GIULIO GELARDI, THE LORD OF MANNA.
When a stroke of luck finally looms in someone’s life, it is customary in Italy to say that he has received a “manna dal cielo”. And the manna, the white gold of the Madonie, was a godsend for many. It is a natural element, obtained from the Tree of Life, the ash. Manna is lymph. Sap that comes out of the bark every day thanks to the meticulous work of the peasants, who carve the ash to facilitate it. It is a magical element. White, shiny, it seems to be a gift that nature wants to give to her children. Giulio Gelardi, naturalistic philosopher, is the largest producer of manna in the world.
<< I could not allow that, after my father devoted a whole life to this wonderful practice, was lost.>>
For this reason, the man of manna, known throughout the world, and strongly linked to his Madonie, in Sicily, has decided to continue the path taken years earlier by his father. He has a thick white beard, and takes on the appearance of a wise old man when he tells of his path. He reveals the love he feels for this wonderful art from behind his glasses. Because to exploit what nature has in store for us, without damaging or offending it, it takes an artistic vein.
And Giulio Gelardi is an artist. It is because he has made this gift the center of his profession, as well as of his life. It is because it has allowed this amazing sap stalactite to be known even more. Because it makes known every benefit, every property, telling them in a passionate, never boring way. It is curious to think that this man, after all, is right to be considered the man of manna. And before him, his father. And even before that, in their place, there was another lord of manna.
It has always been there.
For every century, for every span of time, someone has carried on this tradition. There has always been a wise old man, with a white beard, who knew how to enhance the gold of nature. Giulio Gelardi is ours. Manna as a link between past and future, as a link between man and nature. Man can only preach its beauty, its wealth, and exploit it without damaging it.
Also known as “nectar of the gods”, manna is a resin extracted from the ash tree from manna, in the woods between Castelbuono and Pollina, which has become a symbol of a territory.
With a sweet taste, it has known beneficial properties also from a medicinal point of view, and has always been a central element for the Madonite territory.
Requested by many, it was in fact produced locally and then sold, thus creating a real business that allowed the sustenance of entire families, allowing them to remain in their territory of origin.
The experience that Ted Francesco proposes, since manna is a product inevitably linked to the Madonite territory, involves the collection of manna, the tasting of derived products and the subsequent lunch.
An immersion in nature that allows you to rediscover the benefits of the fruits of the territory.