Redazione

🍻 Fernet-Branca, made by Fratelli Branca Distillerie, debuted at the Venice Film Festival with Pablo Larraín's "Maria" on August 29. Angelina Jolie stars as Maria Callas in the biopic written by Steven Knight and produced by Lorenzo Mieli, Juan de Dios Larraín, and Jonas Dornbach. Maria Callas was known to drink Fernet-Branca before performances. The product's unchanged recipe dates to 1845, and Brancamenta evolved from Callas's mint-enhanced Fernet ritual. Niccolò Branca, CEO of Fratelli Branca Distillerie, expressed pride in their involvement with the film.

🌽 Mediobanca's research analyzed 50 top Italian olive oil companies with over €20 million revenue in 2022. Global olive oil production for 2023-24 is estimated at 2.4 million tonnes, a 6.3% decrease from 2022-23. The EU accounts for 71.7% of this, with Spain (33%), Italy (12%), and Greece (8.1%) leading. Italy's 2023 exports were led by the U.S. (29.1%), Germany (11.2%), and Spain (10.6%). Italy's olive oil consumption dropped by 13.3% to 415,000 tonnes, despite being the world's leading consumer. Italian producers expect a 9.5% sales growth in 2024, with a 53.6% increase in investments. The average price of olive oil in supermarkets reached €6.25 per litre in 2022-23, a 28.6% increase from the previous year. Puglia leads Italian production with 59.3%. Only 20% of top producers have sustainability reports. Mediobanca's study relied on Nielsen IQ data for their analysis.

🍴 Academia Barilla joined Atlas Ocean Voyages aboard the World Traveller for a Mediterranean gourmet cruise in 2024, featuring Italian cooking masterclasses by Chef Marcello Zaccaria and tastings of Barilla's bronze-drawn pasta. Passengers explored Italian regional cuisines, visiting local producers and markets, and learned about dishes like pesto pasta from Porto Venere, Civitavecchia's amatriciana, and pasta with clams from the Venetian Lagoon. Founded in 2004 in Parma, a UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy, Academia Barilla boasts 18 kitchen stations, multifunctional spaces, an auditorium, and a library with over 15,000 volumes.