Italian Cuisine: A Living Heritage
After the recognition of Italian cuisine as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, the world of catering is wondering how to translate this value into concrete and recognizable practices. A reflection that arises above all abroad, where the Italian gastronomic identity is often the subject of imitations and simplifications.
Italian cuisine and cultural responsibility: the I Go Italian model
A Project to Give Shape to UNESCO Recognition
It takes shape from this need I Go Italian, a project promoted by Made in Sicily ETS Foundation, born for the protection of the Sicilian identity in the world and today active on a national scale. The initiative gives life to a international network of restaurateurs and operators who share an ethical code inspired by the principles underlying UNESCO recognition and adopt a sign capable of documenting their daily commitment. Not a commercial brand, but a distinctive sign that recalls responsibility, coherence and respect for Italian gastronomic culture as a living heritage, made up of gestures, relationships and processes.
The First Teaches in Palermo
The first teaches I Go Italian will be delivered on January 10, 2026 to Dario Bisso, owner of Bisso Bistrot at the Quattro Canti in Palermo. A recognition that enhances a path already underway: the bistro was in fact born in the spaces of an ancient historic bookshop, deliberately left intact, where the kitchen fits in as narrative act more than just a final result. Here food becomes a story of stratifications, memory and slow transformations, elements that UNESCO identifies as the heart of intangible heritage.
A Sign as a Vision Statement
«I Go Italian is not a sign to be hung up and forgotten», explain the promoters Giovanni Callea and Davide Morici. «It’s sharing a vision». The project intends to make visible what are defined as the “contemporary monuments” of Italian cuisine, or rather the restaurants that interpret and preserve this identity in the world.
The Presentation in Milan and the International Scope
The project will be officially presented on January 15, 2026 in Milan at Castiglioni Palace, in the presence of numerous Italian and international restaurateurs and operators. Reference figures in Italian catering around the world have already joined, from Germany to the United States, from Australia to Japan, united by an approach centered on the authenticity of ingredients, technique and respect for traditions. Alongside foreign memberships, the network also involves Italian realities rooted in the territories, including catering, craftsmanship and agricultural production, testifying to a continuous dialogue between those who welcome Italy into the world and those who represent it daily in its places of origin.
Restaurateurs as Cultural Ambassadors
«Each UNESCO itinerary has its own signs that indicate the stages of the route», underline Callea and Morici. «This project intends to indicate the restaurants that, in Italy and abroad, interpret the UNESCO recognition. Restaurateurs are our true ambassadors and, at the same time, the first welcoming committee for those arriving in our country.” A recognition which, as the promoters remind us, does not concern a single recipe, but a complex and shared identity. «The value recognized by UNESCO is the fruit of great cultural and narrative work. I Go Italian is also a way to say thank you to those who contributed, often in silence, to this result».
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