From October 21 to 27, São Paulo will host the 13th annual Week of Italian Regional Cuisine. Organized by the Italian Consulate General in São Paulo with support from the Italian Academy of Cuisine, the event has become a fixture in the city’s culinary scene, aiming to highlight the diversity and richness of Italy’s regional cuisine, as well as to introduce rare ingredients and traditional dishes.
This year’s edition, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Italian immigration to Brazil, features a unique twist: São Paulo itself will be represented as a symbolic “21st Italian region.” In honor of the millions of Italian immigrants who settled in Brazil, Ristorante Basilicata, a century-old institution in the Bela Vista neighborhood, will offer a special menu showcasing the fusion of Italian and Brazilian culinary traditions.
Twenty chefs from Italy will join the event, each paired with one of São Paulo’s selected Italian restaurants. These establishments will temporarily transform into “embassies” of their respective regions, offering menus that reflect the distinct culinary identity of each part of Italy.
“Celebrating the Week during the 150th anniversary of Italian immigration is our way of paying homage to those who brought their regional culinary heritage to Brazil,” says Domenico Fornara, Italy’s Consul General in São Paulo. “The event offers a chance to experience the full spectrum of Italian flavors while giving São Paulo’s large Italo-Brazilian community a way to reconnect with their roots through authentic ingredients and dishes.”
For the duration of the event, participating restaurants will serve four-course meals: antipasto, a first course, a main course, and dessert. These menus, crafted by the guest chefs and prepared alongside local culinary teams, will emphasize Italy’s gastronomic diversity, featuring a wide array of high-quality ingredients and traditional methods. Italy boasts over 300 products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) status.
CURATION AND VENUES
The restaurants taking part in the Week of Italian Regional Cuisine were chosen by the Italian Consulate in São Paulo and Gerardo Landulfo, the representative of the Italian Academy of Cuisine in Brazil. Their goal is to create a varied mosaic of restaurants across the city that appeal to different tastes while functioning as temporary culinary embassies.
“This year’s event is particularly meaningful for me and for all Italians and their descendants who cherish their heritage,” Landulfo said. “I came to Brazil at the age of two, and from an early age, I helped my mother select ingredients and prepare traditional dishes, which varied depending on the season and the day of the week.” Landulfo learned to cook to preserve the tradition of Sunday family lunches, passing on his passion for Italian cuisine to his son Enrico, who grew up with the event and eventually pursued a career as a chef.
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS
- ABRUZZO: RISTORANTINO – Maurizio Di Marco Testa – Osteria La Parigina – Tagliacozzo (Aquila)
- BASILICATA: ZUCCO (Jardins) – Nicola Stella – Myricae – Matera
- CALABRIA: SENSI – Luca Abbruzzino – Abbruzzino – Catanzaro
- CAMPANIA: LIDO – Antimo Migliaccio – Ducale – Sant’Arpino (Caserta)
- EMILIA-ROMAGNA: VINHERIA PERCUSSI – Marco Belmonti – Podere Miranta – Collecchio (Parma)
- FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA: TERRAÇO ITÁLIA – Edoardo Zanelli – Al Bancut – Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine)
- LAZIO: CA’ D’ORO – Tommaso Pennestri – Trattoria Pennestri – Roma
- LIGURIA: SANTO COLOMBA – Giacomo Campodonico – Trattoria l’Ulivo – Barassi-Lavagna (Genova)
- LOMBARDIA: MAREMONTI (Campo Belo) – Andrea Fugnanesi – Stua Noa – Livigno ( Sondrio)
- MARCHE: VINARIUM – Gianmarco Di Girolami – Blob Caffè – Offida (Ascoli Piceno)
- MOLISE: SHIHOMA DELI – Vincenzo Scarselli – Distinto – Isernia
- PIEMONTE: PISELLI (Jardins) – Antonio Furolo – Hostaria Del Vecchio Macello – San Maurizio Canavese (Torino)
- PUGLIA: SUPRA DI MAURO MAIA – Ruggiero Doronzo – Bacco – Barletta
- SARDEGNA: TRE BICCHIERI – Roberto Serra – Su Carduleu – Abbasanta (Oristano)
- SICILIA: ENOSTERIA (Oscar Freire) – Gaia Campisi – Antica Filanda – Capri Leone (Venezia)
- TOSCANA: TEMPERANI TRATTORIA – Salvatore Toscano – Osteria Mangiando Mangiando – Greve in Chianti (Siena)
- TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE: ZENA – Paolo Betti – Innesti – Pergine Valsugana (Trento)
- UMBRIA: CASA SANTO ANTÔNIO – Giacomo Ramacci – Officina dei Sapori – Gubbio (Perugia)
- VALLE D’AOSTA: A PRESTO – Christian Turra – Le Gourmand – Valtournenche (Aosta)
- VENETO: GERO ITAIM – Mara Zanetti Martin – Da Fiore – Venezia
- SÃO PAULO: BASILICATA RESTAURANTE – Claudio Rocchi – Osteria Palmira (Roma)