A trip to Academia Barilla - Experiencing Italian Business Excellence

Well what a disappointing start to the week. We attended the Euro Cup grand final, where despite all the support and cheering Italia was defeated by Espana 4-0.

There was a very sombre atmosphere that night. I have never seen Italians so quiet! It was surprisingly eerie. On the plus side, we all finally got a good nights sleep!

During the week classes were as normal. So too where the evenings, with many late night gelato runs complimented by a spot of window shopping :)

We discovered one of the best things that Italia has to offer....aperitivi! A concept offered by many bars and restaurants where you buy a cocktail (around 8 euro) and you get a free buffet!

Class field trip this week was a visit to Academia Barilla and Barilla factory in Parma. First stop was Academia Barilla.

We were greeted by the CEO and learnt about their business performance and strategy. As well as a tour of the kitchens and library which is full of thousands of recipes, some dating back hundreds of years.

Following was a tour of the Barilla factory. We were taken through the complete production chain, from the mixing of the raw ingredients to final packaging and logistics.

Lunch was at Betinelli, a restaurant complete with swimming pool, located on farm in Parma. Here we had a delicious 3 course lunch. All the ingredients were sourced and produced on the farm. You could really taste the freshness, one of the best meals I have had in Italia.

I have had a fantastic week. I cannot believe the program is already half over!! Hoping to spend a bit of time in Venice over the weekend..and maybe a bit of school work...maybe :)


Emma.


Emma Paine is participating on our July 2012 Experiencing Italian Business Program in Milan. Emma is currently in her 2nd year of a Bachelor of Business Administration at University of Canberra