From Tourist to Farmer
San Marino Tells Its Story Through the Flavours of the Land
From Tourist to Farmer: San Marino Tells Its Story Through the Flavours of the Land
From 4 to 6 September, San Marino will host culinary contests, tastings, workshops, special menus and events across the Historic Centre and Borgo Maggiore.
Agriculture, hospitality, tourism and the local community will come together for From Tourist to Farmer, an event taking place from 4 to 6 September to promote San Marino’s agri-food products, the expertise of its hospitality professionals and the Republic of San Marino’s gastronomic identity.
Part of the promotional programme From Farm to Table, the initiative is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Territory, Environment and Agriculture, the Terra di San Marino Consortium and USOT, together with the Municipality Councils of the City of San Marino and Borgo Maggiore.
“From Tourist to Farmer" represents another important step in the journey we began with From Farm to Table,” says Minister of Territory, Environment and Agriculture Matteo Ciacci. “We want to create an increasingly strong connection between those who produce, those who transform products, those who bring them to our tables and those who visit our country. Agriculture is not simply about production: it is territory, identity, landscape protection and culture. Bringing producers, restaurateurs, institutions and communities together means creating a model capable of giving tangible value to our excellence and of telling the story of San Marino through what grows from its land. This event aims to bring all of this into our squares and among our people, turning our products into an experience to discover, enjoy and share.”
The event will begin on Friday 4 September at 18.00 in Piazza Sant’Agata with San Marino on the Plate, a live culinary contest featuring four restaurants: Cesare, La Terrazza, Brace da Donati and InPerfetto.
Starting with surprise ingredients sourced from the production chains of the Terra di San Marino Consortium, the participants will have to create and prepare an original dish, showcasing their technical skills, creativity and ability to interpret local products. The dishes will be judged by a panel made up of chefs, food and wine industry experts and journalists. The public will be able to follow the competition in Piazza Sant’Agata and through USOT’s social media channels.
“For the Terra di San Marino Consortium, this initiative is also an important opportunity to showcase the value of our production chains and, above all, the work of the people who produce locally every day,” says Aida Maria Adele Selva, President of the Terra di San Marino Consortium. “Behind every product there are skills, traditions, commitment and a deep connection with our Republic. Bringing these products into our squares and entrusting them to the creativity of our restaurateurs means presenting them in a new way, showing how much the agricultural sector can contribute to the identity and quality of San Marino’s offering. The journey from farm to table thus becomes an authentic story of our territory.”
At 20.30, the evening will continue with the Mi Gusto dinner, a four-course food and wine experience dedicated to San Marino’s finest local products, curated by Il Piccolo and Osteria da Giulio, with dessert created by Pan di Zucchero.
The menu will open with bresaola produced by the Sammarinese Breeders, served with squacquerone cheese, rocket, walnuts and caramelised piadina with honey from the Sammarinese Beekeepers. This will be followed by passatelli made with flour from C.A.P.A., served with a fresh tomato and vegetable sauce, crispy pork cheek and a hint of lemon.
The main course will be a finely knife-cut beef preparation from the Sammarinese Breeders, seared on the griddle and served with a crunchy Terra di San Marino bread topping, caciotta cheese fondue, saba from Tessano produced by the San Marino Winery, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from the Sammarinese Olive Growers’ Cooperative.
To finish, a cocoa biscuit will be served with pistachio cremino Chantilly cream, raspberry coulis, pistachio crumble and San Marino honey.
The dinner costs €45, including water and wine. Places are limited and reservations can be made by emailing info@usot.sm or calling 350 1535183 or 0549 900438. A bar service, operated by Bar Guaita, will also be available before and after dinner.
On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September, the event will continue from 11.00 onwards in Via Eugippo with the Farmer’s Village, an open-air, multi-location space dedicated to discovering Sammarinese agricultural products and rural traditions.
The programme will include tastings of honey, olive oil and wine; candle-making workshops; hands-on pasta-making activities with Sammarinese azdore (traditional women who prepare homemade pasta); grape pressing; the milling of grains and cereals; lavender distillation; and other activities for children.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn more about Sammarinese truffles and ragù, as well as take part in activities organised by local agricultural cooperatives and other organisations from the area. The days will be accompanied by live roaming music performed by the Fermento Etnico Association.
The programme will be complemented by street food and Menus of the Territory, offered by participating restaurants in the Historic Centre. These dishes will be specially created for the event and will feature Sammarinese products reinterpreted according to the style and creativity of each individual restaurant.
“The hospitality sector can play a fundamental role in promoting Sammarinese products and transforming them into an experience capable of reaching both residents and tourists,” says USOT representative Mario Liotta. “With From Tourist to Farmer, we want to connect hospitality professionals with the agricultural sector, creating opportunities in which local products become the protagonists of both the dish and the story we tell about our country. The participation of the restaurants, the culinary contest, the dinner and the Menus of the Territory demonstrate the operators’ willingness to play an active role in this project and contribute to building an increasingly recognisable Sammarinese food and wine identity.”
The closing day, Sunday 6 September, will also involve Borgo Maggiore. At 17.30, the official inauguration is scheduled for the new From Farm to Table venue, the Campo della Fiera lift and the historic Cantinette. The evening will continue at 8 p.m. with a DJ set inside the Funivia cable car cabin, curated by Dragon Valley, followed by music in Piazza Grande from 22.00.
From Tourist to Farmer aims to transform San Marino into a journey through the flavours of the territory, where local agricultural products meet the talent of restaurateurs and become a way of telling the story of the land, its traditions and the people who contribute every day to the quality of the country’s tourism and food and wine offering.
The inauguration of the Cantinette, the lift and the venue dedicated to the project also represents a concrete step towards ensuring continuity for this initiative, creating new spaces dedicated to promoting local products and strengthening the connection between agriculture, the territory and the community.
For information and reservations:
Tel. 350 1535183 – 0549 900438