In 2025, the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World reaches its tenth edition, reaffirming its scale as one of the most far-reaching initiatives dedicated to promoting Italy’s food and wine heritage abroad. Since its establishment in 2016, following the themes introduced during Expo Milano 2015, it has built a clear international narrative around the Italian agri-food sector, highlighting quality, sustainability, biodiversity and the country’s culinary identity. More than ten thousand events have been held in over a hundred countries.
The theme for the 2025 edition — “Italian cuisine between culture, health and innovation” — captures the idea of gastronomy as a system that evolves while maintaining continuity with its traditions. It presents Italian cuisine as a model capable of integrating research, nutritional awareness and cultural significance.
New York plays a particularly visible role within this tenth edition. The city is home to a large community of Italian restaurateurs, chefs and bakers whose businesses shape the everyday experience of Italian food. Their long-standing presence has contributed to defining how Italian cuisine is recognized internationally, often with an influence that surpasses official promotion.
Within this setting, the Week of Italian Cuisine becomes an occasion to acknowledge the range of professionals who keep Italian culinary identity present in the city. From traditional family-run establishments to kitchens exploring new methods, New York reflects the balance of continuity and experimentation that characterizes Italy’s UNESCO candidacy for intangible cultural heritage.
A video produced for the local 2025 edition showcases around thirty chefs, bakers and restaurateurs, offering a view of the rhythms and routines that define their work. The images echo the notion that food represents both daily nourishment and cultural memory, conveyed through technique, gestures and ingredients.
The question of authenticity — a recurring topic in the program — remains especially relevant in the United States, where Italian sounding products continue to circulate widely. Italian professionals abroad work with institutions and associations to promote certified ingredients and protected denominations, emphasizing the importance of traceability and quality.
The 2025 edition also highlights Italian cuisine as an example of healthy and sustainable dietary practices. Interest in Mediterranean eating patterns has grown across the country, and Italian communities continue to play a major role in their spread.
Innovation is another key part of the narrative: research on raw materials, new processing techniques, updated distribution systems and efforts to reduce food waste. These priorities are integrated into the broader promotional strategy coordinated by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and adapted by Italian institutions worldwide.
