Aug. 23 – That Italy is greatly appreciated for its artistic and natural beauties is a well known fact; that its food is famous worldwide is no mystery… But the numbers now certify a record-breaking amount of food and wine specialities. Coldiretti released the news, after analyzing traditional food products produced in the regions in 2013, on the Gazzetta Ufficiale. “The products analyzed were 4671 last year, but compared to 2000, when the catalogue was first established, they have doubled thanks to the food tourism push.” Italy, says the Coldiretti, is a world leader in food tourism with over €24 billion spent by nationals and foreigners in restaurants, pizzerias, taverns and agritourisms, as well as in shops buying traditional products: holiday-goers in Italy spend 33% of their budget in food. It seems that eating and drinking are the highlights of Italian holidays, as shown by tourism surveys that rate the two highest among hotels, transports, entertainment activities, and cultural events.
