ITALIAN HEALING AND AROMATIC HERBS: HISTORY, SCIENCE AND MYTH Lecture by Gaia Massai.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura ​496 Huron St. Toronto

Gaia Massai will explore Italian native and traditional herbs used for their culinary and healing properties, tracing back the history, myths and legends associated with them. Some of the topics will deal with: the difference between spice and herb; how to buy, store and use herbs and home herbal remedies. At the end of the lecture, you'll be able to touch, smell and taste some of the herbs which are the foundation of traditional Italian culinary and medicinal wisdom. Gaia Massai is a leading expert on both modern Italian wine and olive oil production and their cultural ramifications. She is the manager of the Fattoria di San Quintino, her family’s 200 hectar estate of which 20 are vineyards, situated between Florence and Pisa, and is President of the Hills of San Miniato Association. She is also the founder of Gaia's Plate, a food import company in Toronto. Gaia Massai received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Conservation of Nature (University of Florence) in 2003 and has been living in Toronto since the end of 2007.