As part of the 9th Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, a groundbreaking research project aimed at studying the adaptation of the Mediterranean Diet in Italian communities abroad began today, starting in the US. The project, called “Dieta Planeterranea,” was held at the Institute of Italian Culture in NY directed by Prof. Fabio Finotti in collaboration with the Unesco Federico II Chair of Professor Annamaria Colao.

The proceedings were opened by Dr. Silvia Mongardo, Deputy Director of the Institute of Culture, who brought greetings from Prof. Finotti.and by Dr. Silvana Mangione, Deputy Secretary General of the General Council of Italians Abroad for Non-European Anglophone Countries (CGIE).

Speakers included: from London connected Michael Cascianelli, Dean of the School of Italy, Roberta Marini De Plano of the Italian Academy of Cuisine in New York, Chef Fabrizio Facchini and Don Luigi Portarulo, pastor of St. Patrick Church. Davide Ippolito, Director of the Italian American Reputation Lab and founder of ilNewyorkese, moderated the meeting, highlighting the project's mission to explore how Italian culture and cuisine can influence and enrich new Italian generations raised abroad.

The research has an ambitious goal: to analyze the eating habits of young Italian Americans to understand how the Mediterranean Diet evolves and adapts in different cultural contexts. Through questionnaires and a series of interactive activities, high school students from the School of Italy in New York, who are personally involved in the project, will collect data until January 2025. This phase will culminate in a scientific publication and the creation of a participatory docufilm, which will present the results to an international audience.

“This research represents a first: for the first time, we are studying how the lifestyles of young Italians living abroad, particularly in New York, integrate elements of the Mediterranean Diet. After the United States, the project plans to extend the analysis to other cities, such as Moscow, “ said Prof. Colao, pointing out that the project is also supported by the PNRR-funded OnFoods program to promote the Mediterranean diet as a model of global health.

The Ninth Week of Italian Cuisine in the World - running from November 16 to 22, 2024 - celebrates the theme “Mediterranean Diet and Roots Cuisine: Health and Tradition” and aims to enhance Italian cuisine not only as a cultural heritage, but also as a sustainable lifestyle and a tool for well-being. This initiative responds to the commitment of the Italian Embassy and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote and protect Italian culture globally, while strengthening ties between the Italian community abroad and its roots.