1) Woman-led Innovation Journey by major Rosaria Amalia Capparelli and the operators of the Reception and Integration System (SAI)’s project “Insieme a San Benedetto Ullano” (“Together with San Benedetto Ullano”)
Our first stop will be in San Benedetto Ullano. Here we will meet the mayor, Rosaria Amalia Capparelli, who will tell us about her innovative journey. She is a lawyer, who has been the mayor of this small Arbëreshe village, near the city of Cosenza, for over 10 years. Her administrative activity is characterized by a focus on social sustainability and inclusion. Among other activities, she has been the promoter of the creation of a municipal playroom organizing different social activities including theater workshops for children, initiatives against violence against women and initiatives for the older population. For instance, the event “Grandparents at the theater” involves the grandparents of the local community, who are accompanied to attend a theater show at the most important theaters in the province. She also created the “Porte Narranti” (“Storytelling Doors”) project, a widespread museum that narrates the history of the village through doors decorated by Calabrian artists. Since 2016, she also included the municipality of San Benedetto Ullano into the national Protection System for Asylum seekers and Refugees (SPRAR) network, which is now called Reception and Integration System (SAI). In this context, she obtained funding from the Ministry of the Interior for the reception project “Insieme a San Benedetto Ullano” (“Together with San benedetto Ullano”, managed by an association in which the female component is predominant. The aim of the project is to support refugees and asylum seekers by providing accommodation, access to local services and encouraging interaction with the local community.
We will also have the opportunity to meet the operators and beneficiaries of the project in the municipal aggregation center. For more information on Rosaria and the SAI project see:
- https://assmatrangolo.eu/sai-san-benedetto-ullano/
- https://www.facebook.com/comunesanbenedettoullano/
- https://www.facebook.com/leportenarranti/?locale=it_IT
2) Woman-led Innovation journey by Nella de Vita of La Tatina farm in San Martino di Finita
Our second stop will be at La Tatina Farm in San Martino di Finita. Here, we will meet Nella De Vita, who started her farm from scratch 5 years ago. Nella was moved by the desire to have a more sustainable life. She left her job in a big company and moved back to Calabria. She decided to develop a project founded on sustainable agriculture, embracing circular economy and hospitality, and rejecting monoculture and any chemical products. She cultivates traditional grains from which she produces bread, taralli and biscuits which are sold through a Solidarity Purchasing Group located in Rende (Cosenza). She also produces traditional horticultural and fruit crops.
Nella will present her project and innovation journey, the challenges she faces and her perspectives on the future. We will also have the opportunity to taste her fabulous products. To find out more about Nella and her farm: https://it-it.facebook.com/nella.devita.104/.
3) Women-led innovation journey by Rita Bilotti of the Serragiumenta Farm in Altomonte
Our third stop is at Serragiumenta Farm in Altomonte. We will meet Rita Bilotti, who inherited, from her father, the farm that was founded by her grandfather. As a leader in women-led innovation, Rita will share insights into her journey. She will guide us on a tour through the farm, presenting her innovative practices and products. We will have lunch in the halls of the beautiful castle built in the sixteenth century and located at the center of the property. The farm is multifunctional. The main products are extra virgin organic olive oil, red and white wine with a prevalence of typical Calabrian vines; breeds Podolica cow, chicken and the Calabrian black pig, for first quality eggs and meat. The products are marketed mainly through short food chains: e-commerce, in the on-farm shop and in the on-farm restaurant. Educational tours, tourism experiences and organization of events are also available at the farm. Hospitality is offered both in the castle, in a farmhouse and in tents located in the vineyard. The presence of photovoltaic plants and mini electric cars, available also for the guests to move around the farm, are also evidence of the focus on environmental sustainability that characterizes Rita’s innovative actions. More about Rita and her farm: https://serragiumenta.com/?lang=en.
Additionally, in Serragiumenta we will be joined by representatives from the LAG Valle del Crati (https://www.galcrati.it), who will share insights into local projects and explain how innovative women are involved and supported through LEADER/CLLD.
We will also see two videos of women innovators living and working in the south-east coast of Calabria and in the Cilento Area (Campania), where also the two Italian FLIARA innovation ambassadors operate. The viewing will be followed by a discussion with Sofia De Matteis (Italy’s FLIARA innovation ambassador) and other women innovators from the We’re South association, and with Sarah Khoudja (Italy’s FLIARA innovation ambassador) and other women innovators from the Circe association.