The Italian Ministries of Agricultural Policies and Cultural Goods and Tourism proclaimed 2018 as “the year of Italian food”.
The National Confederation of Direct Farmers (Coldiretti) announced that the first event linked to the "Year of Italian Food" will be the creation of a "gourmet map" of the "hidden treasures" of the 5.567 small towns scattered throughout Italy.
The idea is to present and promote, also for tourism purposes, the historic rural landscapes of regions with less than five thousand inhabitants, which tell the story of a cultural and artistic heritage. The project includes locations other than traditional tourist circuits that can now finally be protected thanks to new law n.158/17, which contains measures to support and enhance the wine-gastronomic heritage of small towns.
Among the main gourmet destinations are Vigoleno, a village in the municipality of Vernasca, in the province of Piacenza, where more than 5 thousand bottles of “Vin Santo di Vigoleno” wine are produced per year; Loazzolo (358 inhabitants), built in the village of Asti, which also enters the competition in the “best wine” category.
In the earthquake zones, the map highlights Montelupone (3.584 inhabitants), in Marche, place of origin of the purple artichoke, also known as “scarciofeno”, as well as Campotosto, in the province of L'Áquila, where the mortadella of the same name is produced .
Even the smallest islands, such as Ustica (1308 inhabitants), in Sicily, have cultivation and production of exclusive products, such as lentils. Other regions are also linked to ancient religious traditions, such as Santa Croce di Magliano (4.387 inhabitants), in the Molise region, where the population consumes cheese on the occasion of the saint's festivities. On December 30, the Italian Ministries of Agricultural Policies and Cultural Goods and Tourism proclaimed 2018 as “the year of Italian food”. According to the government, the focus of the action will be on valuing the recognition given by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in relation to the European country's gastronomy.
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