Debora Garino Aurelio Ercole Agnese
The redemption of a land and its garlic: a story of excellence, passion, and traceability
In this intense testimony, Aurelio Ercole Agnese, head of the producers and historical memory of the project, recounts the rebirth of Caraglio garlic and the ancient historical garlic. What began as local "mockery" toward village farmers has been transformed - thanks to the pioneering vision of Lucio Alciati and the tenacity of a small group of growers - into a world-class gastronomic excellence.
The narrative is not merely agricultural, but profoundly human: Agnese retraces the battles against crop diseases, the fight for a fair price against the logic of discounting, and the pride of achieving Slow Food Presidium recognition. At the heart of it all lies total transparency, guaranteed by hand-signed labels from the producers, and a production philosophy defined as "beyond organic": an act of love and resistance to safeguard the land from abandonment and exploitation.
It is an interview that both moves and challenges, suspended between the pride of past achievements and the uncertainty of generational turnover, yet held together by one unwavering certainty: quality accepts no compromises.
Video table of contents
- Introduction
- Lucio Calciati, the pioneer of Caraglio garlic
- Historic Caraglio garlic
- Who can produce the historic garlic of Caraglio?
- A small-scale production, qualitatively impeccable
- The certification label
- The right price
- A garlic that goes beyond organic, in harmony with the local territory
- The obstacle of generational turnover
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Piemonte
City: Caraglio
Aurelio Ercole Agnese
Date of birth: 08-29-1965
City: Caraglio
Profession: Farmer
Languages: Italiana
Document by: Laura Bugliazzini
Video by: Andrea Icardi, Laura Bugliazzini
Created: 24-02-2026
Questo video fa parte del seguente archivio
Nourishing Piedmontese Identity: Bagna Cauda’s tales
Nourishing Piedmontese Identity: Bagna Cauda’s tales
Bagna cauda is a complex and multifaceted gastronomic system partly constituted by its ingredients and, above all, by a repertoire of cultural aspects capable of conveying symbols, traditions, and knowledge of the communities of Southern Piedmont, from which it is considered an identity food.
A dish in which every variant of the recipe is evidence of a different tradition: hundreds of possible preparations that differ from each other, connected by distinctive traits such as conviviality, sharing, irony, and the celebration of a non-solemn festive event. A unique convergence that represents the common thread of this repository that contains interviews with farmers, cooks, and those who experience the practice of bagna cauda as a moment of communion with food and collectivity.
A meaning that, in the last twelve years, the Astigiani Cultural Association has been able to grasp, proposing to the Piedmontese communities all over the world the participation to the Bagna Cauda Day. A very successful initiative that involved over 30.000 diners in the 2024 edition.
