Amazing Italy: Enjoying Rovigo and its cuisine with Maria Cristina Buoso (Part 4) - by Maria Teresa De Donato

 Amazing Italy:

Enjoying Rovigo and its cuisine with Maria Cristina Buoso (Part 4)

by Maria Teresa De Donato

 

Dear friends,

Today we are again with our friend, colleague, author, and blogger Maria Cristina walking around Rovigo. In the two previous articles, you mentioned the history of Rovigo, introducing us to some tasty recipes.

We will continue with Rovigo, of which we will discover other exciting tourist attractions to go to and see should we visit this city.

Enjoy the reading!

 

MTDD: Hi Maria Cristina, and welcome to our appointment in the Amazing Italy column.

MCB: Thanks Maria Teresa for inviting me. It is always a pleasure to be your guest.

 

 

MTDD: Today, we continue to visit Rovigo. What attractions are you going to consider?

 

MCB: Today, I want to talk to you about another historic building in the city that overlooks Piazza V. Emanuele II, the Accademia dei Concordi.

(Rovigo – Accademia dei Concordi)

 

The Accademia dei Concordi is a cultural foundation of Rovigo born around 1580. Count Gaspare Campo (Rovigo, 1557-Rovigo, 21 February 1629) wanted to bring together all the local writers and scholars to discuss literature, music, and art with the intent to replace all the Academies that had sprung up in the city.

 

MTDD: What were the other Academies then present in Rovigo?

 

MCB: At that time, there was that of the Sleeping (which was dissolved in 1562 because it was suspected of heresy and some members were tried), that of the Humble (of a religious nature), and that of the Knights (made up only of nobles).

 

 

MTDD: How did this Academy replace the ones that had been disbanded?

 

MCB: In 1739, the statute of the Accademia dei Concordi was officially approved by the Republic of Venice, and since its inception, the Academy has been the central point of Rovigo culture.

 

In 1836 the Library and the Art Gallery were opened to the public with a rich book and artistic heritage, which became a point of reference for the institutions, associations, and cultural operators of the city and the Polesine.

  

(Rovigo – Accademia dei Concordi)

 

MTDD: Who designed and / or built the building that houses this Academy?

 

MCB: The building where the Accademia dei Concordi is located was built on a project by the architect Sante Baseggio (Rovigo, 1794 - Rovigo, 1861) in 1814.

 

MTDD: What can you tell us about how it is organized and the activities it carries out?

MCB: The Accademia dei Concordi has a total assets of over 300,000 documentary units and a cataloging and bibliographic research center which serves the city and also the libraries of the province as part of the Provincial Library System of which it is a technical/scientific partner.

It is divided into three sections: "Conservation", "Public reading" and "Children".

The "Boys" Section of the Library, called Multispazio, was inaugurated on 29 April 2004 in the premises of Palazzo Nagliati (inside a delightful courtyard with an entrance on Piazza Garibaldi, in front of the Teatro Sociale) and has a collection of over 9,000 documents divided by age groups. There is also a small section for parents and teachers with a psycho-pedagogical focus, which ranges from non-fiction dedicated to early childhood to the promotion of reading.

 

I stop here and as always I leave you these links to learn more ....

https://www.concordi.it/

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accademia_dei_Concordi

https://www.rovigoracconta.it/luogo/accademia-dei-concordi

https://www.concordi.it/bibparmi/

https://www.concordi.it/multispazio/

 

MTDD: Thank you, Maria Cristina, for this interesting information. Even the Accademia dei Concordi certainly deserves to be visited for the role it continues to play in the history of Rovigo, a town of which we are discovering, thanks to you, many 'precious pearls'.

Each of your articles has always ended 'at the table' so to speak. What do you want to end it with today?

MCB: Today I want to conclude it by talking to you about a bread born in Rovigo, to be precise in Adria in 1982, Cavallari registered it as a commercial brand with the name of "Ciabatta Italia".

 

Arnaldo Cavallari, together with the well-known baker Francesco Favaron conceived it and made it become one of the most famous loaves of bread in the world, and once eaten ... you never forget it. It is a bread with high water content, at least 70% of the total weight of the flour, usually without lipids. It can be recognized by the large honeycomb of the crumb, by the crust tending to brown, and by its crunchiness, in addition to the classic big one, now there are also slippers. It can be eaten in many ways, but it is mainly used for sandwiches. You can put anything in it, and ... my mouth is already watering. 😊

 

Arnaldo Cavallari was a well-known rally champion in the 1960s, and when he left the sporting activity, he returned to his roots because he was the heir to a famous family of bakers in the area.

 

As the owner of the Molini Adriesi, he began a series of experiments in the bakery via Ca 'Cima 15 in Adria, which led him to patent the ciabatta bread in 1983.

The success was immediate, and today the ciabatta is known and loved worldwide like the baguette.

 

I'll show you a couple of links in case you want to try your hand at preparing this bread and ... let me know how it goes 😊

 

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciabatta_(pane)

https://panelibrienuvole.com/2016/10/10/pane-ciabatta-di-verona/

 

MTDD: Thank you, Maria Cristina, for briefly introducing us to your city and for this tasty recipe. See you soon.

 

MCB: Thanks, Maria Teresa. It is always a pleasure to talk to you. See you soon.