COMITATO INTERPAESE MEETING 2022
ITALY, MALTA, SWITZERLAND, LIECHTENSTEIN
The CIP Meeting is a fellowship meeting between Italian, Swiss, Maltese Rotarians and spouses and
there were no participants from Liechtenstein this year The meeting was held in Modena Italy,
between the 22 nd and 25 th September 2022.
This year we were eight Rotarians from RC Malta and RC La Valette and three spouses/guests and
were led by AnneMarie Bianchi who is our newly elected Delegate for Malta.
We arrived at Modena at lunch time and the President of the Organizing Committee welcomed us
on our arrival and joined us for a typical Modenese meal. A good start for what was yet to come.
We were then allowed some free time before the meeting commenced, to be welcomed by some of
the presidents of the area in the evening. This was followed by a welcome dinner for all the
participants.
Friday was a specially good day since we were taken to a prominent Parmigiano Reggiano factory.
There we were able to view the process of making parmigiano reggiano cheese, and to view the
finished product which is stored in large warehouses for it to be sold to the highest bidders on the
Parmigiano stock market. We were also able to have a few cheese nibbles on the way.
Our next visit was to a prominent balsamico vinegar producer, Mario & Giorgio Gambigliani Zoccoli
who are both Rotarians. We listened to the method to produce traditional balsamico vinegar and we
were able to purchase over 12 and 25-year-old balsamico vinegar sold in an ornate bottles to
distinguish that it was produced in the Reggio Emilia Balsamico producing region in the traditional
way.
We were then hosted on site to a typical Modenese meal with lots of balsamico vinegar to
supplement the delicious meal. Of course, Lambrusco wines were served to our great delight.
After lunch we were driven to a private museum for quality hams of all kinds and besides being
informed of the preparation procedure, we were invited to taste a large selection of the hams,
salami and mortadella, all of the top grade quality. The only problem we had was that there was
little room for us to consume this extra delicacy since we were just coming from a lunch meal.
It was then a quick return to the hotel to get ready to visit the Luciano Pavarotti house/museum
where he spent the last few years of his life. There were many paintings, pictures, trophies, musical
souvenirs and costumes he wore in his musical career. Dinner was served in the restaurant in the
annex of the museum. Again, a typical Modenese meal served with Lambrusco wines. We were
entertained by two musicians/opera singers who presented us with a repertoire of Pavarotti
opera/song music.
Saturday morning was the speakers’ morning with our group loyally represented by AnneMarie
Bianchi, Robert Ghirlando and Teresa Andrade. The rest of us went on a guided tour of the city
centre.
Lunch followed and again a great Modenese cuisine meal was served. We were then taken to the
Ferrari Museum at Maranello. For car enthusiasts this was a great feast. Never have we seen so
many expensive and fast cars inclusive of formula one cars in one place.
The gala dinner was held at the Palazzo Ducale, a Baroque Palace in Modena, which today houses
the Italian Military Academy. The dining room was all ornate with beautiful paintings and was very
grandeur looking. The Rotary governor of the Modena District together with the Commanding
Officer of the Palazzo and the Mayor of Modena with their ladies were the guests of honour.
Sunday morning was the end of the weekend when we attended mass in the cathedral followed by
the farewell lunch during which participants bid farewell and hoped to meet again possibly at next
year’s CIP Meeting.
Rob von Brockdorff
