Vita in Campagna: enthusiasts of agriculture

The appointment for hobby farmers in Montichiari, in the Province of Brescia, is set for 21 to 23 March for the 4th edition of the Life in the Countryside Fair. The outing is sponsored by the magazine Vita in Campagna (Life in the Countryside) magazine published by the Editoriale L'Informatore Agrario publishing group and will be staged as an exposition on an area of 24,000 m² near the Garde Trade Fair Center flanked by a market of products and services for farming enthusiasts. Also on offer are free courses hosted by the trade fair center and in impressive settings on a small farm. Pavilion 5 will be opened for replicating a garden, a vegetable garden and an area dedicated to beekeeping, pavilion 1 for a fruit and nut orchard and a vineyard and pavilion 2 for a stand of olive trees with room for the raising of such livestock as rabbits, poultry and doves. Courses of study will be held daily in these spaces conducted by Vita in Campagna experts dealing with pruning, grafting, bedding plants and cultivation and livestock techniques. Ample room will also be allocated to the maintenance of country homes and energy savings. A wide range of machinery for hobby cultivations will be exhibited between pavilions 1, 2 and 3, garden tractors, cultivators, mowers and chainsaws along with equipment for cage grafting and garden plants, seeds, fertilizer and on to materials and furnishing for country homes. Also planned for the same settings are courses run by specialized companies on issues of interest such as the maintenance of machinery, drying fruit and the distillation of medicinal plants. New for this year is pavilion 8 hosting the Salon of Origin totally dedicated to typical high quality food products and rural tourism. The same area will have on offer training courses on the cultivation of saffron, olives, olive oil and tomato production processes and on the preparation of mustard, bread and puff pastry. Space will be assigned in pavilion 1 for a display of vintage machinery and equipment staged by Vita in Campagna and Macchine Agricole Domani (Agricultural Machinery Tomorrow) to bring in lessons on the history of mechanization, restoration demonstrations on vintage machinery parts and evaluations and prices of the equipment exhibited. Life in the Countryside is also planning for pavilion 2 a children's area featuring the project Learn and Have Fun with Nature with learning activities allowing the kids to come into contact with old farming traditions such as building a scarecrow and shelling corn to make polenta. Yet another feature for the Brescia event is the Giacomo Bergomi Museum bringing together documents testifying to the history of the land which can be visited free of charge during the days of the fair.