Vigodarzere: History and Tradition of Our Territory

Today we want to talk to you about our territory. The reason is simple. Our history and our successes are deeply linked with the land from which they originated.

In our case we are talking about the Municipality of Vigodarzere. Almost 8 km from Padua, this municipality of 13,000 inhabitants is located in a vast flat area at the confluence of the Muson Dei Sassi stream in the Brenta river.

Bioat and its snail farm is based on theBaruchella Farm , which has been rooted in Vigodarzere for years. In fact, this territory is rich in crops (maize, wheat or hay) and barn and barnyard livestock farms. We too originally followed this tradition, then decided to devote ourselves to heliciculture (snail farming).

A gesture that at the beginning could seem to break the tradition of the territory. However, perhaps implicitly, we have followed an even older tradition, dating back to the time of the ancient Romans.

The Roman Era

The reason why we have gone back in time is to be found in snail farming. In a previous post we talked about the use of snail in medicine in Ancient Greece. What we have not revealed is that even the ancient Romans practised heliciculture, not for cosmetic or medicinal reasons, but for gastronomic purposes.

The Romans used the method of the Roman snail which consisted in thefarming and fattening of snails with cereal flours, aromatic herbs and, sometimes, even wine. To distinguish themselves from the traditional animal farms that were called vivarium, the snail farms were called cochlear, from the Latin word cochlea that indicates precisely the snail. These farms, usually home-made, were created to have always fresh snails. The species called Roman snail is the result of this type of farming.

Unfortunately, due to the Brenta floods that have followed each other over the years, traces of the ancient Roman settlements in the Vigodarzere area have been almost completely erased. There is no longer any evidence that the Roman citizens who were settled here many years ago practised snail farming.

Survived tradition

However, we like to think that some of their spirit has been handed down through the ages and has reappeared in us in our decision to transform ourselves and start raising snails for their slime.

Even if our snails only eat organic vegetables and then do not end up in our dishes, we feel we are the heirs of a millennial tradition that considers the snail as a fundamental animal to help man in many aspects of daily life. For the Romans it was the diet, for us instead it is the care of the skin through the creation of creams and serums with the highest moisturising and soothing power suitable for all skin types.

For a complete list of our products visit BIOAT.IT where you can immediately order our creams and serums based on snail slime and you can find out which product is most suitable for your skin type.

I nostri prodotti Bioat Green Beauty