A Week-Long Celebration of Italian Cuisine Is Coming to New Zealand

Last year, over 100 countries across the world came together for one of the best excuses to swirl pasta and eat pizza slice upon slice: The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World. For the second year running, New Zealand is joining in.

An event coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World (November 19-25) was created for the purposes of eating food in the Italian way: together. There's nothing better than uniting a group of people and sharing laughs and good times over Italian food, right?

Italy is known for its amazing exports of parmesan, pastas and wines (among others, of course). A wide range of events this year will showcase the traditions of Italy in the Italian way, including lots of authentic Italian produce and regional specialities that can be hard to find in New Zealand. This year, the chosen theme is the Mediterranean diet (La dieta Mediterranea), a sustainable model with proven benefits for human health.

The Italian Embassy has coordinated several events across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Nelson and Queenstown to get you introduced to the Italian way. These include specialty dishes at favourite Italian restaurants, meetings with the chefs, cooking workshops and food and wine tastings.

If you're in Wellington, head to La Bella Italia, Bongusto and Mediterranean Foods for their specialty menus. In addition to a four-course dinner spotlighting various regions of Italy, Mediterranean Foods will present an evening focusing on Italian organic wines and a Neapolitan pizza masterclass. Rounding things off, diners will be invited to create their own metre-long pizza.

The Italian Embassy in Wellington is hosting a free cooking class with Bongusto head chef Fabien Le Gall on Thursday, 22 November. This hands-on class will see Le Gall share some of his nonna's authentic Italian recipes. Book your place here. Petone's La Bella Italia will celebrate with an on-theme dinner dedicated to the Mediterranean diet with naturopath Felicity Leahy, while tenor Patrick Coelho provides the soundtrack.

If you're in Auckland, head to Non Solo Pizza to taste some regional Italian dishes in their authentic form. The Parnell restaurant will host masterclasses on concocting different Italian cocktails and how to taste and pair prosecco with food, plus an evening exploring food in Italian art and a six-course long lunch. The Embassy will be flying chefs Francesca Fucci and Alessandro Cannata over from Switzerland to host a one-off feast at Viaduct Harbour's Giraffe on 20 November, Newmarket's Palazzo Italia will offer a four-course set menu, while Gina's Kitchen will offer a menu based on the traditions of the Puglia region.

Get amongst the strong flavours and intense cultural history of Italian food, and buon appetite.

The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World 2018 will take place from 19-25 November. The full range of events can be found here.