The movement, led by the editor-in-chief of La Cucina Italiana Maddalena Fossati and driven through the efforts of world-renowned Italian chefs (Massimo Bottura, Davide Oldani, and Antonia Klugmann, to name a few), aims to celebrate the exceptional range of the nation’s cuisine and to promote the universal value of Italy’s gastronomic culture.
Fossati says that she is “deeply moved by this news”, having arduously campaigned for this outcome since 2020. “I believe in our identity and in the complicated-yet-wonderful country that is Italy. Now’s the time to try and determinedly reaffirm the importance of our culinary lifestyle, which is loved and imitated all over the planet,” says Fossati.
This isn’t the first time Italian food has been on UNESCO’s radar. In 2017, Neapolitan-style pizza making–the art of Neapolitan Pizzaiolo–was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The protection, dictated annually, comprises “cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage,” according to the UNESCO site.
A decision won’t be made until December 2025, but more information around plans to ensure Italy and its food are continuously discussed will be coming soon–so expect lots of pizza, pasta, and all things Italian popping up in your future.
This article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller U.K.
Dining and Cooking