Danielle Mitzman

If somebody asked you where they make the best bread in the world, you might say France or Germany, but according to the 20th century Italian novelist, Riccardo Bacchelli, it came from Ferrara, made on the banks of the River Po. He’s understandably widely quoted in that area, although bread-making has changed enormously since his day.

Bacchelli’s celebrated novel, The Mill on the Po, offers vivid, historically accurate descriptions of what life was like for the millers of the Po Delta. He’d seen their floating water mills with his own eyes, before the last one was bombed during World War II.

The mills may have disappeared but they’ve never been forgotten by the communities whose economy is still based on cereal production.

Today, in the small village of Ro Ferrarese, many of its 4,000 inhabitants are involved in a project to recover the lost glory of their ancient bread-making tradition. With the help of EU funding, they’ve rebuilt a floating mill, using plans dating back to 1850. They now hope that the mill, which will be used in producing traditional organic bread, will help protect their environment and identity, as well as attracting visitors.

(First broadcast on Living Planet, Deutsche Welle Radio, 21st July, 2011)

A word which didn’t even exist until recently, “wellness” has become big business in recent years. Ever since the likes of Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow made yoga and healthy lifestyles aspirational, Europe has opened its sports club doors to a wave of new health and fitness disciplines and programmes.

With Summer just around the corner, Italians have been preparing for what they call “the swimsuit test” at the country’s top fitness and sports expo, Rimini Wellness. 14 expo halls with 42 stages, 4 inflatable pools and more than 1,500 hours of lessons, offered visitors the chance to try out the latest fitness industry novelties and trends.

Normally only interested in trade fairs with fine foods to be sampled, I agreed it was time burn off some of those calories, and went to Rimini to discover the newest ways to sweat, stretch and tone.

(First broadcast on European Business Week, Deutsche Welle Radio, 4th June, 2011)

The Italian city of Genoa, set on the Ligurian Sea, is the perfect location for Slow Fish, a fair aimed at protecting fish and traditional fishing communities, and drawing people’s attention to the tasty fish they’ve likely never heard of.

How can we, as consumers, be more responsible and make sure that the fish we’re eating is healthy and sustainable? I went to the fair to find out.

(First broadcast on Living Planet, Deutsche Welle Radio, 2nd June, 2011)