Sandrigo: Stockfish pizza takes on cod
On Saturday, September 26, at Villa Sesso Schiavo, six pizza chefs will compete with Tørrfisk fra Lofoten PGI stockfish, the heart of the festival.
Six pizza chefs, a blazing oven, and an ingredient never before seen on pizza: stockfish. On Saturday, September 26th, from 4 to 6 p.m., Villa Sesso Schiavo in Sandrigo hosts the final of the Best Stockfish Pizza in Italy Competition, a new addition to the 39th Vicenza-style Bacalà Festival, taking place in the Vicenza municipality from September 17 to 28. In a cooking show open to the public, each of the six finalists will present their own interpretation of Tørrfisk fra Lofoten PGI stockfish, the product around which the entire event revolves.
Six pizza chefs in the competition
The competition is organized by the Associazione Eccellenza nella Pizza (Pizza Excellence Association) together with the Tørrfisk fra Lofoten Consortium. Three of the six finalists arrive with a title already secured: Alessandro Buono, of Amordipizza in Paese, Davide Sala, of Dal Presidente in Lumignano, and Stefano Franzon, of La Colombara in Lupia, were semifinalists at the fourth Festival della Pizza d'Autore (Pizza in Piazza) held in Vicenza last May. The remaining three names will emerge from a selection process that closes on Sunday, September 20th.
The winner will receive a plaque and a thousand euros in raw materials. Whoever serves the pizza created for the occasion will join the network of restaurants listed on the Tørrfisk fra Lofoten Consortium website.
«Intelligent contaminations»
Antonio Chemello, president of Pro Sandrigo, explains the choice to open the festival with a dish that has no historical connection to cod: "The Vicenza-style Bacalà Festival was created to preserve and showcase our traditional dishes, which, to stay alive, must also communicate with new languages and intelligent influences. Seeing stockfish reinterpreted by six great pizza masters is a way to introduce this product to an even wider audience, especially younger ones."
The connection with Røst, between exhibitions and ceremonies
The second weekend of the Festival looks at the historic relationship between Sandrigo, Venice, and the Norwegian island of Røst. From September 24th to 28th, Villa Sesso Schiavo hosts the exhibition "Percorsi d'Autore," curated by Ugo Bianco. On Friday the 25th, the Piazza Centrale hosts the concert "Note sulla Via Querinissima," featuring students from the Zanella Institute of Sandrigo and the Stade Music School in Germany.
On Saturday the 26th, while the pizza prize is awarded at Villa Sesso Schiavo, the La Querina Prize will be presented at Palazzo Marconi, and the Piazza Centrale will host the traditional dance performance "Beyond the Borders" by the La Farandola Folklore Group. On Sunday the 27th, the Investiture Ceremony of the Confraternity of Bacalà alla Vicentina will also be held in the Piazza Centrale.
Market and twinning days
From Friday the 25th to Sunday the 27th, the Festival also features the Via Querinissima Days, three days of cultural and tourist initiatives linked to the twinning with Røst, and the Art & Flavors Market: over 60 exhibitors selling artisanal products and local agricultural products, with workshops and games for families.
The Vicenza-style Bacalà Festival is organized by Pro Sandrigo with the patronage of the Veneto Region and the Municipality of Sandrigo.