21% OF TOURISTS FROM NORTHWEST EUROPE CHOOSE ITALY FOR ITS FOOD SPECIALTIES, AND HALF OF THEM PREFER MEATS, CHEESE, OIL AND WINE AS SOUVENIRS, ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL“NATHAN THE WISE”

Italian cuisine, “surrounded” by the seas, lakes and mountains, is an irresistible tourist attraction for one Northern European tourist out of five. Twenty-one percent of travelers coming to Italy from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Holland, Netherlands, Germany and countries of ex-USSR, choose Italy because of its gastronomic regional specialties. This tourist attraction is second only to that of Italian art, history, and culture (38%), unique in the world. The International Journal, “Nathan the Wise” monitored 100 International newspapers in 12 countries abroad last year. Tourists from Northern Europe represented an entire population moving about 10 million people in 2007 alone; and they arrive in Italy every year, especially during the summer.

In particular, however, the “gourmet” tourists prefer the low season and choose their sojourns mainly in autumn and spring, when it is easier to find peace, relaxation and great rates at a lower cost. They love the traditional cuisine and of course enjoy the dishes that Italy has exported wisely in the world: pizza and spaghetti are high on the demands of tourists in search of typical Italian style flavors. But when they want to take something home with them, one out of two tourists’ favorite souvenirs are sausages, cheese, oil and wine.