From the stunning mountains to the alluring sea, the documentary "A romance-trip through the Gastronomy and Wines of Centro de Portugal, by Chef Diogo Rocha" explores enchanting plains, caves, rivers, and estuaries covering over 1600 km in the Center of Portugal.
The production is part of the project "Experiences By", developed by the Turismo Centro de Portugal, which includes the documentary and a book featuring 44 remarkable visits and encompasses 25 in-depth interviews, offering an authentic portrayal of Central Portugal's cultural treasures.
The core objective is to unveil and celebrate the distinctive characteristics of this splendid region through a curated network of experiences in various domains. Led by the renowned Chef Diogo Rocha, this gastronomic odyssey was meticulously designed to showcase the region's unparalleled charm.
"A Romance-Trip through the Gastronomy and Wines of the Center of Portugal" narrates a tale of culinary passion and wanderlust guided by Chef Diogo Rocha. The term "romance trip" perfectly encapsulates the sentiment, as the allure of this journey is simply irresistible, leaving one captivated by the profound knowledge, delectable flavors, and captivating life stories that seamlessly blend work and life.
The last case study of the rubric "From Idea to Reality - Successful Tourism Campaigns" reveals the creative process that brought "A romance-trip through the Gastronomy and Wines of Centro de Portugal" to life, from the initial concept to the strategies, challenges, and results.
Watch now "A romance-trip through the Gastronomy and Wines of Centro de Portugal”, by Chef Diogo Rocha"
From Idea To Reality – The Creative Process
“A romance-trip through the Gastronomy and Wines of Centro de Portugal, by Chef Diogo Rocha” is a documentary about the gastronomy and wines of Centro de Portugal region, by the eyes and experience of the only Michelin Chef that we have in this region. So, the idea is to use the experience and notoriety of Diogo Rocha, to travel through this region, knowing its recipes, traditional products, and people. And it is a romance-trip because of the love that Diogo Rocha feels for Centro de Portugal and its people.
The Goals and Strategies
We intended to use the travel of Diogo Rocha through the eight sub-regions (Viseu Dão Lafões, Serra da Estrela, Beira Baixa, Oeste, Médio Tejo, Região de Leiria, Região de Coimbra, and Região de Aveiro), to know and speak with some of the main regional characters. He spoke with the fisherman, the baker, the cattle breeder, and the shepherd; he learned the techniques of how to make the best Bairrada piglet, Estonado goat, Serra da Estrela cheese, the best fisher stew, the different kinds of wines and wine tourism, the diversity and richness of regional confectionery, much of it conventual …. So, it is a real documentary about the knowledge and flavors of Centro de Portugal, but above all the history and the people who live in the Center of Portugal.
The Challenges
The biggest challenge was to choose the recipes, the flavors, the products, and the people, to interview and to visit when there was so much to know in the Center of Portugal. All this in a documentary of 20 minutes. So, we had to make some difficult choices, giving Diogo Rocha the liberty to choose as curator of this project, and we couldn't be more happy with the result.
The Results
On Facebook, this documentary has 13,6 thousand viewers of 3'', achieved 101,2 thousand people, and 899 reactions. It’s important to mention that this documentary resulted in a book with the same name, that is used as an institutional offer but is also distributed at our tourist offices, to the tourists.
“Making a documentary of gastronomy and wines of Center of Portugal, it´s a way of showing in only 20 minutes, all the diversity that exists in this region. This an important tool to promote the region, in Portugal and in other countries, and there are a lot of people that have interest in this kind of subjects and travel to taste and to know more about them. This kind of documentaries are a way of promoting the sustainability of the destinations, in particular, social and economical, because it brings value to the products.” Adriana Rodrigues, Head of Communication, Image and Public Relations Division
