Stop&Savor

From May 12 to June 12, 2025, the Via Francigena will host an initiative blending tradition, innovation, and sustainability: “Stop & Savor,” an event organized by the Rice Road of the Three Rivers Association in collaboration with major partners like Slow Food Lombardia, RiceHouse, AIDA, and others, celebrating the 80th anniversary of Carnaroli rice.

Cristiana Sartori, president of the association and an organic rice farmer, will embark on a unique journey, cycling nearly 2,000 km through England, France, Switzerland, and Italy, from London to Rome. Along the way, she will stop at 12 events along the Via Francigena to honor the 80th anniversary of Carnaroli rice, known as the “King of Rice,” bridging tradition, territory, and culinary culture.

Each stop will feature events focused on food and sustainability, including tastings, live cooking shows, and educational sessions. Food cartoonist Roby Giannotti will also join the events, creatively showcasing the value of rice and food as symbols of unity and awareness through his comics.

“Stop & Savor” aims to highlight slow and sustainable tourism, promoting the Via Francigena not only as a historic and religious route but also as a path for cultural, environmental, and gastronomic discovery. The event will also serve to:

• Encourage slow tourism along the Via Francigena, one of the main cultural routes of the Council of Europe, highlighting the stories, flavors, and local communities of the territories it crosses.
• Promote the General Assembly of Rice, an international event scheduled in Vigevano from October 2–5, 2025.
• Celebrate Carnaroli Classic Rice by marking its 80th anniversary and showcasing its global significance.
• Advocate for sustainability and awareness of the value of good, clean, and fair food as a tool for better living.
• Promote advanced sustainable bio-construction techniques to improve environmental and living quality.
• Build networks with key public and private stakeholders, fostering “positive activism” aligned with the values expressed in the Laudato Si’ Encyclical for the Agro-Environmental Jubilee 2025.

A distinctive element of the event will be the biomaterial “living cell” built by RiceHouse, a structure hosting Cristiana Sartori during her journey’s stops. This practical example of a circular economy showcases rice not only as food but also as a resource for a more sustainable lifestyle.

The initiative involves several key players:

• Rice Road of the Three Rivers: An association promoting the excellence of the Pavia area, focusing on high-quality Italian rice production. The name refers to the Sesia, Ticino, and Po rivers, emphasizing the environmental importance of rice cultivation.
• Roby Giannotti: A food cartoonist, journalist, and architect, co-creator of the “Rice Angels,” characters promoting biodiversity, health, and nutrition, already used in educational projects for schools.
• AEVF (European Association of the Via Francigena): Official coordinator of the Via Francigena, a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe,” with a network of 245 local entities, 92 associations, and over 400 operators across England, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
• RiceHouse S.r.l. SB: A company developing sustainable building materials by recycling rice processing waste. It will provide a biomaterial “living cell” to host Cristiana Sartori during her stops.
• Pier Maria Greppi: An excursion guide and founder of AVM Trekking, who will document the entire event.
• AIDA (Italian Association of Agroecology): With Professor Stefano Bocchi from the University of Milan, AIDA will discuss sustainable farming techniques and the qualities of Carnaroli rice during the General Assembly of Rice.
• Slow Food: An international movement promoting “Good, Clean, and Fair” food. It supports the project with the “Slow Rice” network, focusing on the promotion of sustainable rice cultivation, with the involvement of the Vigevano and Lomellina local chapters.

The president of AEVF, Francesco Ferrari, emphasized: “We believed from the beginning in the beautiful and inspiring initiative of the Rice Road of the Three Rivers, for the important values it represents. We have committed ourselves to providing essential organizational support, made possible by the network of relationships along the route that our transnational Association has built over the years. The event is also a great way to promote the Via Francigena and its regional excellences in the context of the 2025 Jubilee, combining important ethical and spiritual values with major themes related to culture, food, the environment, quality of life, and sustainable tourism.”

Cristiana Sartori also reiterated the importance of the project: “This event carries many highly relevant and valuable themes: from promoting slow tourism to showcasing Italian rice cultivation in Europe with its historic risotto varieties; from celebrating the 80th anniversary of Carnaroli rice, called the ‘King of Rice,’ to raising awareness across Europe of the value of Good, Clean, and Fair food as a tool for better living. This event will be just the beginning of a special year, the Agro-Environmental Jubilee, where we are at the forefront as Europe’s leading rice producers: rice as ‘medicine for the body and soul’ in a 360-degree circular economy, from food to sustainable building material: ‘the power’ in a single grain of rice!”

With “Stop & Savor,” Carnaroli Rice becomes an ambassador of universal values, intertwining past and future, culture and sustainability, and leaving a significant mark on the path leading to the 2025 Agro-Environmental Jubilee.