At the table with the Great Count Ruggero

As part of the Millennium 2027 – European Year of the Normans, the city of Troina, the first Norman capital of Sicily and a symbol of the Altavilla settlement on the island, will be the protagonist of a major project dedicated to enhancing the gastronomic heritage born from the encounter between Norman culture and Mediterranean traditions.

The initiative aims to promote Troina as the Capital of Siculo-Norman Cuisine, through a comprehensive program of cultural, scientific, and gastronomic events aimed at narrating the role of cuisine as a privileged meeting place for peoples, cultures, and traditions. The Norman presence in Sicily not only brought about a political and institutional transformation of the island but also fostered the emergence of an extraordinary cultural synthesis expressed in the arts, architecture, and food practices.

The project is based on the collaboration between the prestigious Maison Fauchon and the Gambero Rosso Academy, two excellent entities in the international gastronomic landscape, and sees the active involvement of the Omnicomprehensive Institute Don Bosco of Troina – hotel management address, a fundamental partner of the initiative.

The students will be the protagonists of the project, participating in training activities, workshops, and public events, in an experience that will promote the transmission of professional skills and dialogue between Norman and Sicilian gastronomic traditions. The initiative could also take place as a special edition of the "Vastedda co sammucu" festival, a filled focaccia flavored with elderflower and a product of clear Norman origin.

Throughout the duration of the event, the city will transform into a great laboratory of taste and culture, animated by a rich program of initiatives open to the public. Among these:
•    Banquets inspired by medieval tables, offering visitors an immersive experience in the conviviality and rituals of the Norman court;
•    Thematic dinners and tasting tours, dedicated to discovering the mutual influences between Norman, Mediterranean, and Sicilian cuisine through the contemporary reinterpretation of historical ingredients, recipes, and techniques;
•    Masterclasses and gastronomic workshops, conducted with the participation of chefs, industry experts, and students from the hotel institute, aimed at enhancing local products and shared culinary traditions.
Alongside the gastronomic events, the project will develop a significant cultural and scientific dimension. Meetings and conferences will indeed be organized focused on the history of nutrition and the Norman contribution to the formation of Sicilian cuisine, with the participation of scholars and specialists in the field, including Angela Castiglione, a professor at the University of Messina, and Anna Martellotti, an expert in medieval nutrition and gastronomy.

Completing the program will be street theater performances, artistic animations, musical moments, and initiatives dedicated to families, with the aim of transforming the entire city into a space for meeting, participation, and discovery that can attract visitors from all over Sicily.

Through the dialogue between gastronomy, history, education, and entertainment, Troina as the Capital of Siculo-Norman Cuisine aims to celebrate one of the most original legacies left by the Normans in Sicily, while simultaneously strengthening cultural ties between Sicily, Normandy, and other European territories involved in Millennium 2027.