How studying in Italy boosted my career in agribusiness

Having grown up in the local area around Cattolica, Riccardo Castellana felt the university was an obvious choice when looking to study food production management at undergraduate level. 

He said: “I fell in love with the topics of both Viticulture and Enology, so decided to specialise in the wine sector with a master’s degree. The ability to do an exchange semester really sold me on the Sustainable Viticulture and Enology programme at Cattolica as I wanted to get another experience abroad.” 

Riccardo, who now interns at Avignonesi Winery in Montepulciano, Tuscany, spent his exchange semester at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He said: “Australia, and Adelaide in particular, is one of the biggest research hubs for viticulture and enology, so the option to go there and study for a little bit was just amazing. 

“In Australia, I learned how to actually manage a vineyard by physically being there and their vineyards are a little bit bigger than ours! The possibility to see something so different from Europe, from Italy, was really amazing.” 

That experience has helped Riccardo progress into his current internship at a winery in the Montepulciano area, where he is able to apply his experience of vineyard management and the practical skills he developed through studying at Cattolica. 

When asked for advice for any prospective students, Riccardo said: “I think one of the best things about this master’s is the number of international students and you all share wine as a common interest.  

“This is amazing not just for the conversations, either about research or about wine itself, but also when discussing life experiences or drinking wine together. It's an amazing added value that not all university courses are going to have.  

“Also, explore Italy a little bit while you’re here!” 

Riccardo Morletto graduated from Cattolica’s Agriculture and Food Economics and has since gone on to work for Lavazza. 

“Before applying, I was a bit lost,” said Riccardo. “I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to study something related to agriculture, but not in a technical way.  

“This course stood out to me as it combined both the agricultural sector and the economic aspect, and also there was room for international experiences.” 

Riccardo took full advantage of these opportunities for international exposure while studying at Cattolica, attending the Double Degree programme which saw him study for a year at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. 

“I spent the second year of the double degree programme studying at a university in the Netherlands. My double degree was focused on sustainable business and innovation, so it provided me with a nice and robust foundation in sustainability. This was particularly useful when I went on to work in the responsible sourcing team at Lavazza.” 

As well as finding that the course content at Cattolica aligned closely with his future role, Riccardo also credits the impact the school’s faculty had on his learning experience. 

He said: “I also really appreciated the small class sizes, because you can have close interactions with the professors, and also participate actively in the seminars which help to give you a glimpse of the industry.” 

Margherita Muzzillo followed up her MSc Agriculture and Food Economics with a traineeship at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, as well as studying for a PhD. 

Of this dual role, she said: “The two really interact with each other. I can get inspiration from my research for my work at the Commission and vice versa.” 

It’s a natural evolution for someone who has been passionate about food and cooking since she was a child.  

“I studied gastronomic sciences for this reason, but then I understood that food is much more complex than just cooking as I discovered the challenges the agribusiness sector is facing.  

“I knew that if I wanted to have an impact, I needed more technical and analytical skills, and so that's why I decided to enroll in this master's programme at Cattolica. 

“Through the degree, I gained the technical and analytical skills that I think are needed to really understand the complexities of the sector. I'm working in policy and research, so having this technical background has made me able to conduct research.” 

Margherita has also found that the skillset she developed during her time at Cattolica has helped her stand out among her peers due to its technical nature. 

She said: “At the European Commission, most people dealing with agriculture have a political science background, but I think they are really looking for people with an agriculture or an agriculture economics background, because we really have the knowledge and the instruments to understand the system in a very specific way.” 

Like Riccardo, Margherita also took advantage of the Double Degree programme and spent a year studying at Uppsala University in Sweden. Of this experience she said: 

“Having an international experience helped me find this internship at the Commission, because one of the requirements was to have had an international experience in your life.  

“I think that having to deal with an international context and with other people from different countries, is really helping me with my current job.”