My stay in Marche was rich in activities. My hosts made sure I won’t get bored. As a result of their hospitality I ended up in visiting a very particular place in Pesaro called In.PU.t You’re not the only one who wonders what on earth is In.PU.t so few words about it.
It is a local initiative to combine touristic information with promotion of local products. From the outside it looks like an ordinary shop but when you enter you discover this is something quite different.
People who work here give you a proper information on what happens in the city of Pesaro and Marche in general. They can give you precious guidance on where to go and what to see. Maps and a variety of leaflets are available. And that’s pretty much what all other information points would do. But people from Pesaro went further and decided to bring some local products so you could buy it.
Taste before you buy
Before you buy the local wine or famous cheese, you can taste it! That’s right! Something that I always miss in an ordinary shop. This makes your shopping easier. All local producers can place their goodies on a shelf and promote them to all tourists and residents. So there is a huge variety of local wines, cheese, sweets, honey, olive oil, ham and also small piece of local art. Every month a shopwindow is taken by one local producer to make it more visible. In.PU.t also organizes meetings with experts and cooking shows so people could interact and participate in this initiative.
I met Giorgia in a main square of Pesaro and we walked directly to the venue. We received a warm welcome and a short introduction to the main products from the area. Further, we tasted few delicious salsa di tartufo and very particular wines. We also got a detailed explanation on how to drink wine in order to feel its real character and how to combine its taste with food. Tasting concluded with local sweets made of chocolate and truffles. This was a very tasty afternoon. Interested in wine? read my story of first wine tasting ever!
My advice
I found this idea of expanding touristic information very smart. If you think about ordinary tourists who visit Pesaro and other places you will realize how difficult it is to meet the residents and to taste authentic food from the area. Not all tourists speak italian. In fact, majority of them is not familiar with the local habits and products. Giving them an opportunity to taste it before they buy is a great idea. It’s a win – win situation. Not only the tourists have an opportunity to taste local food but also producers gain international customers. I would recommend this idea to all touristic boards and information centres. It’s brilliant!
Here is a photo gallery of Urbino – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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