An exploration of the food semiosphere in Alto Adige

This study aims to provide a partial unveiling of the symbolic dimension of food in Italy’s Alto Adige (German: Südtirol. English: South Tyrol), through research conducted within the valleys of Val Badia, Val Marebbe and Val Pusteria. This unveiling occurred through the understanding of the meanings conveyed by selected restaurants and food stores, each of which contained unique local elements. The identification of the signs within the messages is carried out by the author throughout their food experiences in the area.The study was conducted taking as a lens the notion of semiosphere proposed by Juri Lotman (1990), combined with the qualitative research approach of thick description (Geertz, 1973) applied to the culture’s interpretation. The study adapts the step-by-step semiotic methodology proposed by Mingers and Willcocks (2017), which integrates the communication model proposed by Jakobson (1960) and the life-world developed by Habermas (1987). These worlds fit within the semiosphere space and building relations of sociomateirlaity, sociation and embodiment. The application of such an integrative approach allows to state that part of the food semiosphere in the studied area is rooted in sustainability, cultural hybridization and identity's preservation, which constitute key elements in the development of current food experiences today. Elements that before made part of the context have become part of the text, this last understood as a mechanism which triggers signification (Lotman, 1990). The nucleo of the semiosphere in South Tyrol is characterised by the mountain and Ladin cuisines and their influences. This study demonstrates that the application of the food semiosphere model to the food culture in South Tyrol is particularly insightful due to the geographical, historical, economic, social and cultural processes the region has undergone through time and that have made up its identity. Further research on the semiosphere is suggested for this region and related areas.