Overview
- Italy’s cuisine was unanimously inscribed by UNESCO’s intergovernmental committee meeting in New Delhi, the first time a whole national cuisine has received the designation.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and cabinet ministers hailed the recognition as identity‑affirming, with celebrations in Rome including a sound and light show at the Colosseum.
- Italy’s 2023 bid, prepared by jurist Pier Luigi Petrillo and backed by the culture and agriculture ministries, credited La Cucina Italiana, the Accademia Italiana della Cucina and Fondazione Casa Artusi.
- UNESCO’s citation focuses on shared rituals of cooking and eating, intergenerational transmission, respect for seasonality and anti‑waste practices, rather than specific dishes.
- Industry groups project a tourism uplift of up to 8% over two years—about 18 million additional visitors—while some scholars in Italy criticize the bid as a marketing exercise.