The event “Trame di Grano, Oro e Vino” concluded with a large public turnout and unanimous appreciation. It took place on Sunday 28 and Monday 29 December 2025 at the Hoffmann Museum in Caltagirone. This high-profile cultural and institutional event successfully wove together agriculture, gastronomy, craftsmanship, music, popular storytelling, and cultural reflection, restoring central importance to the founding values of the Mediterranean Diet and to the symbolic products of the Sicilian territory: wheat, oil, and wine. Promoted by the Associazione Conadomini E.T.S. in collaboration with the Hoffmann Museum, the two-day event represented an important opportunity for dialogue and enhancement of agri-food supply chains, intangible heritage, and local identity, involving institutions, producers, chefs, artisans, scholars, artists, and citizens.

Sunday, December 28: the conference and the story of excellence

The opening day began with an institutional conference, enriched by qualified contributions addressing wheat as a guardian of biodiversity and peasant traditions, extra virgin olive oil as a symbol of care and ancient roots, and wine as a universal language of conviviality and territorial identity. The show cooking sessions, guided tastings, sensory experiences, and in-depth discussions dedicated to the Mediterranean Diet as a cultural as well as nutritional model attracted great interest. The evening concluded in an atmosphere of participation and sharing thanks to the musical performance by the group Swing e Dintorni.

Monday, December 29: workshops, knowledge, and community

The second day was dedicated to experiential and educational workshops, with initiatives aimed at both adults and children. “Piccoli pastai” told the story of pasta as a daily gesture and family memory, while weaving, storytellers’, and ceramics workshops highlighted local craftsmanship and traditions. There were also additional moments of show cooking, tastings, the fashion show, artistic performances, and the final toast, which sealed the conclusion of an event capable of transforming the Hoffmann Museum into a vibrant space of encounter, culture, and community. The performances by storytellers Claudio and Rossella Romano, particularly appreciated by the audience for their ability to recount, through music and words, the memory and soul of the territory, closed the afternoon dedicated to lady chefs Luisa Marabita and Francesca Giarratama. This was preceded by the fashion runway curated by Jacopo Pampallona and his brand, “Scintille”.

Mario Traina: telling the story of taste through cooking and words

A chapter of its own within “Trame di Grano, Oro e Vino” is deserved by the presence and performance of chef Mario Traina, the protagonist of one of the most engaging and well-attended moments of the entire event.

During the preparation of cuturro, a dish symbolic of the Sicilian peasant tradition, Mario Traina was able to combine outstanding culinary skills with remarkable oratory talent, transforming the show cooking into a true collective narrative. With confident gestures, technical expertise, and deep knowledge of raw materials, the chef guided the audience through every stage of the preparation, explaining the origins, meanings, and variations of a recipe rooted in the island’s rural history.

His communicative ability made it possible to keep the audience’s attention high, engaging them not only on a gastronomic level but also on a cultural and emotional one. Each ingredient became a pretext for telling the story of the territory, seasonality, the work of producers, and the value of Sicilian durum wheat, restoring to cuturro its role as an identity-defining dish—simple yet rich in meaning.

Statements

On the sidelines of the event, Gianluca Iurato and Salvatore Raccuglia, managers of the Hoffmann Museum, stated: «We thank the Regional Councillor for Agriculture of Sicily, Luca Sammartino, and the Deputy Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sergio Gruttadauria, for making all this possible. We were pleased to host an event whose purpose was to promote and enhance the history and tradition of wine, oil, and wheat—typical expressions of the economic heritage that still defines our identity today. A heartfelt thank-you goes to the enterprising Titti Metrico, whose co-organization, vision, and commitment were decisive: without her contribution, none of this would have been possible. We also feel obliged once again to thank our families, who support and put up with us in these initiatives that take time away from our loved ones».

Great satisfaction was also expressed by Titti Metrico, co-organizer of the event: «I express great satisfaction with the success of the event, aimed at celebrating the bond with the community and local traditions through food, agriculture, and culture».

Institutional and organizational acknowledgements

The Associazione Conadomini and the Hoffmann Museum wish to extend their sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the success of “Trame di Grano, Oro e Vino”. In particular, thanks go to: – the Municipality of Caltagirone; – the Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Caltagirone, Arch. Claudio Lo Monaco.

– the President of the Pro Loco of Caltagirone, Dr. Nicolò Parrinelli; – Dr. Maurizio Di Falco, manager of Spazio Hoffmann catering; – Calogero Giancona, Provincial Director of the C.I.A.; – the National Vice President of Città dell’Olio, Dr. Giosuè Catania; – Dr. Giuseppe Puleo, Director of the Experimental Consortium Station for Grain Farming in Sicily; – Dr. Maurizio Pedi, Calatino delegate of the Italian Academy of Cuisine; – Francesca Nicolosi for Azienda Agricola Cinque Sorelle of Ramacca; – Tano Sammartino for Mulino Crisafulli;

– Gaetano Lenato for Pastificio Lenato;

A special thank-you also goes, for their valuable collaboration and organizational support, to: – Bg Washing Carpet & Service srls; – Mediterranearte; – Attimi Eventi; – Enrico Marcinnò and Giuseppe La Cognata.

An event looking to the future

“Trame di Grano, Oro e Vino” thus concludes as an experience of great value, capable of uniting tradition and contemporaneity, institutions and community, culture and production. An event that leaves a tangible mark on the cultural fabric of the territory and lays solid foundations for future editions, in the name of quality, participation, and the enhancement of Sicilian identity.