Overview
- Italy’s inscription was adopted on December 10 during UNESCO’s 20th session in New Delhi by a unanimous committee vote.
- Italian cuisine becomes the first national cuisine recognized in its entirety on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida celebrated the decision, and Rome lit the Colosseum in Italy’s colors to mark the moment.
- Italian leaders say the status will help combat imitation products and create economic opportunities across regional supply chains, citing €70 billion in agro‑food exports.
- Historians and food experts criticized the national framing as gastronationalism and point to unresolved issues such as food fraud, import dependence and biodiversity loss.