“Italian cooking” is officially an “Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”

It was already “in actual fact”, but since today, “Italian cooking” is officially recognized as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco”, a prestigious recognition for our entire country, and particularly for the food and wine sector. This long-awaited and important announcement has just come from New Delhi, in India, by Unesco Intergovernmental Committee, marking a victory for the national system, with private entities, institutions, and the cultural and research communities mobilizing in mass to achieve this goal. This is highlighted by the presence in India of the Italian delegation, including Liborio Stellino, Ambassador to Unesco; Maddalena Fossati (president of the Promoting Committee for the candidacy of Italian cooking and editor-in-chief of the historic magazine “La Cucina Italiana”), Pier Luigi Petrillo, curator of the dossier (coordinated with Massimo Montanari, professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Bologna, where he founded the Master program “History and Culture of Food”); and officials from the Ministry of Culture who followed the dossier, Maria Assunta Peci and Eleonora Sinibaldi. And, tonight, the achievement will be celebrated with the Colosseum illuminated in white-red-green, and with a special event dedicated to Italian Cuisine at the Parco della Musica in Rome, organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, with contributions from agri-food companies.
Many and different cuisines around the world have reached levels of excellence and express millenary cultures. However, Italian Cuisine, as repeatedly underlined, stands out for its incredible variety and diversity of regional dishes that form its backbone. Top-quality ingredients come from a varied territory stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Alps: a cuisine of taste and the art of good living, a healthy and flavorful cuisine which delights the palate while preserving health and well-being (when interpreted properly, of course). Thanks to its versatility, with pasta at its core, whose global success lies in its ability to adapt to any context, Italian Cuisine creates a true universal bridge. A cuisine, the Italian one, that never becomes boring thanks to its almost infinite range of gastronomic offerings. A cuisine that has found in wine an irreplaceable companion, to be enjoyed in moderation to fully appreciate pairings which satisfy the palate and make time at the table a memorable experience.
Italian cooking is beloved worldwide, also for its convivial nature, with wine - its best companion - as part of this table culture that fosters meeting, sharing, pleasure, and well-being… and which, since today, is officially and formally recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. This recognition, granted to “Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity” could provide further momentum to a sector that is not only a cultural heritage but also an economic one seen that, according to “Foodservice Market Monitor” 2025 by Deloitte, Italian cuisine worldwide generates a total value of 251 billion euros and represents 19% of the global market for full-service restaurants.