Tradition-saving locally and beyond with Gianluca
Tradition-saving locally and beyond with Gianluca
By Chiara Barbera | Vera Italia
Once upon a time in Australia, Zia Maria would periodically tune into a YouTube channel where “un bravo uomo” would show videos of recipes, traditions and cultural aspects of her “amata calabria” (“beloved Calabria”).
Before setting-off to return to Italia after the launch of Vera Italia, I was visiting Zia Maria when she told me about this YouTube channel and how great it was. She asked if I knew the man who ran it and I hated to break it to her but Calabria is a big region. However, on my return, I came across an event happening for “Il Maiale” which is one of my favourite traditions: the preparation of the pig and all the meats that come with it. You’ll remember this from our earlier encounters as the moment in which the little fire of Vera Italia was lit and this little dream of mine began to form.
I was enthused by the idea and am super passionate about supporting initiatives like these so I immediately decided to book. To my surprise, the person organising this event was none other than Sfizi di Calabria, the fantastico Gianluca! I couldn’t believe the coincidence after having just heard about him from my Zia. I was excited for the event and super curious to meet the person who manages to bring that sense of nostalgia and unity with Calabrese living in all corners of the world!
We exchanged some messages before the event and I mentioned the project we were working on and that it would be amazing to be able to involve Sfizi di Calabria, given the incredible work Gianluca does (at this point, I didn’t know just how incredible). To my sheer delight, Gianluca was so kind and generous, accepting immediately to meet with me so we could chat more. Of course, our visions to share “true” experiences for travellers were very much aligned so I couldn’t wait to see where the meeting would take us!
The following week we met for a coffee and amici, I was blown away by what I learned! I’ll be completely honest, for me, I’m not one to be drawn to social media, large followings or being in-the-know of who’s who in the social media landscape. In many aspects, I live under a rock and under this rock, I very much enjoy cultivating my small patch of garden in the world and the people who pass by. For me, meeting Gianluca was exciting because of this great event he was organising to keep alive the traditional recipes and memories of the tradition that sparked this whole adventure. It wasn’t until we started chatting that I realised just what a big deal it was for me to be able to meet with someone who has visitors come to meet him from all over the world. He even managed to have his wood-fire pizza oven replicated in Africa, AND…this is the most mind-blowing part, Gianluca was the FIRST to export typical calabrian products outside of Calabria. A service truly cherished by those who left Calabria but whose hearts remained. What an incredible Culture Creator! Sustaining traditions, memories and flavours beyond the region.
This is my favourite part of our encounters because when I meet these amazing individuals who bring colour to the towns and keep alive the memories and traditions of the people who have gone before them, I typically show-up with a blank slate, eager to get to know them. While Gianluca is a very highly acclaimed personaggio as we like to call him, this encounter was so beautiful because I simply got to know Gianluca! A man who had a dream to share Calabrian products outside of Calabria, taking inspiration from his family who had migrated to Germany for work and missing those familiar flavours. A man who believed so much in this project that despite the naysayers and the fact that his idea was so ahead of its time, he kept believing, he kept going. A man who, with santa pazienza, patiently waited two weeks for one YouTube video to load and in the meantime, blocked the home phoneline connection, but he kept going!
This encounter was special because while I’ll admit, I may have been slightly ignorant about who I was going to meet, but what I encountered was someone who had a little dream in his pocket many years ago who managed to make it happen, continues to make it work and has achieved some truly astonishing milestones. Someone who was also told that the little dream in his pocket was absurd, it couldn’t be done, crazy! But he did it! And not only, it’s a huge success!
And so amici, the adventures of Vera Italia lead me to meet a Culture Creator who not only plays a truly pivotal role in sustaining traditions locally but has also taken on the task to keep sharing them abroad! Keeping a little string connected for the people who have moved away but want to keep alive the memories, flavours and traditions from home. A Culture Creator who for me, is an incredible inspiration, a much appreciated confidant and mentor, and above all, someone who is so kind, generous, passionate and a champion of chasing dreams and making them happen! Complimenti Gianluca!
The most beautiful part about our Culture Creators is that in addition to meeting them, learning about their stories and having the privilege of entering their world, they become family and in turn their families become part of the Vera Italia family by association! Gianluca’s family is amazing! I first had the honour of meeting Gianluca’s papà! You will catch him at every single event where Gianluca is present with his padellone, ready to chip-in and lend a hand or simply cheer on Gianluca. He’s a truly wonderful man! His mamma taught him everything he knows when it comes to good homemade food and cooking, and Gianluca often jokes that since his mother had two boys, desperate to pass-on her recipes and cooking-skills, he was the “daughter” she had wished for and he inherited the passion for cooking.
Gianluca’s beautiful wife Carla is also a hidden talent in the kitchen and is always so welcoming and eager to chip-in on occasion for the Vera Italia experiences, especially on one occasion for fusilli-making! Then their adorable son Pietro is personality plus. Every time I talk with him, I leave smiling and amazed by what he says. He’s a gem! It also seems that his parents have done a beautiful job of instilling the culture and passion for traditions in the hopes that all of Gianluca’s amazing culture creating, may just continue with the second generation!
Amici, as always, it is my sheer pleasure to make your acquaintance and share these travel escapades with you. In today’s recount, as we encounter an inspiring dreamer who turned his dream into a beautiful reality, once again, my prayer to you is that this journey and these stories will leave you with a glimmer of hope, an oomph of inspiration and the courage to take-on that little dream you’ve been carrying around in your pocket. Let’s do this!
