Hosts and landladies are the true guardian of our country's gastronomic heritage. This is attested by the thirty-fourth edition of the Osteria d'Italia Guide, Slow Food's Subsidiary of Eating Well in bookshops from 25 October, which reviews more than 1750 places recommended for local cuisine, I select itof the ingredients and the genuine welcome. While the panorama of medium-high cost restaurants records ups and downs, the substantial increase in novelties and new snails, i.e. excellent venues, which appear in the 2024 Slow Food Guide confirms theexcellent state of health of this catering segment and the identity of the tavern, chosen by more and more young chefs and restaurateurs for their new openings
1750 restaurants highlighted for their local cuisine, selection of ingredients and genuine hospitality.
The Guide talks about the most authentic and quality Italian restaurants through the visits and reviews from more than 240 collaborators at 1752 venues spread across Italy: next to taverns, restaurants, wine bars with cuisine, farmhouses, alternative restaurant types such as pasta factories, pubs and delicatessens whose characteristics, primarily the attention and adherence to the territory, the selection of raw materials and hospitality, they fall to all intents and purposes within the idea of a tavern as described by the guide. Among them, they are 311 venues awarded the Chiocciola, Or the highest recognition awarded to the brands that stand out for their excellent offerings and for the environment, cuisine and hospitality in harmony with the values of Slow Food.
The trend of solidity and growth of the tavern model, already noted in the previous edition, is also confirmed this year: 163 new addresses have been included in the guide, testifying to a restaurant sector in turmoil and of an increasingly large new generation of innkeepers and innkeepers, who contribute decisively to outlining the contours of the tavern's identity, both in the case of those who take over the family tradition and of those who choose to open ex- new a place with a specific stylistic and value imprint.
The 7 Special Awards
On the occasion of the presentation of the Guide, the two curators, Francesca Mastrovito and Eugenio Signoroni, announced the seven special prizes for 2024:
The award Best Innkeeper was awarded to XFood – San Vito dei Normanni (BR), with the motivation: "if hospitality is the value underlying the innkeeper's identity, a tavern whose welcome starts from the members of the brigade as well as the company can only result in one of the most interesting projects, of 'inspiration and example for a new way of being hosts.”
The award Best Wine List went to Trattoria di Campagna – Sarre (AO), for "a broad, varied and coherent map, in which the territory is showcased with due attention, and the rest of Italy is told in depth and without shortcuts, in search of the best."
Premio Best Young Person is Gianmarco Casadei from Piccola Osteria Tera – Sogliano al Rubicone (FC), for "a beautiful example of hospitality whose story is able to filter and, at the same time, pay homage to the family history of cooking, as well as to those grandiloquent and powerful traditions of the border areas from which it comes to life, thanks to a character and a kind soul.”
The prize Best News was delivered to the Antica Trattoria del Gallo – Gaggiano (MI), with the motivation: "a dutiful entry to celebrate the very solid work of this classic of Lombard cuisine. A place where tradition, hospitality, attention to raw materials are brought to their highest levels.”
Ginger People&Food – Agrigento was awarded. The Best Interpretation of Regional Cuisine award with the motivation: "A cuisine whose identity is based on the games of parallels, similarities and commonalities that transcend borders and cultures, resulting in a mixture of flavors and peoples of which, moreover, the Sicilian identity has been an example for centuries .”
The award Best Pantry went to Da Maria – Fano (PU), “for the attention and care of the marine pantry which is not so much a restaurant choice, but more a lifestyle choice. If the fish she wants doesn't arrive in the morning, Maria doesn't open."
Finally, the Drinking Well Selection Award went to Me' Cumpari Turiddu – Catania, for "a mixology menu and a selection of bitters in which both the choice of products and the mixing recall, in a skilful and equally fresh, contemporary way, flavors and workers from every corner of Sicily."
For the first time, the historical awards of the Snail and the Bottle and the more recent Bere Bene, to recognize an overall selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (craft beers, spirits, cocktails but also juices, extracts and infusions) chosen with attention and personality , were also assigned to the establishments reported in the inserts, i.e. those establishments whose offer and approach are interpreters of a local gastronomic tradition, traceable - at levels of absolute excellence - exclusively in the region to which they belong. The inserts offer an in-depth insight into: farinotti, Genoese focaccia and focaccia from Recco in Liguria; Trentino mountain huts and South Tyrolean törggelen; Venetian bacari; osmize on the Carso, Trieste buffets and tajùt ritual in Friuli Venezia Giulia; Romagna piadina shops; Florentine tripe shops; supplì and pizza by the slice in Lazio; Abruzzo kebabs; Murgesi stoves in Puglia; pizzerias in Campania; morzello in Calabria. Of the 245 establishments reported in the inserts, 15 have received the Chiocciola: 1 Florentine tripe shop, 4 Roman supplì and pizza al taglio addresses, 2 addresses for Abruzzo's kebabs, 7 Campania pizzerias and 1 address for Calabrian morzello.
Campania is the first region for snails, followed by Tuscany and Piedmont
For this reason, the number of snails distributed by region varies significantly, leading to Campania is the region with the highest number of restaurants (39), followed by Tuscany (28) and Piedmont (26).
“The Osteria d'Italia guide is an Italian novel that tells the story of our country. In its pages there are no rankings or judgements, but stories: reading the profiles of the restaurants listed you will feel like you are sitting at their tables" said Carlo Bogliotti, CEO of Slow Food Editore, opening the presentation at the Elfo Puccini Theater in Milan, dedicated to Sergio Staino. “This publication is the cornerstone of our publishing house, our flagship: a real best seller, and this is demonstrated by the Gfk data according to which, for the second consecutive year, Osteria d'Italia has surpassed the Michelin guide in bookshop sales”.
“For us, Osteria d'Italia is indeed an editorial product, but also an associative project – underlined Barbara Nappini, president of Slow Food Italia. This is demonstrated by the fact that many of the chefs reported are members of the Slow Food Alliance. Hosts and landladies who, in addition to being ambassadors of the world of quality production, are its allies: because they choose to obtain supplies from farmers, breeders and cheesemakers who defend biodiversity. This means being part of a community."
All the restaurants in Italy awarded with the snails Region by Region. Click on:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pnQ9t1xAMnCp5WvGPMqrC3dT7NncXsuM4ONCKJJxnl4/edit
