- Events Punto Italy

A year for food

A year for food
2018 is dedicated to Italian gastronomy and its link with culture. An important opportunity to get to know and visit the Bel Paese. The blend of food, art, and landscape is one of the distinctive elements of Italian identity.

A unique heritage to be promoted even more. This is the goal of the Year of Italian Food promoted by the Ministries of agricultural policies and cultural heritage.
After a 2016 dedicated to trails and 2017 to villages, in 2018 the spotlight will turn to the tradition of good food thanks to an array of initiatives designed to further improve the image of Italy as tourism and exports of agri-food products continue to grow.
“The world is hungry for Italy,” and with this initiative we want to help to satisfy that hunger.

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LOVED BY TOURISTS

In fact Italy is a favourite destination of tourists. In answer to the question “If you were to win a vacation abroad where would you go?”, 37% of the world’s population answered Italy, 32% the United States, and 31% Australia according to the “Be-Italy” study commissioned by Enit in Ipsos.
Moreover, Italy is also the top country in the world in its association with quality of life, creativity and inventiveness, and is the third best known after USA and UK.
Most of the interviewees are attracted by the great historic cities (Rome, Venice, Milan being the top three), but there is also a growing interest in different, widespread and sustainable tourism (villages, landscapes, food and wine itineraries).

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MANY INITIATIVES

In addition to events related to culture and traditional food and wine, initiatives have also been launched to raise awareness and promote historical rural landscapes as tourist destinations.
In particular, focus has been placed on UNESCO recognitions related to food, like the Mediterranean Diet, the bush vines of Pantelleria, the landscapes of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, and the recently added art of Neapolitan pizza.
The Year of Italian food will also be a vehicle to support the already submitted candidacy of Prosecco and the new application for Amatriciana, and also to involve agri-food production chains.
The new food districts project has been launched, not to mention a specific focus on combating food waste.

THE MAIN MESSAGE

Underlying the economic success of this sector – which in 2017 achieved record of exports (40 billion euros) – is the assumption that food, together with art, tells the story of a country and the people who live in it.
The message that food and wine are a part of Italy’s cultural heritage and identity is therefore at the heart of the policy to promote tourism developed by Enit and  the network of Italian embassies throughout the world, which will once again organize “Italian Food Week.”
The union of food, landscape, identity, and culture is further underlined by the decision to dedicate this year to Gualtiero Marchesi, who was able to embody these values and spread them internationally.

SOCIAL CAMPAIGN

All scheduled events are marked with the official logo that features the words “cibo” and “food” divided by the colours of the Italian flag.
The Year was inaugurated with the social campaign of Italian museums, focused on food and signature dishes made with paints and chiaroscuro shading, in marble or on ceramics, precisely because it was art that first recognized the cultural character of food, its symbolic, social and aesthetic value, not to mention being critical for sustaining life.
About 50 digital posters were posted to the Instagram account @museitaliani, inviting all to visit museums, archeological parks and places of culture, to search, photograph and
share the theme of the month with the hashtags #yearofitalianfood and #annodelciboitaliano.

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