On Thursday evening, our guest was Valter Pironi, President of the Rotary Club of Appiano e delle Colline Comasche.
In fact, the speaker, a well-known agronomist, was not attending in his capacity as President, but as the coordinator of the “Lariorti” project. This is a joint initiative among the Rotary Clubs of the Como area to promote a better understanding of environmental issues and provide initial instruction on cultivating vegetable gardens in schools and within certain associations. Drawing on his many years of professional experience, the speaker held theoretical and practical lessons in several primary schools, involving approximately 540 children, assisted by their teachers and Rotary volunteers, including our own President Croci. Through a series of slides, he shared this rewarding, yet demanding, experience with us, later presenting those in attendance with two booklets entitled “Gardening: Valter Pironi’s advice for budding gardeners and beyond.” For instance, how many people know what Cucurbitaceae are? Do you remember the last time you tasted a Solanum Lycopersicum? Do you know what “mulching” is? If you can answer these, you are already excellent horticulturists…
LF
