About Us
About Us
Palatifini Association
The Palatifini Association was founded in the 1990s by a group of friends who were passionate about gastronomy and the art of good living. Today it is a small but solid organization, deeply linked to Genoa and Liguria, capable of creating and supporting projects with a strong cultural and media impact.
The association’s goal is to promote Genovese pesto made with a mortar and pestle as a cultural heritage and transform it into an experience that speaks to Italy and the world.
About Us
The Genoa Chamber of Commerce
The Genoa Chamber of Commerce has supported the World Pesto Championship since its very first edition in 2007. What began as the bold idea of turning a cherished household tradition into an international competition has since grown into an event that attracts enthusiasts and contestants from across the globe, celebrating Ligurian culinary heritage and the enduring appeal of authentic pesto.
Over the years, the Chamber – headquartered Genoa, Via Garibaldi, and dedicated to promoting the local economy – has played a key role in the Championship’s development, supporting both the grand final held at Palazzo Ducale, one of the city’s most iconic venues, and the international qualifying rounds that have helped expand the event’s global reach.
Since 2019 the Championship’s trademark – created by Roberto Panizza – has been owned by the Chamber of Commerce, which promotes and protects it as a symbol of Genoa’s gastronomic excellence. This work is carried out in partnership with the Genova Liguria Gourmet network, bringing together restaurants, catering services, bars and cafés committed to showcasing certified local ingredients and the region’s culinary specialties, above all pesto.
Through this initiative, the Genoa Chamber of Commerce promotes quality, traceability and culinary identity, positioning pesto and the Genova Liguria Gourmet network not only as drivers of economic development but also as powerful ambassadors for the region, helping visitors discover the flavors and traditions that make Genoa and the Liguria such distinctive travel destinations.
About Us
The World Pesto Championship
With the conception and creation of the World Pesto Championship, Palatifini has given life to an original, recognizable event projected into the future.
The Championship is an international showcase of skill, but also a contemporary narrative of Ligurian excellence. An event that has become a tradition, with increasing global involvement and a communicative force that grows with each edition.
About Us
Territorial marketing
One of the primary objectives of the Palatifini Association is the promotion of Genoa and Liguria through territorial marketing.
For us, this means making a territory increasingly attractive to people, businesses, and communities. In a competitive world, it is a concrete lever for development as it brings tourism, culture, economy, and new opportunities.
To be effective, it is based on three actions:
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Protect diversity
Diversity is what makes a place unique: traditions, knowledge, history, lifestyle.
Protecting it means knowing it, loving it, and passing it on, but it also means resisting standardization. -
Promoting diversity
Defending without communicating leads to isolation. Promoting means opening up: allowing people to discover, sparking curiosity, making them want to experience that place. Genoa, for example, was long perceived exclusively as a port, only later revealing itself as a city of art and culture.
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Making diversity accessible
Heritage is truly valuable when it can be experienced: from hospitality to information, from services to experiences. And few experiences are more immediate and memorable than learning how to make pesto with a mortar and pestle.
Pesto
Pesto as Liguria’s ambassador to the world
The World Pesto Championship is an event open to the whole world.
It is a challenge that sees both Italian and international competitors win, but above all it celebrates a powerful idea: pesto is a “democratic” sauce.
Everyone can learn how to make it, and everyone has the right to know it in its most authentic form.
Due to the narrow geographical conformation of Liguria, the region where they originate, basil and pesto can never compete with large industrial numbers. It is therefore logical that, as has already happened with balsamic vinegar from Modena, the focus should be shifted from quantity to quality.
An institution such as the World Pesto Championship protects tradition and, at the same time, reinforces its contemporary value, promoting pesto as an identity ritual and living cultural heritage, accessible and shared with anyone who is interested.
Il marchio
The Championship logo: between tradition and modernity
The image of the Championship stems from the encounter between identity and modernity. Alongside green, the color of pesto, there are two distinctive elements:
- gold, symbol of victory and excellence
- black, sign of modernity and elegance
The logo is designed like a stamp: essential, memorable, almost “manual” like the movement of a pestle. A sign that certifies the desire to keep alive and relevant one of the most noble sauces in the Ligurian gastronomic tradition.
Organization
Organization: different skills, a single vision
The Championship is the result of the collaboration of professionals who combine skills in:
- territorial marketing
- graphics and communication
- gastronomy and history of traditions
President: Roberto Panizza
Board of Directors: Sergio Di Paolo, Mauro Cavallero, Gianni Arimondo, Sergio Panizza
Over the years, the project has built a solid and recognized presence, developing a network of international qualifying competitions, constant coverage on TV, radio, and global media, a strong online presence, and numerous initiatives in the territory, accompanied by side events and cultural activities.
Reach out
Contact us for partnerships
Would you like to collaborate with Palatifini or bring a project to your local area?
Contact us for partnerships, qualifying rounds, events, and cultural initiatives related to pesto, Genoa, and Liguria.