The interview is focused on the character of Valentina Martone, the owner of the restaurant Megaron in Paternopoli, Avellino.
Valentina with her restaurant tells a life philosophy: stay instead of leaving a place that in the eyes of many, mostly the younger generation, doesn’t seem to provide enough opportunities that are in compliance to today’s demands.
Valentina didn’t search for fortune elsewhere but decided bravely to create her own place in the territory where her roots and memories lay.
She preferred remaining close to her traditions and the customs that made her generation, and many others before hers. She stayed faithful to them without ever feeling ashamed of her farmer roots that accompanied her during her childhood.
She is one of the cornerstones of this small town, that she safeguards day after day with blood and sweat.
Her image of restaurants reflects her choice of life fully. For her cooking has to be a clear reflection of the territory. Her dishes and their narration tell the story of Irpinia, maybe even better than a book.
Paternopoli has always been a territory of wine, oil and vegetables and this is what you find on her plate.
Valentina is capable of making us feel and live her territory through her food. Territory and identity coincide with her character and her manifestations about food.
Interiew by: Simone Di Franco, Jun Wang, Francesco Cilenti, Giuseppe Pontillo
Video by: Simone Di Franco, Jun Wang, Francesco Cilenti, Giuseppe Pontillo
Video Editing by: Mario Mennella, Jun Wang, Simone Di Franco, Francesco Cilenti
Document by: Francesco Cilenti, Simone Di Franco, Jun Wang
Subtitle ita/eng by: Jun Wang, Mario Mennella, Simone Di Franco
Translation by: Jun Wang e Simone Di Franco
MedEatResarch – Center of Social Research on the Mediterranean Diet of the University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa, head by Marino Niola and Elisabetta Moro
Realized: 16/05/2024
