The Wine and Flavor Festival is a unique opportunity to experience the rich food, wine, and culture of Lombardy, a region brimming with diverse landscapes, products, and local know-how. The event will be held on Sunday, September 29th from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Loggia dei Mercanti in Palazzo Andreani (on Via Spagnoli in Mantua).

Organized by the Federation of Wine and Flavor Routes of Lombardy, the Festival celebrates the Federation's eleven Routes through tastings and samplings, offering an in-depth look at Lombardy's outstanding products. In addition to promoting local products and know-how, the event will also have a strong social impact: all proceeds will be donated to the Il Ponte social cooperative, a day center for the disabled and a personal services center.

The event was presented on Monday, September 23, in the Council Chamber of the City of Mantua. Speakers included Giovanni Buvoli, Deputy Mayor of Mantua; Gianni Boselli, President of the Federation of Lombardy Wine and Flavor Routes; Flavio Bonardi, Vice President of the Federation of Lombardy Wine and Flavor Routes; Federico Patera, Director of the Federation of Lombardy Wine and Flavor Routes; Giorgio Allegrini, President of the Lombardy Regional Wine Shop; and Daniele Trevenzoli, President of the Mantua Rice and Risotto Route and Mayor of Villimpenta.

"It's a wonderful sign that the Lombard wine and food routes are meeting in Mantua," commented Mantua's Deputy Mayor, Buvoli. "In fact, in recent years, our region has made significant efforts at all levels, both institutional and professional, to promote our vital food and wine, both by teaming up with Cremona, Bergamo, and Brescia in the Ieast Lombardy project and by promoting our products, which characterize an important food and wine tradition that attracts additional tourism to our region."

During this day, visitors will be able to learn about, taste, and purchase Lombardy's signature products in an elegant, artistic setting. After the first edition in Broni, at the Enoteca Regionale della Lombardia, this year the Festival moves to the evocative Renaissance center of Mantua, the city "worthy of being traveled a thousand miles to see," as Torquato Tasso described it, which, together with Sabbioneta, constitutes a UNESCO World Heritage site. Another new feature of the second edition is the presence at the Festival of the Strada del Riso e dei Risotti Mantovani, in the Mincio countryside bordering Verona, where rice cultivation dates back to the time of Francesco Gonzaga (1500-1540), and the Strada del Riso dei Tre Fiumi, the most recent of the Lombardy Region's Wine and Flavor Routes, headquartered in Mortara, near Pavia.

"With this Festival, the Federation aims to showcase Lombardy's diverse culinary traditions, first and foremost by introducing them to the consumer," says Gianni Boselli, President of the Federation. "It will be a day of celebration, showcasing Lombardy's signature products, those authentically tied to the local area and immediately associated with a particular area, in a city like Mantua, a true Renaissance jewel renowned worldwide for its history, food and wine, art treasures, and natural beauty, and named, not surprisingly, the Italian Capital of Culture for 2016."

The Federation of Lombardy Wine and Flavor Routes will bring together all the culinary excellences that coexist in Lombardy into a single mosaic. This is an ambitious undertaking considering the variety of landscapes, places, and cultures present in this vast region: from the Valtellina Wine Route, with its Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG and Bresaola, to the Valcalepio Wine Route and Flavors of the Bergamo area, with its eponymous DOC wine and its cheeses, and the Franciacorta Wine Route, which in 1995 became the first Italian terroir and wine produced using the method of secondary fermentation in the bottle; from the Botticino DOC wine of the Colli Longobardi Wine and Flavor Route to the Mantuan Rice and Risotto Route, with its famous Risotto alla Pilota, cooked by absorbing the water and then adding pork pesto; again, from the San Colombano Wine Route and the Lodi Flavours, with the famous raspadüra and its San Colombano DOC Rosso, to the Varzi salami of the Oltrepò Pavese Route.

Lomellina rice will also be featured, with the Three Rivers Rice Route, and Cremonese mustard will be featured, with the Cremonese Taste Route in the Land of Stradivari. Visitors will also have the opportunity to taste refined Garda olive oil, a premium product, along the Garda Wine and Flavor Route. Finally, the Mantuan Wine and Flavor Route will be present, offering visitors the chance to taste Lambrusco Mantovano, wines from the Mantuan Hills, and Parmigiano Reggiano. This is just a taste of what's to be discovered in the rich Lombardy region.

Finally, the Festival represents an opportunity to bring together the Wine and Flavor Routes operating in the East Lombardy region. This brand unites producers and restaurateurs who champion the culture of healthy, sustainable food that respects local biodiversity. East Lombardy, a brand of the Eastern Lombardy gastronomic region, aims to foster the evolution of food and wine in the four provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, and Mantua, promoting the excellence of its producers and restaurateurs nationally and internationally.

Entrance fee: 5 euros, which will be donated entirely to charity.

For information: write an email to federazionestradelombardia@gmail.com , call 346 503 7718 or visit the social pages https://www.facebook.com/viniesaporidilombardia.it and https://www.instagram.com/viniesaporidilombardia.it/