PILOT IN VENICE
ITALY
The pilot action for Venice was the design and organisation of a three-day event, “SAOR - Saperi e sapori veneziani in festa” (‘SAOR’ Venetian taste and knowledge event), held from September 27-29, 2019. It was based on the successful event format of the “Urban Food Festival,” experienced in many cities in Italy and all over the world. The venues of SAOR were spread out both on the mainland and in the insular part of the city. The program featured some key events organised by the City of Venice itself and more than 50 events held by local stakeholders who spontaneously set up their own events according to the festival guidelines. The City of Venice organised the opening event (a culinary challenge among restaurants on the theme “SAOR”, a typical Venetian recipe), a gastronomic/cultural event in the Rialto market on Saturday night and the closing event with a multimedia performance by a well-known Italian artist, “Don Pasta”, in Forte Marghera on Sunday. Side events, organised by stakeholders and coordinated by the city, included original and unpublished ideas: Cooking Shows (cooking demonstrations, tastings, etc), Km Zero events (direct purchases from the producers of fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, pastry and bread, etc.), Meetings and Tours (itineraries, guided tours and workshops; meetings with artisans, traders, hosts, restaurateurs, other operators, etc.), Conferences (thematic conferences and workshops on food, tradition, taste, etc.), Other Events (special menus and “micro events” in markets, restaurants, bars, wine bars, taverns and other locations), Fusions (exhibitions or other events e.g.: food and art, food and history, food and culture, etc.), Parties (music, contests, games).
