Mauro Carbone Giancarlo Durando
The agronomist of the olive revival in Monferrato
Giancarlo Durando is an agronomist and a long-standing professor at the "Luparia" Agricultural Technical Institute in San Martino di Rosignano Monferrato, where he taught from 1986 to 2019. Multifaceted and forward-thinking personality, he transformed teaching into a mission for territorial development, establishing himself as the primary scientific and educational driver behind the project to reintroduce olive cultivation in Piedmont.
His story is that of a pioneer who successfully combined scientific rigor with passion in the field. Drawing on intuitions born during his travels between Calabria and Cuneo, Durando challenged the skepticism of the 1990s. Armed with climatic and historical data, he proved that Monferrato could once again become a land of oil, just as it was in the Middle Ages.
Through a business simulation project involving dozens of students, Durando reignited interest in olive growing. He began by distributing hundreds of plants to the families of his pupils and acquaintances and subsequently provided the necessary consultancy to establish the first modern professional olive groves.
He led fundamental research in collaboration with the CNR of Sesto Fiorentino and the University of Udine, mapping and analyzing the DNA of 51 ancient Piedmontese olive trees. This work led to the identification of ecotypes that testify to the centuries-old presence of olive trees in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, and Turin.
Furthermore, he promoted the installation of the region's first oil mills—ranging from the small-scale school plant to the modern mill in Trino Vercellese—supporting young entrepreneurs and advocating for an agriculture based on economic sustainability and the circular economy.
Today, thanks to the seeds sown by Durando and his collaborators, Piedmont boasts over 360,000 olive trees and a high-end supply chain producing extra virgin olive oils of the highest quality. His work stands as proof that the boundary between the "butter culture" and the "oil culture" has been successfully bridged.
Video table of contents
- Introduction
- The connection with the Monferrato region and the reappearance of olive groves in Piedmont
- From business simulation to hands-on project
- In search of the ideal cultivar
- The pioneers of olive cultivation in Monferrato
- The expansion of cultivation sites and entrepreneurial risks
- The search of heritage plants in Piedmont: their morphological and genetic characterization
- The publication of results
- The implementation of cultivation sites
- Olive mills in Piedmont
- Grafted plants or own-rooted cuttings?
- Planting the groves: from blends to mono varietals
- The quality of Piedmontese olive oil
- The birth of Piedmontese supply chain
- The strenna gift books and the ancient trades in Monferrato
- Promotion and protection associations in the Piedmont region
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Piemonte
City: Rosignano Monferrato
Locality: Luparia
Giancarlo Durando
Date of birth: 03-11-1957
City: Montemagno (AT)
School: University
Profession: Teacher/Professor
Languages: Italiano
Document by: Laura Bugliazzini
Video by: Andrea Icardi, Laura Bugliazzini
Created: 04-12-2025
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.
