Some events begin before their official program and end after the last scheduled appointment. Because before the presentations, conferences and visits, there are people. And when those people come from many different countries and return year after year to meet again, the welcome and the farewell become just as much a part of the story as everything that happens in between.
That was also the case with “Wheat, flour and…” 2026.
Welcome back to Cremona
On Thursday, September 17, on the eve of the event’s two official days, guests were welcomed with an aperitif dinner at Scuderie del Fico, a venue located within a historic building in the heart of Cremona.
It was the first moment spent together and, perhaps for that very reason, there was something special about it. For the Ocrim team, it meant meeting again, after a year, people who had travelled from all over the world. Guests, certainly, but also familiar faces and friends with whom, over time, relationships have grown that go beyond professional occasions.
Greetings, embraces and conversations that seemed to pick up almost exactly where they had left off. And along with them came the awareness that this was only the beginning.
There were still days ahead to spend together, with training, culture, technology and conviviality continuing to alternate and intertwine. But that first evening was not yet the time to tell their story. It was simply a time to meet again.
Then came September 18 and 19, the two days of “Wheat, flour and…”. Intense days, filled with appointments and encounters, bringing together different people, areas of expertise and experiences.
And almost before we knew it, Sunday had arrived.
Before saying goodbye
The morning of September 20 began in Cremona’s historic city center with a guided visit to the Church of San Girolamo. A precious part of the city’s heritage and a jewel of Lombard Baroque architecture, whose complete restoration Ocrim has chosen to support.
Visiting San Girolamo on the very last day therefore took on a special meaning. Discovering a place while it is going through a new phase in its history also means being able to imagine what it will look like once that transformation is complete. And so it feels natural to leave a small promise open: perhaps a future edition of “Wheat, flour and…” will bring us back here, to visit the same church again and discover its “after” together.
Following the visit, a pleasant walk through the streets of Cremona led the group back to Scuderie del Fico. The same place that had hosted the welcome just a few days earlier now became the setting for our farewell lunch.
This time, inevitably, the atmosphere was different.
While on Thursday everything was still about to begin, by Sunday we had several intense days behind us, filled with meetings, conferences, visits, conversations and convivial moments. Our “Sunday lunch” became the final occasion to spend time together before everyone began their journey home.
Then came the time to say goodbye. And, there is no point denying it, there was a touch of sadness. After spending such intense days together, it was only natural for our farewells to be tinged with a little melancholy.
But “Wheat, flour and…” has also taught us to keep looking ahead. And it was in this spirit that we said goodbye, knowing that every edition leaves something behind while, at the same time, making way for what is yet to come.
Because, after all, the best is always yet to come.
Goodbye from Ocrim, until we meet again.
