words by Pierangela Zandanel
Italians facing up rising prices and austerity are seriously giving up on their traditional long holidays and leisurely lunches. But even who hasn’t got a sweet tooth hardly choose to refuse a little bit of sweetness amid the daily stress.
As the nation's ice-cream makers meet this week for their annual expo in Rimini there is evidence that millions of Italians are refusing to sacrifice their gelato.
"Spending on ice-cream in 2011 showed no change on previous years" said Marco Forcellino, a spokesman for the expo, where the usual 100,000 visitors will find a variety of innovation beyond any wild desire. This year among the 36,000 ice-cream makers everyone will be able to find something to meet their own taste. From a new focus on classics such as chocolate to the new trends such as rice-based cinnamon ice-cream, seaweed flavour and a salted mushroom variety to eat with main courses.
Ice-cream makers from 10 nations will square off in competition with rounds involving best cone, best ice-cream dessert and best ice-cream sculpture.
Last year the expo entered the record books with a 3-metre (10ft) high ice-cream cone, while in this edition organisers are showing off an 800kg (1,700lb) chocolate" as large as a desk", they claim.
An increasing part of the expo is dedicated to cake and pastry makers, who during the recent downturn are providing their own sweet relief to Italy, with sales of pandoro and panettone cakes rising 6% at Christmas.
At its 33rd edition, Sigep is acknowledged as one of the world’s most important exhibitions and a primary European showcase for both confectionery and bakery artisans.
Dates: 21-25 January 2012
Organizers: Rimini Fiera SpA
Admittance: trade members only
Tickets: 31 euros
Hours: 9.30 am - 6.30 pm
Visitor info: +39 0541 744249
