Risotto Festival & Art Exhibition Highlights in Veronese Region

The small road does not wait for the Risotto Fair to be the protagonist of festivals and initiatives that herald the thirty-fifth edition of the famous island event.

The first gathering for Herbed Risotto is scheduled for the weekend; from tomorrow until Sunday, celebrations will take place at Corte Melotti, in via Tondello 59, with a selection of risottos competing in the XIV Risotto Palio during the days of the fair (Friday at 7 p.m.). This will be followed by the giant risotto event, with 190 kilograms of Herbed Risotto cooked in the Guinness record-breaking pot (Saturday at 8:30 p.m.), and then the challenge to see who can eating the most risotto, along with the first tasting of rice beer. Additionally, there will be a motorcycle tour and a demonstration of vintage tractors (Sunday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.).

Participation in the “Art in Rice” Exhibition

Artists interested in joining the first exhibition «Art in “Part” Risotto» organized by the Municipality, in collaboration with the Restaurateurs Association, the Veronese Vialone Nano rice protection consortium, rice mills, and the local committee, have until September 10 to submit their entries. An initiative that, with a call for participation, anticipates the Fair but does not fall within its program, as it will commence in November.

Interested artists will be paired with gastronomic evenings featuring Veronese Vialone Nano rice. «The exhibition is part of a project aimed at enhancing the cultural and artistic heritage of the territory», says Alberto Fenzi, counselor for events and productive activities, «with a focus on rice that extends beyond the period of the fair». Culture and rice should therefore mutually enhance each other.

The project, which is supported by the Region, also includes the organization of exhibitions and conferences, evenings with artist-authors, the printing of a catalog for participating artists, and the setup of an exhibition of their works.

The dates for the evenings are roughly fixed; the detailed schedule will be finalized based on the number of participants. Events will run from November 8 to April 4. «This is because», explains Gabriele Ferron, president of the local committee, chef, and rice producer, «in spring, the meeting and gastronomic evenings phase ends and the sowing season begins. We will think of initiatives connected to it».

The invitation to participate in the exhibition is open to all island artists, musicians, poets, writers, painters, sculptors, and «persons with artistic and creative qualities». Interested individuals can submit their application to the Municipality, the local committee, or the associated restaurants that publish the call.

For further information, you can call 045.730.0177; 045.730.1022; 045.6630377.