Food Festivals. Italy's Favorite Tourism

It is official... Italians love festivals, food festivals that is. Italians are indeed known to be people who love to eat and to party but now we have proof, we have data, to support a long lasting rumor.

Coldiretti (Confederazione Nazionale Coltivatori Diretti), Italy's national federation of farmers, has just released the results of its latest survey. Six Italians out of ten can't resist their attraction to historical (especially medieval) villages, unique vacation spots, but, most of all, local food. So they do not miss any opportunity to crowd sagre (food & folk festivals) and open air markets that take place during religious holidays, historical anniversaries but mostly that feature a specific local product that is in season or tasty local cuisine. We know indeed that each of the twenty Italian regions has specific recipes and cuisine that make it special and unique.

“This is a real discovery,” Coldiretti representatives stated, “it is the result of the people's need to have a more direct connection with food, culture and local traditions, especially during the summer months when festivals of this kind, festivals whose goal is to promote the quality and variety of local products, are taking place all over the peninsula, in big cities and small towns alike. Shows, games and historical reenactments are the main ingredients, along with the food, of these local celebrations. It is fun for all, families and couples, young and old, alike.”
The Coldiretti survey also proves that 50% of the people attending these festivals do spend a fair amount of money (a bit more than 10 Euros a person) buying products to take home and/or purchasing tickets for tastings of local products, 37% spend no more than 10 Euros a person and 13% prefer to snoop around and not spend any money (the festivals are free of charge so anybody can attend them). The company continues to say that this definitely helps the “gastronomic vacation” business that, with a turnover of 5 million euros (estimated for 2011) is the one and only segment in constant and continuous growth in the panorama of national tourism. The success of festivals and town markets is due, according to families and young people alike, to the pure enjoyment of small, daily trips that are a nice interruption to a long vacation period or a boring work schedule in the city while others are on away. These often are alternatives to more expensive destinations, local or abroad.

products), 4606 traditional specialties coming from the twenty regions, 505 DOC, DOGC and IGT wines.” From wild boar, peppers, tomatoes, frogs, apricots, artisan beer and mushrooms, the products featured at these festivals are thousands and so are the festivals themselves. CIA (Confederazione degli Agricoltori), Italy's federation of farmers, has declared that “Italians and tourists alike enjoy the adventure of going to unknown places, in the country or in the mountains, it doesn't really matter, to discover something new and taste it.” It is fun, always new and definitely tasty.