Italian Gastronomic District

The project was submitted to the Application with the aim of working together to develop the Alba - Parma (the only Italian city already included in UCCN Gastronomy 2015) to establish and consolidate a true Italian UCCN gastronomic district. The project was then expanded with the entry of Bergamo into the Network in 2019 and immediately strengthened its objectives, starting to work on the Alba-Parma-Bergamo triangle. Two cities first, three cities now, each with its own history and a rich selection of quality typical products, as well as a consolidated supply chain for the production and marketing of the best of Made in Italy. Alongside the production chain, the three cities intended to create an Italian Gastronomic District of Creative Cities , initially with bilateral protocols between the various cities and then a final protocol signed by the three mayors.

Beyond the purely institutional steps, two key areas of focus were immediately addressed: practical, communicative, and organizational. A joint task force with experts from the three cities has worked in the past to present the involved territories in an integrated, effective, synergistic, and international manner.

The District has united in a series of activities aimed at promoting Italian specialties, safeguarding Made in Italy products, and highlighting the supply chain of excellent products. Among these was the management of the Gastronomy Pavilion at the Fabriano Annual Conference in 2019. The pandemic significantly slowed the practical work related to the District, but discussions continued on the content and resumed with greater vigor as soon as restrictions allowed. The theme of " stuffed pasta ," a typical Italian specialty found in the three cities, was chosen, and work is underway to create a system around the chosen theme. The exchange between the various stakeholders in the commercial chain has been fruitful from the start and is one of the most tangible results of the exchange of experiences and networking.

The Three Cities Protocol then gave rise to a further, more technical and operational protocol, under the direction of the Trade Associations, giving life to the Tipicamente Uniche : an annual meeting, rotating between the three cities, with the aim of networking, strengthening mutual understanding in the area and jointly planning promotional activities or special initiatives.

Italian UCCN Gastronomic District project is constantly evolving and includes, among other things, the creation of a shared events calendar, the presence of the respective cities at the other cities' most important events, the establishment of a network of operators ready to communicate the "macro-destination" to long-range markets, and the identification of a unified communications tool that can serve as a hub for everything related to the typical products of the various regions. But, above all, the District remains a great opportunity to share experiences and grow.