The fourth edition of the Italian Cuisine Week was a great success in Albania. It was promoted by the Italian Embassy in partnership with the Regional Council of Apulia CCIA, Confindustria and AICS, which organised more than 20 events in Tirana, Valona and Berat. The focus of the Week was on the theme of food education and the culture of taste, narrated through the participation of chefs, including the Michelin star-winning Chef Piergiorgio Siviero, with the attendance of representatives of the institutional, business, academic and scientific worlds of Italy and Albania.
Of special importance was the presence of Prof. Amerigo Restucci, one of the coordinators of the Italian candidacy of the ”Prosecco Hills” at the UNESCO, and the manager of Albergo Etico, Alex Toselli who, together with two youths participating in his laudable project that is also being implemented in Albania, enriched the Week both at professional level and by conveying a message of inclusivity and respect for others, something especially important in a Country still behind in the area of social rights and disability.
Special attention was focused on promoting the points of excellence of three Italian regions – Veneto, Apulia and Campania – and on some themes that are very dear to the local community and for which the Italian model represents a point of reference: promoting the Mediterranean Diet and the typical products of rural areas, food and environmental security and sustainability.
Lastly, professional training was at the centre of numerous activities with young Albanians of all ages, including the initiative ”Storia di un grappolo che voleva fare il vino” (“Story of a Bunch of Grapes that Wanted to Make Wine”), organised in partnership with the Italian School in Tirana and the Fondazione Reggio Children with the support of three Italian vocational schools: ISS Ancel Keys in Castelnuovo Cilento; Santa Caterina in Salerno and ISS in Altamura.
