Food is not a show: it is culture and conviviality
From October 9 to November 27, 2025, Florence will host a festival that combines literature and food and wine in an original and engaging way. Every Thursday, at the Istituto Alberghiero Saffi in Via del Mezzetta, Mangiarsi le Parole (Eating Words) takes shape, a series of literary presentations with tastings conceived by journalist and writer Domenico Guarino and produced by Pamela Panico for p.Dom Communication.
The starting point is clear: food is not a television show or talent show entertainment. It is culture, identity, well-being, and health. It is collective memory and, above all, an opportunity to meet. It is no coincidence that, even in ancient Greece and Rome, symposia and banquets were occasions where food was intertwined with literary, philosophical, and political discussions.
A book, a dish, a glass
The formula of the event is as simple as it is fascinating: a book, a dish, a glass. The texts chosen are not cookbooks, but novels, short stories, and essays in which food appears as a narrative echo, suggestion, or common thread.
The fourth and fifth year classes at the Saffi Institute read the selected volumes and translated them into recipes, creating dishes that will be served to the public at the end of the presentations, accompanied by a glass of wine. This project not only combines literature and gastronomy, but also becomes an educational experience: the students learn to transform words into flavors, bringing to the table images, emotions, and atmospheres born from books.
Allies of taste and culture
A project of this nature could only have been born from a network of solid collaborations. Coldiretti and the San Frediano agricultural market provide fresh produce, Probios provides dry goods, while the wines come from Vino.com. The Museo Diffuso della Dieta Mediterranea (Mediterranean Diet Museum), the Fondazione Est Ovest (East West Foundation), Il Forchettiere as media partner, and Giotti Fanti Fresh are also participating.
The patronage of the Municipality of Florence and the support of the Fondazione CR Firenze, which believed in the cultural value of the initiative, were fundamental.
At the end of the exhibition, the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs will offer students an exclusive masterclass with Cecilia Rabassi Tessieri, Italy’s first maître chocolatier: an opportunity that further enriches the training program.
Florence and food culture
Florence is the ideal setting for a project that celebrates the cultural value of food. The city boasts a prestigious gastronomic and literary tradition, with figures such as Pellegrino Artusi, who gave Italian cuisine a modern and national dimension.
Mangiarsi le Parole follows in this tradition, but with a contemporary twist: a festival that invites visitors to rediscover the table as a place of culture and conviviality, far from the logic of fast consumption and spectacle.
It is also an opportunity to attract a curious local and international audience to Florence, interested in quality cultural and food and wine tourism.
Complete calendar of events
The eight events will be held every Thursday from October 9 to November 27, 2025 at the Saffi Hotel Management School. Here is the detailed program:
- October 9, 2025 | Cacao entre dos mundos. The history of chocolate and the clash (and meeting) of civilizations
- by Ruby E. Villareal V., Mandragora 2024
- October 16, 2025 | It’s always a matter of taste. Bitter, salty, sweet, and spicy medieval stories and how good cheese is with pears
- by Gabriella Piccinni, taken from Food and Culture in the Middle Ages by Massimo Montanari, Laterza 2018
- Life and recipes of a sailor at the Quirinale
- by Pietro Catzola, Solferino 2023
- October 30, 2025 | Sunday lunch. A sentimental journey through grandmothers’
- cuisine by DonPasta, Il Saggiatore 2024
- November 6, 2025 | Appetite
- by Serena Guidobaldi, Eris Edizioni 2020
- November 13, 2025 | The Midnight Pastry Chef
- by Desy Icardi, Fazi Editore 2023
- November 20, 2025 | Semolina, Mashed Potatoes, Baked Apples. A Wisdom-Filled Journey Through the Flavors of the Hospital
- by Antonio Osea Mansi, BookaBook 2024
- November 27, 2025 | Food and Play in Times of Celebration. A journey through Italy that plays, between food practices and traditional playful cultures
- by Leandro Ventura, Effigi Edizioni 2024
October 23, 2025 | The presidents’ chef.
Sharing words and flavors
“Mangiarsi le Parole” is not just a calendar of events, but an invitation to rediscover the pleasure of being together. Each event becomes an experience to be enjoyed calmly, intertwining books and flavors, words and convivial gestures.
In an age when food is often reduced to spectacle, this exhibition restores it to its most authentic nature: cultural language, a tool for reflection, and an opportunity for sharing.
In Florence, a city that has made beauty and tradition its hallmark, Mangiarsi le Parole promises to be one of the most interesting events of fall 2025, capable of speaking to the mind and palate with equal intensity.
