In Italian, Slow Food is feminine and, with the accent, comes out as la zlo foud (heavy on the final d, of course). Founded in the Piedmont region in the early 1980s, the Slow Food movement has been international since 1989.

Based in Bra in Piedmont, it has branches all over the world. The Rome branch of Slow Food prints an events programme every three months, often using a leitmotif. Programmes are available at key enoteche (wine bars) or from restaurants. The theme of the current programme is the sea and autumn flavours. On offer is a vast selection of events, wine tastings, courses, seminars and dinners. It is possible to attend the events without being a Slow Food member, although it costs a little extra. Either way it is essential to book in advance. To become a member stop by the Slow Food Roma office in Via Torino 149, near Termini station (tel. 0682001940). You can also register via the websites www.slowfoodroma.it (in Italian) or www.slowfood.com (in English).

The programme until the end of Dec includes the seminar Lelisir di lunga vita dedicated to extra virgin olive oil on 28 Nov; a vertical tasting (tasting of the same wine from different years) of Barbera (an increasingly prestigious wine from the Piedmont region) on 5 Dec; and a premire tasting of Canadian wines from Pillitteri Estates on 11 Dec. The usual price for these events is somewhere between 15 and 25. Some events are free and others, dinners for example, can cost up to 50.

The Slow Food Roma committee, made up of a dozen volunteers, is currently finalising the programme for Jan-March. There will be two big events dedicated to wine: Superwhites and Ombre Rosse, which have both run successfully for several years.

Slow Food is also a publishing house, producing magazines and books dedicated to national and international gastronomy. Publications include Slow Wine and lArca. For the ideological basis of the movement, read the book by the Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini, Slow Food, le ragioni del gusto.