Vino in Piazza: A taste of Italy
Discovering the Italian lifestyle with here a bite and there a sip at the annual Vino in Piazza.
November saw foodies and wine lovers galore rock up at Hyde Park Corner for the annual Made in Italy event, Vino in Piazza. The Embassy of Italy (in Pretoria), the Consulate General of Italy (in Johannesburg), the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Chamber of Commerce joined forces to promote and celebrate Italian products, lifestyle and culture at this event, which revolved around various regions in Italy’s food and wine.
The Vino in Piazza Experience
Vino in Piazza was an authentic experience of the wines (and foods) of Italy. It showcased twenty renowned Italian wineries and four local distributors, adding up to over 100 labels from several Italian regions. Many of these wines are not available in South Africa, which made the event even more authentic. In fact, it offered ticket buyers the opportunity to taste and discover truly special flavours of Italy. Moreover, the Italian oenologist, Matteo Marangon was there too, and he spoke about circular economy and sustainability in the wine sector. He focused on trends and initiatives that Italy (the largest wine producer in the world) has promoted in recent years specifically.
In addition to this impressive wine experience, the Week of the Italian Cuisine in the World took place at the same time. Driven by #ItalianTaste, it was essentially filled with conviviality, sustainability and innovation. These are the three ingredients of Italian cuisine when it comes to people’s health and the safeguard of the planet.
Four pop-up restaurants by Fumo, La Cucina di Ciro, Mastrantonio and Stelle saw visitors tasting and indulging in various Italian dishes. The award-winning Italian chef, Lorenzo Cantoni was also at the event and visitors could see him in action. Nutritionist, Marina Carcea provided important nutritional information on the products he used in his demonstrations. Eventually, they highlighted the benefits and peculiar characteristics of the Mediterranean diet.
The Vino in Piazza was once again a magnificent Italian affair – something worth diarising for next year!
