IN QUIETE COOPERATIVA
An important cooperation for trout processing has developed with the local community association (Pro Loco) of Corezzo, a village in Chiusi della Verna municipality, around forty kilometres from Molin di Bucchio. “Every summer the “Tortello alla Lastra” food festival attracts thousands of people. The tortello (freshly made filled pasta) is cooked on refractory stone. It is an original mountain street food which in summer 2020 will be served with our trout”, says Andrea.
The local community association Pro Loco and cooperative In Quiete are among the founding members of the Vallesanta community cooperative, established at the beginning of 2019. “The community cooperative was created to promote local food specialities, the Tortello in particular. Its objective is to develop a local agricultural supply chain to produce all the necessary ingredients, which are then cooked by the restaurant Osteria dalla Franca, in Corezzo – explains Alessandro Volpone – Moreover, the local Pro Loco has made available for the cooperative a laboratory fitted with a modern kitchen and a couple of cold rooms. All members can use the equipment and we are now considering directly processing our trout. There is also an air-conditioned van that would allow us to deliver the fresh product”.
Community cooperative
Through Regional Law No. 67 of 14 November 2019, the Tuscany Region decided to recognise community cooperatives. These entities have several goals: promoting local resources and promoting the skills, abilities, and cultural traditions of the communities living in mountain areas, inland areas, areas risking depopulation, or areas facing socio-economic disadvantage and environmental issues. Cooperatives are established to meet the needs of their local community. To do so, they work on improving the quality of social life and strengthening the economy through the organisation of cultural, socio-economic, environmentally friendly activities, the recovery of environmental resources or monuments, and the creation of new employment opportunities. As outlined by the law definition, community cooperatives pursue the general interest of the community in which they operate and promote the involvement of citizens in the management of collective assets and services. In 2020 the Tuscany Region decided to allocate €740 thousand to support these entities.
In Quiete also promotes a cultural project called “Libra”, the book festivalof the Casentino area, devoted to the mountain environment and organised in cooperation with Chiusi della Verna (Arezzo) Municipality. Its fifth edition was held in autumn 2020. “We spread culture, attracting hundreds of people – underlines Andrea Gambassini – This is also vital for our mountains, the Apennines”.
"Libra", the book festival of the Casentino area
“Libra” is a travelling festival in which the authors tell the public about their works, oftentimes also as they walk the woods and meadows of the Casentino area. It is an event devoted to mountain and naturalistic literature held in Chiusi della Verna (Arezzo) and some nearby areas, conceived and organised by the cooperative In Quiete in cooperation with Chiusi della Verna Municipality and the museum Ecomuseo del Casentino. It lasts three days and features literary meetings, concerts, walks and presentations on local products. All events are free of charge. Among guests in 2019 were the anthropologist Marco Aime and the writer, poet, and “village expert” Franco Arminio.
