Urban Vineyards

Remember that classic ‘60s film, If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium? It revolved around the whirlwind nature of those dizzying pre-packaged tours of Europe where you would “visit” as many cities and countries as possible without experiencing them in any real way.

Checking off an entire bucket list of destinations from a bus window or quick stopover was never my thing. I have always preferred visiting smaller, obscure places and making connections with people who live there, while absorbing local life and culture. Little did I know this made me an early advocate of the Slow Travel movement—an offshoot of the Slow Food movement, which began in Italy with Carlo Petrini in 1986.

Pierino Di Tonno lived in Montreal’s Little Italy for many years. His home, a veritable museum that also served as his studio, was full of large-format images taken by the photographer around the Venice International Film Festival and Montreal.

A passionate photographer of Italian cinema and friend to some of the era’s greatest directors, Di Tonno’s work will soon become the subject of a retrospective at the Cinémathèque québécoise and a short film by professor, screenwriter and director Paul Tana, which is slated for completion in 2022.

Prints of cinema’s biggest stars lined the walls of Di Tonno’s studio, like Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale and Laura Antonelli. Images of Federico Fellini and his wife Giulietta Masina were also prominently displayed, as were those of Salvador Dali (from whom Di Tonno borrowed the mustache), Cesare Zavattini (father of Italian neorealism), Ugo Tognazzi, 

You can’t go wrong this fall with this delicious, creamy pumpkin risotto topped with crunchy roasted pumpkin, crispy sage, pine nuts, pancetta and Parmesan cheese.

The flavours complement each other perfectly with a lovely sweet and salty combination, while the pairing of soft and crispy textures really lifts this risotto’s flavours. Make sure to add a generous amount of toppings for an amazing presentation.