ORVIETO, Italy - A fragrance of fresh herbs guides you along narrow medieval alleys, past a Gothic cathedral of colored marble, under a delicate stone arch to an open paved courtyard with a view of verdant hills.

Also See: Slow Food USA

There, five cooks in starched white aprons and hats are preparing "gattafin," small parcels of fresh pasta filled with a mixture of wild herbs, picked that very morning from woodlands and fields.

In a corner of the courtyard shaded by a church, three sommeliers in formal suits, the silver chains of their profession around their necks, are ready with a selection of fine wines.

This is the second of five stops in an afternoon-long gastronomical walk around Orvieto, a small town perched on a spit of rock in the midst of a lush Umbrian valley.

And though you would never guess from the peaceful surroundings, it is also one of the most active fronts in the war against corporate-led globalization.

Carla Guarnieri, from a nearby town, is among the people who trickle into the courtyard, pausing to take in the sweeping view and breathe in the gentle aromas before tucking in.

"This is bliss," she says between mouthfuls.

"What could be better than to take a long walk around the most interesting sights in a beautiful town, tasting delicious dishes and drinking good wine as you go?"

That's music to the ears of the Slow Food movement, which is behind the Orvieto gathering. But for them it is also about more than merely pleasing the palate.

Slow Food aims to revolutionize the way we eat.

ENDANGERED FOODS

The movement began in Italy in 1986, in response to the opening of a McDonald's fast-food restaurant on Rome's heritage-steeped Piazza di Spagna.

Since then, it has grown into a worldwide "eco-gastronomical" organization boasting some 80,000 members.

"We're not interested in talking only to privileged gourmets," said Giacomo Mojoli, who heads its international arm.

"Quality food cannot exist without respect for the environment, for species of animals and plants, for the workers who produce the food and the consumers who eat it. Slow Food is about much more than food itself."

The movement demonstrated that it could make a significant impact two years ago when the European Union brought in new food hygiene standards in response to food safety scares that had swept the continent throughout the 1990s.

Slow Food argued that the standards, first developed in the 1960s to make food safe for astronauts, made sense for industrial food plants but would put numerous small-scale producers who couldn't afford the equipment out of business.

It argued the case so convincingly that the EU granted hundreds of exemptions to small producers.

VIRTUOUS GLOBALIZATION

Slow Food sees globalization as a problem when it means homogenous cultures around the world, but also regards it as a force for good that allows niche producers to find markets.

"We believe there is a virtuous globalization that we can use to our advantage," said Mojoli.

"We don't need to attack a McDonald's to get our message across. We can use the Internet and the media to much greater effect."

Slow Food in 1995 launched a symbolic "Ark of Taste" designed to find viable markets for what the movement calls "endangered species of food."

For example, types of grain that are seldom cultivated because they have lower yields than commonly used varieties, or breeds of livestock whose numbers are dwindling because they take longer to bring to slaughter.

Slow Food makes it its business to pluck those products from the remote corners of the countryside where they are produced and bring them to the tables of consumers.

And events like the one in Orvieto and Slow Food's showcase yearly event, the "Salone del Gusto" (Taste Fair), which took place in October in Turin, make that a reality.

The fair attracts hundreds of producers and thousands of food enthusiasts, and includes not only food and wine tastings but events such as a biodiversity award that highlights the work of farmers who use environmentally friendly methods.

Mojoli says Slow Food has rescued from near-extinction some 130 species of food in Italy alone since it launched the Ark, and the project is fast expanding across the world.

NICHE PHENOMENON?

Slow Food's creed has gained relevance to a much wider audience since food safety scares like mad cow disease and the debate over genetically modified crops became mainstream.

But many are skeptical, even among enthusiasts like Fabrizio Quaranta, who has come to Orvieto from Rome with his family for the gastronomical walk.

"I'm here. I don't need convincing," said Quaranta as he sipped from a glass of cool Umbrian white wine.

"But I fear this is a niche phenomenon. Most people don't care about how the food they eat is produced, and they certainly don't want to spend extra money buying better quality products."

Slow Food, however, maintains that it is all a question of education and that as consumers become more discerning they will in fact increase the amount of money they spend on food.

"Fifty years ago the average European family was spending about 50 percent of its income on food. Now it's closer to 15 percent, while the income itself has increased dramatically. So there is clearly room for maneuver," said Mojoli.

The movement believes it can persuade people to reverse the trend through events like the Salone del Gusto or the smaller festival in Orvieto, and through the numerous courses it offers as part of its "Master of Food" programs.

"If you've always eaten packaged food made by a big multi-national somewhere, you don't know what you're missing," said Mojoli. "We want to show people there is a whole world of (flavors) out there to discover and a way to live that is both good for the planet and enjoyable."

Copyright 2002 Reuters Ltd

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