The successful cultural tourism season in Liguria draws to a close with undeniably top-level events. The DOP Riviera Ligure Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a part of this region’s culture and the logical host for such an occasion. We say host because on Thursday 28 September, the DOP Riviera Ligure oil was there to welcome the 300 selected guests in the audience for an orchestral concert at the Torre del Lago Puccini Festival, in one of the most exclusive and welcoming settings in the Mediterranean, the “piazzetta” in Portofino. An aperitif/dinner was put on before the event, in true Liguria style, with gastronomic excellences from the region. The DOP Riviera Ligure oil Protection Consortium provided one of these excellences together with others produced in Liguria. All skilfully orchestrated by the hotel and catering school in Lavagna, which receives support from the Genoa business world in Eastern Liguria. For the occasion, the kitchen brigade was headed by its historic chef Maurizio Berisso, his name alone a guarantee of tradition and innovation. Understandable euphoria at the table then continued with a moving concert of classical music from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with pieces by Bizet, Mascagni, Puccini, Rossini, Schumann, and Faurè. The fifty musicians were conducted by Alberto Veronesi, with solos by cellist Giovanni Scaglione, baritone Franco Cerri and soprano Maria Maksalova. The evening will remain a wonderful memory of Liguria, of food and music, for both performers and listeners.
