Three days dedicated to Italy's food and wine excellences, protagonists at the Fortezza da Basso of the 15th edition of Pitti Taste, dedicated to waste reduction. Tastings, insights and events in the rich Fuoriditaste calendar.

We had to wait three years to be able to celebrate the return of the event, but finally, from 26 to 28 March, the time has come for Pitti Taste to celebrate with a change of location: no longer the now iconic Stazione Leopolda, but the other favourite venue for Pitti events, the Fortezza da Basso, which for the occasion will be dressed in bright pop colours and striking graphics to host Taste the Unexpected! A change that marks an evolution and a rethink of the event, starting - explains Agostino Poletto, director general of Pitti Immagine - from the visit path: "more relaxed and functional, which at the same time ensures a safe experience of the show, as was the case for the restart of our fashion events". The visit starts on the Attic Floor of the Central Pavilion, goes down to the Ground Floor, and from there ends at the Cavaniglia Pavilion (which houses the shop) in the Fortezza.

The format, however, is the one that three decades of Pitti have given us: with the exhibition, for insiders and enthusiasts (the last edition in March 2019 recorded over 16,000 attendees, including buyers and industry operators from over 50 countries around the world, and simple fans), the best of our food production, intercepting trends and stainless classics, emerging realities and established brands always on the edge of high quality. "You will find many excellences and new discoveries, selected through careful scouting in the world of Italian gastronomy with a few international episodes, but also special projects linked to productions that target niche markets".

The theme of Pitti Taste 15

In harmony with the most urgent needs of this 2022, threatened by a pandemic that has not yet been completely forgotten, by rising energy prices and by shadows of war that make our daily lives tremble and require a rethink of habits, the event has Zero Waste as its main theme: Let's not waste food, let's not waste the environment, on which talks and events will be held to bring to light good practices and concrete experiences that - in every link of the chain - become paradigmatic examples of a certain approach to food and the environment, which also implies the recovery of resources, the protection and regeneration of the soil, the enhancement of typical and local products.

Tastings and exhibitions at Pitti Taste

With the return of Taste in attendance, the tasting counters, the true heart of the event, will also be back. This year, in addition to the usual "counter", where free samples will be distributed for later tasting, there will also be individual spaces, which will allow for tasting instead. As always, Pitti Taste can count on a well-considered mix of veteran companies and new entries, for a total of 450 exhibitors with 120 new entries, including Alpex, Burde, and then Olivieri 1882 with its leavened products, Wilden Herbals with herbal teas and kombucha, who join the companies most faithful to the event, such as 32 Via Dei Birrai, Acquerello with rice, Antonio Mattei with Prato biscuits, Claudio Olivero with eggs, Giorgio Poeta honey, Pesto Rossi and La Giardiniera di Morgan.

Once again this year, great attention is devoted to Gin, which will win a dedicated section hosting interesting territorial, sustainable and zero-kilometre interpretations with 10 companies from different Italian regions.

On the Ground Floor of the Central Pavilion, the Tools section brings together professional and non-professional tools, packaging and kitchen and tableware, but also hosts digital start-ups in the sector.

Publishing

Pitti bets on publishing: after launching the new event TESTO [How to become a book], the story of food conquers even more space, with the new cook book shop by Guido Tommasi Editore L'ove. We hatch recipes for an egg love on the Attic Floor of the Central Pavilion, where the love of food and the love of words are celebrated, with a selection of titles linked to the theme of "Zero Waste".

Florence goes FuoriDiTaste

Pitti Taste is not only at the Fortezza da Basso: this year too Pitti Taste will be moving to the streets of the city, enlivening shops, hotels, restaurants, cocktail bars, spaces and places with tastings, special events, themed appointments, talks and other initiatives that tell an original story about food and everything that revolves around it. A rich calendar that continues to grow and promises to invade the entire Tuscan capital in a mouth-watering way. For the moment there are about 50 events scheduled, but it is not certain that there will be more over the course of the days.