This semester’s Taste of Italy event exhibited the diverse range of Italy’s different flavors and colors, featuring delicacies from each region of the Mediterranean nation. The event, held in the Stern Center was open to both students and alumni. 

Of Italy’s 20 regions, 19 were represented at the event by a regional food item, its flag, and a short description of the food and its origins. The only region missing was Le Marche, in central Italy, which is well-known for its natural beauty. 

Luca Lanzilotta, Senior Lecturer in Italian and Italian Club faculty advisor, said, “I couldn’t find an authentic product from the region and seeing that every other region had authentic foods imported from Italy, I didn’t want to spoil [the event] with something that wasn’t authentic.”

The event featured all different types of products, from Pecorino Sardo and ‘Nduja, native to the southern regions of Italy, to Prosecco and Baci Perugini, from northern Italy. Members of the Italian Club, alongside professors, distributed the food, offering insight into its recipes and origins. 

Lanzilotta expressed the importance of such events at Dickinson, saying “it’s not just a food event, it’s also a cultural event. Many students don’t realize how diverse Italian cuisine is. Italian cuisine doesn’t really exist, we have regional products and foods. Not only do students get to taste those products but they also get to learn about them.”

The Italian Department has organized the event every year since 2012, skipping only one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Lanzilotta shed light on the difficulties of coordinating the event every year. He said, “the challenge is to have different foods and products every year. It requires creativity as we must purchase products in Italy, New Jersey, New York, and some products around here at Wegmans.”

Domenico DiBacco ’95, former member of the Italian Club and a major in Italian, Spanish, and French praised the event. He said, “it brings alive the important aspects of Italian culture that the Italian professors try to share with students in the classroom.”

DiBacco also reflected on his experience as a former member of the Italian Club saying, “the Italian Department has maintained their level of consistency, especially in producing culturally enriching events. Visiting the event brought me back to those days of the Italian Department in the 90s.”

The Italian Club’s next event will be its end-of-year dinner, scheduled for Friday, May 3.