responsible tourism.
In the fourth chapter, the book assumes a more practical tone and seeks to show how a location can shift from being a production territory to a tourist ‘product’, defined as ‘the meeting point between demand and supply, consistently with present and potential environmental aspects and characteristics. Another commendable assertion by the authors is that ‘food and wine tourism cannot be carried out everywhere, or, at any rate, it cannot be carried out everywhere in the same way’. In fact, certain requisites, such as high sensory quality, consumer perception of uniqueness and originality, rarity and limited production, markets based primarily around the production site and historical and cultural rootedness, must be mastered and respected. It is also necessary to take into consideration the perceived value of the typical product, determined by the consumer’s culture and the particular nature of the production process; the circumstances of consumption; and the level of food satisfaction provided by the form, consistency, aroma and color of the product. We hope that these pages are read and reflected upon by people who work or would like to work in the various job descriptions (local administrators, employees, managers and experts in tourism and the food industry) of gastro-tourism. The last part of the chapter also stresses these aspects, dealing with the communication of the food and wine destination’s identity, underlining that it is necessary to transmit a strongly local-based message and highlighting the link between leisure, food production and terroir. To be avoided at all costs is so-called information asymmetry, when the principal characteristics and supporting values of a product are not communicated and thus lose identity and relevance. In this respect, the authors present a best practice of ‘themed food and wine education’ in Alto Adige: a chestnut tasting at a family-run hotel, where a promotional trip for journalists and opinion leaders allows for an accurate understanding of the service offered.
The fifth chapter dwells on tourist supply, with information about accessibility, environments visited, their presentation and informational material. The authors correctly underline the importance of a warm welcome, which is a basic indicator of the staff’s professional expertise, and style of destination and accommodation. In particular, a farm should organize the best possible tours and tastings for tourists, and naturally tastings will differ for every kind of product tasted. The opportunity for purchases brings the visit to a close. This is a fundamentally important moment for the producer, so care should be taken over the smallest details. Some locations augment their tourist services with cultural and convivial events, meetings and seminars, which attract a greater number of visitors and outside attention. Not to be forgotten are self-monitoring and customer satisfaction procedures, realized through the questionnaires on the hospitality provided. The text becomes increasingly practical in the sixth chapter, dedicated to case studies as starting points for the planning of new projects or to improve those already in existence. For example, as a model for wineries the authors believe that the tour devised by Robert Mondavi in Oakville, in California’s Napa Valley, is exemplary at an educational level. The Vannulo dairy in Capaccio Scalo, near Salerno, is presented as a model of integration between excellent cheesemaking and well-organized tourism hospitality. The Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels is singled out as a good example in the brewery field.
The seventh chapter presents a series of praiseworthy models of accommodation and catering, as well as describing the tasks and functions of different areas within the food and wine tourism sector (tourist information office, tour operator, tourist guide, information and gastronomic culture centers, universities).
In the final chapter, the authors show how a tourist package is constructed, with information about catalog structuring, analysis forms and cultural and food and wine itineraries, as well as concrete technical details and two good examples of wine tourism in Champagne and Tuscany. As can be seen, this is a book rich in stimuli, both from a theoretical and a practical and operational point of view, which reveals the multiple skills of its authors. Above all, it enhances and adds significant value to the available literature on the food and wine tourism sector.

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