The Government of La Rioja strengthens its international promotion with a tourism and gastronomy initiative in Italy

The event promoting La Rioja’s tourist attractions also featured several activities dedicated to promoting the region through women in gastronomy.

On Wednesday 26th, the Director General of Tourism and Territorial Promotion, Virginia Borges, took part in the presentation of La Rioja as a tourist destination and subsequent gastronomic tasting in Italy, as part of the Spanish Tourism Agency’s project dedicated to promoting Spain through women and their cuisine, “La Spagna al Femmenile”. This event, organised by the Government of La Rioja in collaboration with the Spanish Tourist Office in Milan, took place at the La Palta restaurant in Piacenza, in the Emilia-Romagna region in the north of Italy.

During the first part of the day, tour operators, gastronomic travel agencies and opinion leaders specialising in wine learned about the region’s many tourist attractions thanks to a presentation given by the Director General of Tourism and Territorial Promotion, Virginia Borges. Specifically, they learned that La Rioja is a destination that stands out for its gastronomy, wine tourism, culture and heritage, the Camino de Santiago, nature, sports and active tourism, and also for our products, crafts and traditions, among other things.

Next, attendees at this event promoting the region enjoyed a menu of different dishes created with #productoriojano by Rioja restaurateur Mónica Loro, from El Arriero Restaurant in Sorzano, and Isa Mazzocchi, star chef at La Palta Restaurant in Borgonovo Val Tidone in Piacenza. The two chefs worked together to create a four-course menu where the authentic flavours of La Rioja were paired with the gastronomic identity of Piacenza.

Specifically, this proposal was a unique opportunity to narrate, in the form of bites, a cuisine that blends tradition and modernity, territory and memory. The experience, which was accompanied by Rioja wine from the Bodega Institucional de la Grajera winery, was a sensory journey between the land and the vineyard, between La Rioja and Emilia: a dialogue between identity-defining products, feminine sensibilities and culinary stories that speak of authenticity.

Through this promotional event, journalists, travel agencies, tour operators, travel companies and international operators in attendance were able to discover the enormous tourism and gastronomic potential of La Rioja: great in terms of products, producers and chefs.

Monica Loro and Isa Mazzocchi

Monica Loro is the fourth generation of a family of chefs. She has been running the El Arriero restaurant in Sorzano since 2004. Her cuisine and contemporary interpretation of traditional dishes combine technique and strength, showcasing the delicacy of the region.

Isa Mazzocchi, the soul and guiding force behind La Palta restaurant, is one of the most influential voices in contemporary Italian cuisine. Her Michelin star highlights a cuisine that draws on the roots of Piacenza to open up to the world, showcasing local ingredients in a narrative of sensitivity, research and sustainability.