Third Annual Pesto e Dintorni: Information & Exhibition
Staff Writer - August 14, 2006

After the success of the past years, the Pesto e Dintorni (Pesto Sauce and Surroundings) event returns to Chiavari, in the province of Genoa, from the 6th to the 8th of October 2006. The regional event, organized by the administration of the Liguria Region, Unioncamere Liguria, the Province of Genoa, Genoa Chamber of Commerce and the Chiavari Municipality, in collaboration with the local trade associations, including the Industry and Artisan's Confederation, Coldiretti (Farmer Association) and Confagricoltura Confederation of Agriculture Workers). The informational exhibit will take place in the Park & Villa Rocca and the Auditorium in Piazza San Francesco (St. Francis Square.)

The objective of the event is to garner recognition for Genovese-style pesto sauce and highlight the versatility of the famous condiment from Liguria. Following the DOP recognition extended to the extra virgin olive oil and the basil from Genoa, the administration of the Liguria region is pushing the envelope to attain the official qualification of the Ligurian pesto sauce, a condiment which, by now, is well known worldwide. In addition, the fair will promote all the the regional enological and agricultural products, as well as the local seafood.

	The Genoa-Style Pesto Sauce The basil is the main ingredient of pesto, whose name comes from the act of grinding (pestatura) of ingredients with an olive wood pestle in a stone mortar. First grind the garlic with sea salt adding fresh leaves of young basil. Add the pine nuts and the mixed grated cheese – one third aged pecorino cheese from Sardinia and two thirds Parmesan, or Grana Padano – and continue grinding with a round movement of the pestle, until the mix is smooth. At this point add extra virgin olive oil of the best quality and continue to mix until the pesto acquires the right density.
	From the book “Tra Terra e Mare” Guida alla Liguria 'segreta', campi e boschi, sentieri e ... agriturismo. "Between Land ands Ocean" Guide to the 'secret' Liguria region, fields and forests, paths and ... country Inns. Published by the Liguria regional administration.

Why 'Pesto'
The 2006 annual will be strictly regional, open exclusively to products from Liguria, creating a project agreed upon by the regional administration and all the local trade organizations. In addition the landmark sauce, the event seeks to highlight the 'wonderful seven' products that go into it: basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, pine nuts, pecorino and grana cheeses.

An exhibition area will be dedicated to pesto producers and to those who provide the base products. The participating businesses guarantee that the pesto sauce that they produce is made following strictly the official recipe, using exclusively DOP or extra virgin olive oil and basil from GenoaDOP.

Why 'Surrounding'
The 'surrounding' section of the event will host all the other typical specialty food an, whose texture and shape best complement the flavor of the pesto, seafood and all the other typical regional specialty foods will be available, the whole paired at best with local wines, from Vermentino, to Pigato and Rossese, among others.

The Environment
The Liguria region is a thin slice of land which runs from the border with the Mediterranean coast of France to the north, to Tuscany in the south. The unique landscape is made of mountain ranges that tumble wildly into the Mar Ligure, the Liguria Sea, broken up here and there by splendid sandy beaches. Though small in size, the region offer a range of different, mostly uncontaminated, environmental situations, with the seaside as the main, most visible, tourist attraction. There are however other aspects which have captured the fantasy of the visitors over the years, such as the suggestive paths that link the Cinque Terre (Five Lands), which every year see thousands of tourists from all over the world. This region is just a small strip of land squeezed between the Alps and the Mediterranean but it offers unforgettable snapshots, from the turquoise blue of the sea water to the hills that are home to chestnut and pine, from the breathtaking rocky mountain range which towers over the Mediterranean, to the beautiful sandy bays.

This environmental diversity allowed for the development of particular and different gastronomic specialties, which the Pesto e Dintorni event aims to expose to a wider audience.

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