THE TRADEMARK OF THE GENOESE WORLD PESTO CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE MORTAR, AT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AS THE OPENING OF THE PRE-REGISTRATIONS IS ANNOUNCED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 8TH EDITION OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE HELD SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2020 IN GENOA, PALAZZO DUCALE.

The press conference for the presentation of the VIII World Championship of Genoese Pesto took place on Tuesday 17 December in the Golden Room of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce and during the press conference the Cultural Association of the Palatifini passed the World Championship mark. of Genoese Pesto in the hands of the Chamber of Commerce after a shared development process that has lasted for over ten years for the promotion of the territory and its agri-food excellence. “Since the first edition of 2007, says Maurizio Caviglia, general secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, the Pesto Championship brand has come a long way: it has gone around the world and thanks to the Palatifini Cultural Association, it has allowed us to weave a very wide network relations with institutions, companies and associations up to the presentation of the UNESCO recognition dossier. Today the time has come to pass the baton – or rather the pestle – to the institutions, and it seemed natural to us that the Chamber of Commerce, which has always been the organizational engine and the pivot point in relations with other bodies, picked it up. From today, the championship brand is a public good, which we are committed to protecting and making it grow even more in value and fame “.

Born from an idea by Roberto Panizza (entrepreneur and expert in agri-food culture) and created together with a group of Genoese professionals from the Palatifini Cultural Association: Sergio Di Paolo (territorial marketing expert), Sara Di Paolo (communication and press) , Mauro Cavallero (graphics and image) and Gianni Arimondo (designer and associations), the Championship debuted in 2007 after two years of preparation and often represented Genoa and Liguria on the front lines with hundreds of events and a national and international media exposure increasingly demanding. “The transfer of the brand to the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, Roberto Panizza, President of the Cultural Association intervenes, will make it possible to keep the level of promotion of Ligurian food and wine excellence high, exploiting the strength, image and imagination of the Championship”.

Among the collateral events, the “Children’s Championship” and the “Children’s Choir” which will interpret the Championship Hymn, the “Pesto Week of Ligurian Restaurateurs”, the “Pesto Party” with Genova Gourmet and the “Pesto Talk” are confirmed, to collect stories, testimonials and impressions. Also in this edition, space will be given to “Information and tasting corners” of the main Ligurian consortia in the agri-food sector. Other collateral events are also planned, such as the “Last minute Pesto” review of the use of the mortar for amateurs the day before the championship and visits organized in the Historic Center by Confartigianato. This year in particular the Department of Commerce, Crafts and Major Events of the Municipality of Genoa, in a logic of discovery and rediscovery of the Genoese pesto supply chain, in collaboration also with the Consortiums of DOP Genoese Basil, Ligurian Riviera Oil DOP, will always organize a large educational laboratory at Palazzo Ducale to bring young and especially children closer to the history, taste and know-how of Ligurian culture, continuing an ever stronger intent by the municipal administration to give greater awareness to all Genoese of the great historical, cultural and economic heritage that we possess.

The exhibition of historical mortars of Genoese families is one of the collateral activities always appreciated. This year, two fascinating “future experiences” will be added to the symbols of the tradition and history of Pesto. The first is “Microcosm”, a field simulator for the breeding of plants in extreme conditions such as space, developed by the FOS Group with ENEA. Founded in Genoa 20 years ago, the group, which deals with high-tech solutions, could only choose basil among the plants to bring to space and to Mars. The experimentation can be followed by everyone at Palazzo Ducale. The second experience concerns Humanoid Robotics and is brought by Madlab 2.0, a space for scientific dissemination that deals mainly with 3D printing and robotics in Via della Maddalena, in the historic center of Genoa. The Pepper robot will be available to the public and will interact to simulate the production of a virtual pesto.

Competition, tradition and innovation: even the 8th Championship is not to be missed!