Florence’s foremost food festival, Pitti Taste, returns after a two-year hiatus. Now in its 15th edition, more than 450 of Italy’s top independent food companies will gather at the Fortezza da Basso in a change of venue for Covid safety reasons from March 26 to 28.
The fifteenth edition of Taste will focus on food waste and protecting the environment, with talks (all in Italian) by leading chefs, authors, editors and food industry professionals. Highlights include food reuse case studies of the Danish app Too Good To Go and Italy’s food bank network, in addition to exploring new distribution models for short supply chain products with the participation of Eataly founder, Oscar Farinetti.
“TASTE is growing and evolving,” explained Agostino Poletto, general manager of Pitti Immagine. “This edition is much more than a return to an in-person format: the event has been rethought and redesigned starting with the opportunities offered by the spaces at the Fortezza da Basso, with a more relaxed and functional visiting itinerary, which guarantees a totally safe trade fair experience, as already seen at the relaunch of our fashion rendezvous. You’ll find lots of preeminent products and new discoveries selected through precise scouting activities in the world of Italian gastronomy – with a few little international episodes, as well as special projects connected to types of production aimed at niche markets.
Sustainable Italian gin will also take centre stage as 10 companies from Tuscany, Piedmont, Umbria, Veneto, Campania and Sicily—Canapone, Deta, Floressence, Fulmine, Gin Toscano, Il Mulino di Zoppola, Peter of Florence, River Mentana, Rubus Idaeus Gin and TNT—present their botanical-based bottles. It’s not all about food and drink as a selection of brands—Alessio Moras, Deliveristo, Fresco, Infinito Design, Menù Internazionale, Parentesi Quadra, Ratafià, Regalpack, Sirene, Tableclothes, Tooa, Valoriani and Vulcania—display their professional kitchen and packaging products. The Pitti Taste experience ends in the Taste shop, where visitors can purchase the items that intrigue them the most.
Taste also has its own digital showcase on the Pitti Connect platform, where trade professionals can discover the products in advance, arrange online meetings with the companies taking part in the fair, and plan their visit to Taste. Indeed, the trade aspect is key to the success of Pitti Taste as over 70 members of the trade, from department stores, speciality food importers and leading stores, arrive from Bahrain, Belgium, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Spain, United States, Sweden and Switzerland.
Taste will be open to the public from 2.30pm to 7.30 pm on March 26 and 27, and from 9.30am to 4.30pm on March 28. For more details, see here.
Fuori di Taste food events in Florence
Food lovers can also savour the city’s gourmet festival by attending the Fuori di Taste events organized by restaurants and stores around Florence. Around 50 themed tasting sessions, talks and dinners will take place at venues such as FirenZen Noodle Bar, Momoyama, Harry’s Bar, Mercato Centrale di Firenze, Il Santo Bevitore, Obicà Mozzarella Bar, Angel Bar – Hotel Calimala, Procacci, Formaggioteca Terroir, Il Palagio – Four Seasons Hotel, Harry’s Bar The Garden – Sina Villa Medici, Ristorante Frescobaldi, Villa Cora, Olivia Bistrot, The Student Hotel and Dome Cocktail Bar.
