Italy may be close to having its morning shot of espresso declared a Unesco Heritage, but only after ending a civil war over who would submit an application to Unesco for the cherished status. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has unanimously approved the application and passed it on to Italy’s National Unesco Commission for review before submission to Unesco.
Last year, an attempt to apply for status was blocked when two competing applications were submitted, and the Italian Unesco Commission rejected both and told proponents to get together—potentially not an easy task. Representatives of the application from Naples declared that the application from Treviso was “an act of war by the north against the south,” while the northern sponsors declared Naples’ attempt to “assert ownership” over espresso was “unacceptable.”
The deputy agriculture minister, in his statement of approval, said that “In Italy, coffee is much more than a simple drink: it is an authentic ritual, it is an integral part of our national identity and an expression of our social relationships that distinguishes us around the world. The cup of espresso represents for all Italians a social and cultural ritual that is also reflected in literature and that fascinates the whole country, from Naples to Venice to Trieste passing through Rome and Milan.”
