According to anthropologist Jon Holtzman, the tastes and flavors of a country’s traditional table are a meaningful representation of its collective memory. This course will thus show the deep link between geography, history and the culture of Italian regional dishes which have made Italy known worldwide. Attention will be devoted to the development of the Italian food culture, and students will be introduced through lectures, seminars, guest lectures and tastings/visits to local producers, to the ‘invisible’ thread that links the resources of many Italian areas to their food practices. We will also analyze different food practices of the Italian and Mediterranean diet, highlighting regional gastronomic traditions and their origins. Among the topics to be discussed are the issues of Italian regional differences in how food is prepared, the representation of Italian food practices in media and cinema, food symbolism in Italian culture, food ethics and sustainable agriculture, with an examination of today’s fast and slow food traditions in Italy.