Italy Sees Unesco Cuisine Award as Economic Engine

Italy’s cuisine, long celebrated at home and abroad, is now being treated by policymakers, chefs and industry leaders as more than a source of national pride. At the first International Forum of Italian Cuisine, held in Milan in recent days by Tuttofood, speakers argued that the Unesco recognition granted to Italian cuisine on Dec. 10, 2025 should become a tool for economic growth, cultural diplomacy and tourism development.

The event brought together figures from restaurants, food manufacturing, trade promotion and government to discuss how to turn the designation as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity into concrete results. The message repeated throughout the forum was that the recognition should not be seen as an endpoint but as a starting point for a broader national strategy.

Maddalena Fossati, editor of La Cucina Italiana and president of the committee that worked for the Unesco recognition, said the award had awakened Italians to the value of their own food culture. She said the country now needed to study its position, reflect on it and act on it. Matteo Zoppas, president of the Italian Trade Agency, said his travels abroad in 2025 showed him how strong the image of Italian food already is in foreign markets. He said Italy must focus on higher-quality products and select importers that work in premium channels if it wants to strengthen exports and support small and medium-size producers.

Lino Stoppani, president of Fipe-Confcommercio and owner of Peck in Milan, said the Unesco listing should lead to what he called a “country project.” He described food as one of Italy’s strongest tools of cultural diplomacy and said the country needs coherent economic policies if it wants to raise food exports from 70 billion euros to 100 billion euros. He pointed to market rules, professional training, education and sustainability as areas that need investment.

Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of Osteria Francescana in Modena, said the Unesco recognition moved Italian cuisine from folklore to culture. He called culture the most important ingredient for future chefs because it allows them to think more deeply and imagine new ideas. Bottura said Italian cooking is one of the country’s most important cultural languages abroad and stressed that chefs must look at tradition critically rather than nostalgically.

Alessandro Borghese, chef and television host, compared the recognition to winning a World Cup. He said many young people are interested in cooking but need clearer prospects if they are to see it as a long-term profession. Borghese also argued that traditional regional recipes should be taught in schools and passed on to younger generations before they are lost.

Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, said another key part of Italy’s culinary strength is its raw materials. He said tourists increasingly travel for food experiences and that restaurants should be traced not only for their cooking skills but also for their use of Italian ingredients. Enrico Buonocore, founder and chief executive of Buonocore Hospitality Group, said training staff is one of the most important investments when opening restaurants abroad and that Italy must bring its own culinary language into international markets without changing its identity.

The forum also included remarks from government officials who linked food culture directly to tourism policy. Gianmarco Mazzi, Italy’s tourism minister, said food and wine are among the strongest attractions for visitors to Italy and noted that gastronomic tourists spend more and stay longer than average travelers. Francesco Lollobrigida, the agriculture minister, said the Unesco recognition carries responsibility because it raises expectations around Italian food quality. He said current data suggest the designation could increase the value of Italian products abroad by 6%-8% and bring 18 million additional tourists a year.

The forum ended with a broad consensus that Italy’s cuisine has become a national asset with implications far beyond restaurants. Speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that food now sits at the center of tourism, exports, education and identity, and that its value will depend on whether institutions and businesses can work together to protect it while expanding its reach abroad.