UNISG at Cheese 2025: Four Ways to Experience the University

 UNISG at Cheese 2025: Four Ways to Experience the University
The UNISG Stand and Mobile Lab in Bra, the Food Lab and Guided Visits in Pollenzo

The University of Pollenzo presents a rich array of events:
36 events in Bra, 3 dinners at the Food Lab, 6 guided visits to the university campus

Breakfasts, workshops, conferences, aperitifs, dinners with students, faculty, and producers

For the University of Pollenzo, Cheese (19‑22 September 2025) is a time of intense activity and engagement—both with new Italian and international students beginning their studies, and with anyone who wants to get to know the university's distinctive qualities.

Over the four days of the long-running Slow Food cheese festival in Bra, UNISG is an integral and dynamic presence—and this year, we can say we're doing it in four.

What does that mean?

It means that during Cheese, UNISG will be present in Bra, in the exhibition area of Piazza Spreitenbach, with two dedicated spaces for numerous activities: the stand, hosting meetings, tastings, conferences, workshops with faculty, students, experts, producers, and companies from and beyond the UNISG network; and the Mobile Lab, inaugurated with great success at Terra Madre 2024, i.e. the ""nomadic"" site of UNISG's scientific labs (Sensory, Behavior and Cognition Lab and Pollenzo Food Lab), where experiential, sensory, and innovative activities will take place.

At the same time, Pollenzo comes alive with free visits to UNISG, showcasing its educational offerings and facilities—the library, labs, and classrooms—as well as workshops accompanied by dinners and lunches at the Pollenzo Food Lab.

Here are the details of what's happening at each location.

BRA

At the UNISG stand

Each day, from Friday, 19, to Monday, 22, begins with the fixed event "Breakfast with the UNISG Alumni Producers," featuring bread, butter, jams, chocolate, herbal teas, coffee, and much more from artisanal enterprises founded by UNISG alumni.

The whole program (available on the UNISG site) unfolds with rich, varied offerings: workshops, tastings, meetings, UNISG Talks, and personal stories.

Some highlights:

• Friday, 19 September, 16:00 – Carlo Cracco, drawing on over thirty years as a chef, speaks of the importance of the farm he runs with his wife.
• Saturday, 20 September, 16:15 – Omar Pedrini, founder of Timoria, a guitarist and songwriter, shares stories spanning forty years of rock, iconic albums, and food, weaving music and rural life together.

Saturday, 20 September – UNISG Talks: short reflections on current gastronomic science topics, blending popularization and scholarship.

• At 12:30, "A Matter of Quality: PDO and PGI, between old challenges and new perspectives" with Prof. Lorenzo Bairati.
• At 14:00, "Hot and Spicy to Die For: Food in Italian East Africa, 1935–1941" with Prof. Simone Cinotto.

Cheeses take center stage in tastings, too:

• Friday, 19 September, 19:00 – Aperitif with Producers: Roccaverano DOP paired with vintage Alta Langa DOCG sparkling wines.
• Saturday, 20 September, 15:00 – "The King of Italian Cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano": a live wheel-opening guided tasting with Montanari & Gruzza.
• Sunday, 21 September, 11:00 – "Perfect Pairings: Natural Rind Cheeses and Condiments" with alumna Hannah Morrow.
• Sunday, 21 September, 17:30 – "Ol Minadùr: cheese aged in the mines of Dossena": a unique technique rooted in the locality.
• Monday, 22 September, 11:00 – "A Magical Place: Cascina Lagoscuro": an estate run by the Grasselli family since 1990, rejuvenated by alumnus Luca.

In the Mobile Lab

Each afternoon (at flexible times and with free access), this mini-lab offers sensory experiences guided by UNISG researchers. Discover how shape, color, texture, and sound are essential components of flavor—or taste products made from plant waste, such as peels and leaves, transformed into vinegars, broths, or natural seasonings.

Additional features:

• Saturday, 20 September: a show cooking with chef Ester Azzola, using ingredients from alumni-made Milan-based businesses.
• Sunday, 21 September, 19:00: "Emporio Vegetale" with Giorgia Chiodi Latini presents Booco, a sandwich that employs vegetables entirely—from root to peel.
• Monday, 22 September, 12:00: biodynamic rice secrets with alumnus Marcello Travenzoli and products from Corte Raffetta—Italy's only certified biodynamic Vialone Nano rice, including a live cooking and tasting of riso alla pilota.

POLLENZO

Workshops with dinners and lunch at the Food Lab

• Friday, 19 September: "Zen to Zest: Vegetarian Korean Cooking Workshop and Dinner" with students Suhyun Yu and SeungBin Eun.
• Saturday, 20 September: "Chinese Home Cooking Workshop and Dinner" by alumna Tingting Zhang of Tingting's Table.
• Sunday, 21 September: "Indian Cooking Workshop and Lunch" with UNISG students
• Vinayak Agrawal and Sangeeth Thevilakath.

 Stand‑alone event:

Monday, 22 September, 15:00 – "+Bees. An Alliance for Biodiversity": promoted by Filiera Futura, Fondazione CRC, Agrion, and UNISG. It features the evolution of the "+Bees" project, the awarding of the +Api 2025 contest winners, and a guided tour of the University's perennial oasis in the educational garden.

Campus visits

Cheese visitors can tour the UNISG campus, including the library, Sensory, Behavior, and Cognition Lab, Food Lab, and classrooms in the historic Agenzia and Cascina Albertina buildings. Tours are free, available in Italian and English, and require a reservation. The tours will take place on Friday, 19 September, Saturday, 20 September, and Monday, 22 September, at 11:00 and 16:00.