The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, showcasing Italy and the Italian taste in the world, kicked off yesterday for a week of online activities.

The yearly initiative is coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to promote Italian culinary traditions and food and wine connoisseurship, a distinctive trait of Italian identity and culture.

The initiative is aimed at promoting the following themes:

• the Mediterranean diet as a healthy lifestyle;

• the enhancement of the food and wine traditions of the Italian regions and territories;

• the safeguarding of Italian products with registered and protected designation of origin;

• the promotion of Italian wines on international markets.

Among the various initiatives the Italian Institute of Culture in Valletta is today holding a videoconference led by Claudio Macca on the Mediterranean diet and its beneficial effects on our health. Macca will talk about how this diet reduces our susceptibility to the development of infections.

The online exhibition ‘A tavola con Fellini ricordando l’Artusi’ is being presented on the occasion of the anniversaries of the five-time Oscar-winning director Federico Fellini, and of the bicentenary of gastronome and writer Pellegrino Artusi, author of the famous cookbook La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene. (‘Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well’). It runs until December 7.

Tomorrow, there will be the videoconference ‘Food, drink, and archaeology in ancient Malta’, organised by the Italian Archaeological Mission, which will illustrate aspects related to the production and consumption of food and drink in ancient Malta

On Thursday, sommelier Paulo Mittiga will lead a webinar on Italian wines entitled ‘A sensory journey along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea’.

The week will conclude on Friday with the screening of the award-winning Barolo Boys. History of a Revolution, a docu-film that tells how Barolo has become one of the most internationally-renowned wines.

For more information on the programme and to find the links to the online events, visit the IIC website on www.iicvalletta.esteri.it or call 2122 1462.