City of the year 2020: Cagliari conquers the experts of Gambero Rosso
Cagliari is the 2020’s city according to the Gambero Rosso, that reward the food and wine excellences of the Sardinian capital.
Gambero Rosso, a famous Italian publishing house specialized in food and wine, crowned Cagliari City of the year 2020.
The Sardinian capital was chosen by Gambero Rosso over cities such as Rome, Milan and Naples, and is part of the Best of The Year- All the best of 2020 thanks to the quality and variety of local cuisine and catering.
Despite the difficulties related to the pandemic from Covid-19, “La cittá del sole” – the city of the sun, celebrates the culture of wine and island cuisine among ancient flavours, scents that tell timeless stories and the taste of innovation.
The excellent restaurants where traditional Sardinian cuisine is combined with experimentation, the San Benedetto Market which is the largest covered market in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, and the art of bakery and handmade pasta, make up the motivation to why the experts of Gambero Rosso have chosen the ancient Casteddu as the city of the year:
“With its beauty stretched between land and sea, with its charming old town, large and well maintained, with its attachment to traditions… Cagliari deserves the title of City of the year. Despite the pandemic, the Market of San Benedetto, around which revolves a series of cooks who have traditions at heart but do not give up haute cuisine and experimentation, continues to hold strong. Alongside the great Stefano Deidda at Dal Corsaro, two other projects have been initiated during these months: the gourmet restaurant branched from the Forte Village, Palazzo Doglio, with chef Alessandro Cocco, and the Osteria Moderna, where Alessio Signorino, who began to take his first steps on the island directly from the kitchen of the Enoteca Pinchiorri. But this is nothing compared to the many small independent projects (from bakeries to fresh pasta workshops) that contribute to the quality of the entire city offer.
Gambero Rosso is an important award that adds up to another accomplishment: according to the annual ranking drawn up by Il Sole 24 ore, Cagliari is also in the top ten of the most liveable provinces of Italy in 2020.
The city also wins the World Travel Awards 2020 with Palazzo Doglio, a luxury hotel in the heart of Castello, one of the historic districts of Cagliari, which won one of the most coveted awards: Europe’s Leading New Hotel.
City of the year 2020: the brief story behind the Gambero Rosso
Cagliari is the great protagonist of the Italian food and wine scene, says the Gambero Rosso that assigned it the title City of the year 2020 and included it in its Best of The Year, a collection of characters, stories and new trends to be remembered.
The Gambero Rosso was established in 1986 as a supplement of eight pages of the newspaper il manifesto, and the first issue arrived at the news-stands on December 16th of that same year. Founded by Stefano Bonilli, food and wine journalist, and designed by the famous graphic designer Piergiorgio Maoloni, Gambero Rosso represented a real cultural revolution and helped shed light on the association Arci Gola, founded in 1986 and later renamed Slow Food.
Here are some stages in the history of the Gambero Rosso:
- 1987: the Ltd Gambero Rosso Editore was founded and, in collaboration with Slow Food, “Vini d’Italia” was published, one of the most authoritative guides of Italian wines, both nationally and internationally;
- 1990: the guide Restaurants of Italy was initiated, which alongside the Michelin Guide and that of Espresso, is still considered one of the most important in the sector;
- 1992: the first issue of the monthly magazine was printed, describing the protagonists, the novelties and the trends of the world of catering and hospitality;
- 1999: from an agreement with Raisat, a company supervised by RAI, the thematic channel dedicated to food and wine was initiated and in 2009 it became the Gambero Rosso Channel, passing under the direction of Sky Italia;
- 2002: the City of Taste was inaugurated in Rome in a space of 10,000 m2, hosting television studios, kitchen theatre, schools, wine bar, tavern and pizzeria. In 2009 the second City of Taste was inaugurated in Naples, and in the following years, so were those of Catania, Palermo, Turin and Lecce. The Cities of Taste host courses for amateur and professional training alongside events, show cooking, tastings, talks and team-building initiatives;
- 2010: more projects were initiated including the Gamberetto, an annexe for children; the newspaper Quotidiano Vino designed for professionals in the sector which became a digital weekly in 2014; the Guida Oli d’Italia which tells the world about the best extra virgin olive oils in Italy. At the beginning of 2010, Gambero Rosso also makes the digital version of Vini d’Italia and Ristoranti d’Italia. The guides are available on Apple iPhone, Samsung Apps, Google Play, Amazon Appstore and Windows 8;
- 2011: the Guida Pasticceri & Pasticcerie came out on the tenth anniversary in 2021, a guide focused on pastry making, providing a new award called Three golden cakes.
Do you want to discover the authentic taste of Sardinian cuisine and experience a holiday full of charm and elegance? Book your stay at Palazzo Doglio in Cagliari
