On the trail of the culture and flavors of the local tradition, Conad del Tirreno has opened a new Sapori & Dintorni store in the heart of Siena, in the Piazza del Campo that is not just par excellence for the ritual Palio. A store specializing in quality food, which enhances the territoriality and offers the chance to sample a range of dishes which are prepared within the store.
Conad has a consolidated presence in Siena with four outlets already – Piazza Matteotti, via Mameli, via Massetana Romana, via Pantaneto. It employs more than 140 people and now the majority shareholders, Duccio Carapelli, Antonella Marchi and Daniela Manca, and Aurelio Fontane, a businessman with extensive experience in the restauratation business, who joined at the moment of the new S&D opening. “I am proud to present this store”, he said. With the new store we will be promotioning the start of a valuable collaboration with the Opera della Metripolitana for events to value the artistic heritage of the city and the Cathedral of Siena. Located in the fourteenth century Palazzo Petroni, the interior space is divided between gastronomy, fruit and vegetables, meat, self-service and a selection of grocery food and drinks, each characterized by its specific setting. The flagship is the small but well-stocked wine cellar: over 150 labels representing all the local areas suited to quality wine production, the wines from the Chianti region of Montepulciano, Montalcino, San Gimignano.
But it is above all to promote the local area and its products that this little store is aiming at, with the offer of the many local specialties: from Chianina meat steak to Cinta Senese, from marzolino cheese to the cheese of Pienza and pure sheep’s milk ricotta to the fruit and vegetable production of the Tuscan Gold Consortium and the bread baked at all hours of the day from the bakery in via delle Campane, a historic bakers “inside the walls”. And then the tradition of Ricciarelli and the cavallucci produced by the best traditional bakers, Siena barley, pasta and semolina flour, organic jams and honey from local beekeepers. A versatile range of products that produce a positive effect on the economy of many regions and on the suppliers’ economy.
For Conad del Tirreno, which closed 2014 with a total turnover of 2.25 billion euro, regional production in Tuscany took a 28 percent share. A fact that emphasizes the attention of the cooperative pays to the local culinary traditions and the ability to enhance the quality of regional products in the historic centers of the cities or in places of tourist transit, such as in Florence and in Rome Termini station.
“The Senesi and the tourists now have new consumption opportunities in the field,” noted the director general of Conad del Tirreno, Fiorella Bianchi, who was born and raised in Siena. “We intend to combine the excellence of art and history of the city and the best food products of the land of Siena in our store. Without limiting ourselves to selling them, but also by having them be tasted even inside the point of sale, because each product must be a tradition itself in all senses of the word. With this new Sapori & Dintorni store, Conad has reinterpreted the concept of a neighborhood, by emphasizing the range of typical regional products and integrating shopping with services such as late opening and all day opening. “
Inside the store there is the Angolo del Gusto, an area dedicated to food and tasting the products on sale. The indoor kitchen is able to churn out all you need for a hearty breakfast, a quick lunch, a snack or a tasty aperitif with friends, including traditional dishes of Siena, such as pici or ribollita. Consumption in store or take away packs are for sale at the deli counter.
The presence of a customer information point ensures a reception service and gives information on the main cultural events taking place in town. The Sapori & Dintorni store was born to respond to consumer needs in the city, both for those who live it daily and for tourists and to raise awareness and give value to the excellent typical Italian regional food products which are also on show at Expo. The local food and wine are more and more a reason to travel and are an integrate part of the cultural and environment and can not do without its typical products: in the end, good food is also an art. And the link with the territory is an element of distinctiveness for Conad, to ensure the recognition of Italian products in foreign markets. The common denominator in all Sapori & Dintorni stores is their food, which communicates and is the subject of communication, but which also supplies a solid link between excellence of the territory, local culture and economy.
Here below you can find some pictures of the store
