FoodExp 2026 – Lecce, Italy

• 11월 2, 2026
  행사 날짜:
• 11월 3, 2026
  이벤트 종료:

개요

FoodExp 2026 – Lecce, Italy is not a simple food festival, it is the International Forum of Food and Wine and Hotel Hospitality, and it has become over the years one of the most authoritative and beloved gatherings for the Italian gastronomic community. Conceived and organized by Sinext Creative Experience Connection under the vision and direction of Giovanni Pizzolante, in close collaboration with the Puglia Region, Puglia Promozione and a large network of public and private partners, FoodExp has been telling the story of Italian cuisine since 2018. It looks at its historical roots, its deep connection with territory, its continuous dialogue with the world and its inseparable relationship with hospitality, tourism and culture.

The forum takes place in one of the most beautiful places in Puglia, the Chiostro dei Domenicani in Lecce, a former Dominican convent with a monumental cloister that becomes for a few days the epicenter of ideas, tastings and meetings. Every edition brings together more than seventy Italian and international guests and thousands of professionals, including chefs, pizza makers, pastry chefs, bakers, bartenders, sommeliers, maîtres, restaurant managers, hotel managers, producers, journalists, communicators, trainers and students. The format is deliberately broad and inclusive, because FoodExp wants to be accessible to everyone who is curious about food, from the professional who is looking for high-level training to the traveler who wants to understand Salento through its flavors.

Inside the cloister, the program unfolds between the Talk Room, the Teatro del Gusto with two stages for live cooking, the Experimental Laboratories, the Only The Best exhibition area under the porticos and the FoodExp Gourmet space dedicated to the new Puglian cuisine. Outside the cloister, the experience continues in some of the most iconic locations of Lecce and its countryside, such as Masseria Francescani, Torre del Parco and selected restaurants in the historic center. Entrance to the Chiostro is traditionally free with registration on the official website, while tasting sessions, Memorabili lunches and gala dinners require a separate ticket and are always highly anticipated.

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A cultural forum with a research soul: What distinguishes FoodExp from many other food events is its ambition to be a cultural forum. The theme chosen for the recent editions, DNA Evolution. Experimental laboratories | International techniques and contaminations, explains this vision very well. The organizers do not just celebrate excellence, they try to understand where Italian culinary DNA comes from, how it has changed thanks to decades of global contamination, and how it will evolve facing challenges like climate change, sustainability, new dietary habits, rising costs and the transformation of hospitality. This approach makes every talk a moment of real study and not just a show.

Deep roots in Puglia, open eyes on the world: FoodExp is proudly Salentino, but its gaze is international. Over the years it has built solid collaborations with institutions of global prestige such as the Basque Culinary Center of San Sebastian and Alma Scuola di Cucina Internazionale Italiana, and it has brought to Lecce voices from Japan, Sweden, Colombia, Romania, Spain, France and many other countries. The presence of figures like Japanese gastronomy expert Takefumi Hamada, food journalists Jocelyn Chen and Anastasia Avramenko, Swedish chef and researcher John Regefalk and Colombian chef Roy Salomon Caceres shows how the forum creates a real bridge between Puglia and the international scene.

Formats that you do not find elsewhere: Beyond the classic show cooking, FoodExp has invented new formats. The Experimental Laboratories are real technical masterclasses where masters and young champions explain new or rediscovered ancient techniques for processing raw materials, from fermentation to low-temperature cooking, from ancient grains to plant-based innovation. The Hackfest Hospitality Tourist Puglia and the Food Edition hackathon, organized with Regione Puglia, Bahms, The Qube and media partner Forbes, are moments where developers, designers, hospitality experts and chefs work together to design concrete solutions for the future of hospitality in Puglia.

Free access to knowledge: One of the most appreciated aspects by the public is that access to the Chiostro, to the talks and to the Teatro del Gusto is free with registration on www.foodexp.it or by invitation. This choice is strategic, because it allows students of hotel schools, young cooks, professionals, journalists and curious food lovers to participate without economic barriers, creating a truly transversal community. The forum is recognized and promoted by Apulian institutions precisely for this inclusive and educational role.

A citywide experience: FoodExp is not closed inside a fair hall. Lecce itself becomes part of the event, with its baroque churches, its narrow streets, its artisan workshops of cartapesta and its trattorias. The gala dinners and Memorabili lunches take place in extraordinary locations like a 15th-century fortified tower or a masseria surrounded by olive trees, transforming a professional conference into a cultural and touristic journey through Salento.

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The soul of Salento cuisine: At the center of FoodExp there is the cuisine of Puglia, and in particular of Salento, a cuisine born as cucina povera, poor in means but incredibly rich in knowledge, technique and biodiversity. It is a cuisine based on durum wheat cultivated in the Tavoliere, on extra virgin olive oil from monumental olive trees that are centuries old, on legumes, wild herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and on the products of two seas, the Adriatic and the Ionian, which bring different fish and seafood. During the forum you will hear a lot about seasonality, about recovery of ancient grains, about environmental and economic sustainability and about the Mediterranean diet understood not as a nostalgic concept but as a living and evolving model.

Street food and traditional icons: If you have never been to Lecce, FoodExp is the perfect introduction to its most beloved street foods. The rustico leccese, a golden disc of puff pastry filled with béchamel, tomato, mozzarella and black pepper, is the symbol of mid-morning and late-night hunger. The puccia is a rustic wood-fired bread that can be stuffed with everything, traditionally with horse meat stew, a centuries-old specialty, but also with vegetarian fillings. The pasticciotto, a warm shortcrust pastry filled with custard cream and sometimes with amarena cherries, is the queen of breakfast. And then there are pittule, fried dough balls often with turnip tops or cod, ciceri e tria, chickpeas with fresh and fried pasta, and fritto leccese.

Wine, olive oil and beyond: The wine program is curated in collaboration with the Italian Sommelier Association – Lecce. Puglia is one of the most dynamic wine regions in Italy, and FoodExp gives large space to Negroamaro Salento, Primitivo, Salento Rosato and white wines from Valle d’Itria, but also to natural wines, craft beers and extra virgin olive oils from historic frantoi. In the Only The Best area you can do guided tastings and meet producers directly, understanding the link between grape variety, soil and climate.

Pizza, pastry, coffee and mixology: The forum dedicates entire theatres to worlds that are often considered separately. The world of pizza brings great masters like Franco Pepe from Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo and many contemporary Neapolitan pizza makers who talk about dough, hydration, fermentation and topping. The pastry theatre explores leavened products, chocolate, gelato and modern pasticceria. The coffee and mixology theatres investigate specialty coffee, pairing with food and the new frontiers of Italian bar, with bartenders like Martina Bonci from Gucci Giardino 25 in Florence.

Research-driven tasting: Many tastings are designed as research experiences. Partners like Agugiaro & Figna with its flours, Monograno Felicetti with its different pasta shapes, Acqua Panna and S.Pellegrino for water pairing, and Berlucchi for sparkling wines, propose masterclasses where you understand how a single ingredient changes a dish completely.

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Direction and organization: FoodExp is conceived and produced by Sinext under the direction of Giovanni Pizzolante, a well-known organizer and communicator in the world of hospitality and author restaurant. His team has built over the years a network that brings together the best of Puglia and the best of Italy, with institutional support from Regione Puglia and Puglia Promozione.

International and Italian starred guests: The guest list is always very rich and carefully curated. In recent editions, FoodExp has hosted international names such as Takefumi Hamada, founder and CEO of Access All Area Inc Japan, food journalists Jocelyn Chen and Anastasia Avramenko, Xin Ge Liu from Il Gusto di Xin Ge in Florence, starred chef Richard Abou Zaki from Retroscena in Porto San Giorgio, Colombian chef Roy Salomon Caceres from Orma in Rome, plus collaborations with the Basque Culinary Center with John Regefalk and Natalia Villamor Sobero. On the Italian side, the Memorabili lunches and gala dinners have seen protagonists such as Michele Spadaro, Cosimo Colucci and Valentina Lenoci from Pashà in Conversano, Francesco Sodano from Family Rana, Domingo Schingaro from I Due Camini at Borgo Egnazia, Ciro Scamardella from Pipero in Rome, Luigi Taglienti, Davide Di Fabio from Dalla Gioconda, Pietro Penna from Casamatta at Vinilia Resort in Manduria, Denis Lovatel from Denis in Milan, Ciccio Vitiello from Cambia-Menti, Andrea Catalano from Dissapore, Peppe Guida from Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa in Vico Equense, Manuel Ferrari from Mistral at Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio and Alessio Gallelli from Pellico 3 at Park Hyatt Milan.

FoodExp Gourmet brigade: One of the most loved sections is FoodExp Gourmet, which gives space to the new generation of Puglian chefs who are reinterpreting Salento cuisine. Among the names who have taken turns on stage are Simone Grasso from Le Dune Suite Hotel in Porto Cesareo, Vincenzo Stifani from Palazzo Presta in Gallipoli, Samuele Toma from Sinodia in Corigliano D’Otranto, Alessia Racaniello from Macari Bistrot in Bari, Vito Gaballo from Il Pettolino in Gallipoli, Fabio Vulpitta from Aqua in Porto Cesareo, Alessio Panarella from Duca in Ugento, Agostino Bartoli from Gatto Rosso in Taranto, Daniel Cavuoto from Hagakure Noh Samba in Bari, Giorgio Vantaggiato from Koria in Corigliano D’Otranto and Massimiliano Tasselli from The Cuisine of Sips and Speeches in Taviano.

Exhibitors and vendors: The portico of the Chiostro hosts the Only The Best exhibition, dedicated to wineries and food companies selected for quality. Here you can meet producers of wine, extra virgin olive oil, artisan cheeses, cured meats, legumes, flours, pasta, coffee and spirits. Main sponsors in past editions have included Agugiaro & Figna, Acqua Panna-S.Pellegrino, Felicetti, Berlucchi, Alma, Berto’s, Novaleas, Banca Popolare Pugliese and Le Dune Group, together with many small artisan realities that find in FoodExp an important showcase to meet professionals and the press.

음식 체험

Talk Room for big ideas: The Talk Room is the institutional and cultural heart of FoodExp. It is here that chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers, sommeliers, journalists, trainers, communicators and institutional representatives sit together to discuss the contemporary identity and possible future scenarios of Italian food and wine culture. Topics range from tourism promotion to economic development, from training to communication, from sustainability to management. It is a moment of listening and debate that gives depth to the whole forum.

Teatro del Gusto with live cooking: The Teatro del Gusto is where theory becomes practice. On two stages, great protagonists of the Italian and international food and beverage world alternate with live moments, show cooking and technical demonstrations. Themes are very varied, from Mediterranean to territories, from seasonality to biodiversity, from taste to management costs, from plant revolution to coffee. The proximity to the chef allows you to see every gesture, ask questions and understand the philosophy behind a dish.

Experimental Laboratories: This is one of the absolute novelties that has been most appreciated. The Experimental Laboratories are real lessons where masters and young champions talk about their new frontier in research applied to food. They are technical masterclasses for professionals who want to deepen methods, both very new and very ancient, forgotten and recovered, for processing raw materials. For enthusiasts, it is a unique opportunity to understand how food 2.0 is transformed and what is behind a fermentation, an extraction or a new texture.

Hackathon and student competition: FoodExp also looks at innovation and training. The results of Hackfest Hospitality Tourist Puglia are presented, and a new Food Edition hackathon is created to complete the path and try to respond in a concrete and creative way to the need for advanced skills in contemporary hospitality. At the same time, the competition Sauces for every shape, in collaboration with Monograno Felicetti and IISS Presta-Columella of Lecce, invites students to invent original sauces dedicated to different pasta shapes, a symbol of the richness of Italian cuisine.

Only The Best tastings: Walking under the portico, you enter the Only The Best area, where stands of wineries and food companies are positioned. Here you can taste, compare, ask questions and participate in guided tastings led by AIS sommeliers. It is an innovative proposal that combines business networking with pleasure of discovery.

Memorabili lunches and gala dinners: Like every year, the program includes unmissable dinners with protagonists of the new wave of signature cuisine. The Memorabili are exceptional lunches where starred chefs propose an exclusive tasting itinerary designed for the occasion, telling their personal vision. The gala dinners are authentic events of taste where some of the most important brigades in Italy join together in new and extraordinary culinary collaborations, often in spectacular locations like Torre del Parco or Masseria Francescani.

날짜 및 일정

행사 날짜: 2–3 November 2026

장소: Chiostro dei Domenicani, Via S. Pietro in Lama, 23, Lecce, Italy

영업시간: Monday at 10:30 AM and Tuesday at 10:00 AM for the main forum at the Chiostro. Evening gala dinners typically begin at 8:00 PM. The Welcome Dinner preview is traditionally held on the evening before the main forum in a masseria outside Lecce, followed by the main gala dinner on the first evening at Torre del Parco and the closing dinner on the second evening at the Chiostro.

Schedule Breakdown: The first morning is usually dedicated to institutional opening, Talk Room and presentation of the theme. Late morning and afternoon include Teatro del Gusto show cooking, Experimental Laboratories, Only The Best tastings, pizza, pastry and mixology theatres, plus the student competition and hackathon sessions. The second day continues with talks, masterclasses and tastings, ending with the closing gala dinner. Entrance to the Chiostro is free with registration on www.foodexp.it or by invitation, while tasting spaces, lunches and dinners require separate tickets that should be purchased in advance as they sell out quickly. The detailed program with names, times and stages is published on the official website a few weeks before the event.

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위치 및 장소

Venue name: Chiostro dei Domenicani

The Chiostro dei Domenicani is one of the most evocative cultural spaces in Lecce. It is a former Dominican convent from the 16th century, located in Via S. Pietro in Lama, right in the historic center, a few steps from Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the Roman amphitheater and the Duomo. Its architecture is typical of Lecce baroque, with a double colonnade, vaulted porticos, a central courtyard with a well and large halls that today host exhibitions, conferences and cultural events. For FoodExp, the portico hosts the Only The Best exhibition with wineries and food companies, while internal rooms are set up as Talk Room and Teatro del Gusto with professional kitchens, audio and video equipment.

The venue is inside the ZTL, the limited traffic zone of the historic center, which means it is best reached on foot if you stay in the center. For those arriving by car, there are parking areas outside the walls such as City Terminal, Piazza Carmelo Bene and Foro Boario, from which you can continue on foot or by taxi. The cloister is accessible with assistance, and the organization is attentive to mobility needs if contacted in advance at info@foodexp.it.

Off-site venues used for dinners are equally fascinating. Masseria Francescani in Torre Chianca is a fortified masseria surrounded by olive trees and close to the sea, perfect for the Welcome Dinner. Torre del Parco is a 15th-century fortified tower in the heart of Lecce, with frescoed halls and a large garden, ideal for gala dinners that combine history and gastronomy. Gimmy Restaurant, located inside the Chiostro itself, often hosts part of the closing events.

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By plane: The two closest airports are Brindisi Airport, also known as Salento Airport, about 40 kilometers from Lecce, and Bari Airport, about 150 kilometers away. Brindisi is the most convenient, with many domestic and international flights, and it is connected to Lecce by shuttle buses, private transfers and regional trains in about 30 to 40 minutes. Bari Airport is larger and has more connections, but the transfer to Lecce takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours by train or car.

기차로: Lecce is the terminus of the Adriatic railway line and is well connected to major Italian cities. High-speed trains Frecciarossa and Italo connect Lecce to Bari, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan, with a change in some cases. Regional trains connect Brindisi and Bari frequently. The Lecce train station is about 1.5 kilometers from the Chiostro, reachable by city bus, taxi or a pleasant 20-minute walk through the city center.

자동차로: If you come by car from Bari or Brindisi, follow the SS613 and SS16 state roads. Driving inside the historic center is restricted due to ZTL, so it is advisable to park outside and walk. Parking areas like City Terminal near the station, Foro Boario and Piazza Carmelo Bene are convenient and well connected to the center. If you plan to attend dinners in masserie outside the city, having a car or booking a taxi is useful, although the organization often provides shuttle information.

지역 교통: Lecce is a small and walkable city. The historic center can be visited entirely on foot, and this is the best way to enjoy its baroque architecture, its artisan shops and its food spots. Local buses operated by SGM, taxis, e-bikes and rickshaws are available. For people with limited mobility, it is advisable to contact the organizer in advance to arrange the best access.

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Luxury boutique hotels in the historic center: Staying in the historic center is the best choice to fully experience FoodExp, because you can walk to the Chiostro in the morning and return easily after the gala dinners in the evening. Lecce offers many restored palazzi turned into luxury boutique hotels, such as La Fiermontina Luxury Home, a design hotel with contemporary art collection, Pollicastro Boutique Hotel, Palazzo Zimara Boutique Hotel and Risorgimento Resort, which is one of the most classic luxury hotels in the city. These properties offer vaulted stone ceilings, private courtyards and rooftop terraces. Prices for this category typically range from $250 to $450 per night during the event period, and early booking is essential.

Charming B&Bs and historic residences: If you prefer a more intimate and authentic atmosphere, Lecce is full of B&Bs and historic residences managed by local families. Options like Palazzo De Noha, Dimora San Biagio, Forleo Historic Apartments and many others offer apartments with kitchenette inside ancient palazzi. You can wake up under a star-vaulted ceiling and have breakfast with pasticciotto and local jams. Average rates for this category are from $90 to $180 per night, with great value for money if booked in advance.

Masserie in the countryside: For those who want to experience the true Salento countryside, staying in a masseria outside Lecce is an unforgettable experience. Masseria Francescani, Masseria Le Cesine, Masseria Torre Maizza and other masserie in the area offer tranquility, nature, swimming pools and excellent restaurants serving traditional cuisine with their own olive oil. This option is ideal if you have a car and want to combine FoodExp with some days of relaxation. Rates range from $180 to $350 per night, often including breakfast and sometimes cooking classes.

Mid-range and budget options: Around the train station and along Via Libertini and Via 95° Reggimento Fanteria, there are many 3-star hotels, guesthouses and apartments suitable for students, young professionals and travelers on a budget. Prices start from $60 to $110 per night. Even in this category, it is advisable to book at least two to three months in advance, because FoodExp attracts thousands of visitors and city occupancy rises significantly.

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Discover baroque Lecce: Lecce is called the Florence of the South for its exuberant baroque architecture made from local pietra leccese, a soft limestone that allows elaborate carvings. Do not miss the Basilica di Santa Croce, a masterpiece of baroque with a richly decorated façade, the Duomo with its soaring bell tower and the Bishop’s Palace, Piazza Sant’Oronzo with the Roman amphitheater and the column of the patron saint, and the underground Jewish Museum that tells the history of the Jewish community in medieval Lecce.

Artisan workshops and museums: Lecce is famous for its cartapesta, papier-mâché artisans who create religious statues and masks. Visit workshops near Via degli Acchiappini and Via Giuseppe Libertini to see craftsmen at work. Also visit the Faggiano Museum, a private house turned into an archaeological site where the family discovered underground layers from Roman to medieval times, and MUST, the Historical Museum of Lecce, which hosts contemporary art exhibitions.

Day trips to the sea: Even outside summer, the Salento coast is stunning. Otranto, on the Adriatic coast, is about 40 minutes from Lecce and offers a beautiful old town, a cathedral with a 12th-century mosaic floor and a castle overlooking the sea. Gallipoli, on the Ionian coast, is famous for its fishing port, its old town on an island connected by a bridge and its underground olive presses. Torre dell’Orso, Santa Cesarea Terme and Porto Selvaggio are other wonderful spots for a walk with sea view.

Wine and olive oil experiences: Salento is a land of wine and olive oil. Book a tour to a winery like Cantina Due Palme, Leone de Castris, which produced the first rosé in Italy, or a frantoio ipogeo, an underground olive press in Presicce-Acquarica, where olives were pressed for centuries. Many wineries offer guided tastings of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Susumaniello, paired with local cheeses and cured meats.

Markets and cooking classes: Visit the daily Mercato di Lecce for seasonal fruits, vegetables, cheeses and street food, or the Farmers Market in Piazzetta Bottazzi organized by Campagna Amica network, where local producers sell directly. If you have time, join a cooking class to learn how to make orecchiette by hand, ciceri e tria or pasticciotto, many of which are organized by partners of FoodExp network.

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Traditional trattorias: Lecce has many trattorias where you can taste authentic Salento cuisine at reasonable prices. Alle Due Corti is famous for its location between two courtyards and for dishes like ricciaredde, a pasta invented by the owner, and ciceri e tria. Da Cosimino e figli dal 1960 is a historic place in the suburbs where you can try puccia, pittule and fried black olives. Le Zie Trattoria and La Cucina di Mamma Elvira are other beloved places for orecchiette, sagne ncannulate and meatballs.

Modern and author cuisine: For a more contemporary experience, book at Primo Restaurant, Bros’ in Lecce, which offers a very creative tasting menu, Gimmy Restaurant inside the Chiostro dei Domenicani itself, and Aqua Restaurant in Porto Cesareo for innovative seafood. In the province, you can find starred restaurants like Pashà in Conversano, Borgo Egnazia restaurants in Fasano and Retroscena in Porto San Giorgio, many of which are often connected to FoodExp.

Street food not to miss: Do not leave Lecce without trying Caffè Leccese, an iced coffee with almond syrup, at historic bars like Caffè Alvino in Piazza Sant’Oronzo or Caffè Cittadella. Try Pasticciotto at Pasticceria Natale, Martinucci or Pasticceria Alvino, Rustico Leccese in any bar in the center, Puccia con carne di cavallo at L’Angolo della Puccia or Puccia Bros, Fritto Leccese and Pittule at Trattoria Da Vito or at street stalls, and artisanal gelato with local ingredients like almond milk, figs and ricotta at Dolce Arte, Gelateria La Dolce Vita and Natale.

Wine bars and aperitivo: For an aperitivo, go to Enoteca Wine Bar La Manna, Quanto Basta, La Strada del Vino or Shui, where you can taste Negroamaro Salento, Primitivo, Salento Rosato and natural wines by the glass, paired with boards of cheeses and cured meats from Salento.

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General approach: FoodExp is a professional forum, so exhibitors, chefs and sommeliers are well trained on allergen communication and are generally very attentive to dietary needs. However, since many tastings happen in crowded areas and show cooking theatres, it is always advisable to inform staff clearly about your allergies or intolerances before tasting, and to ask directly about ingredients and possible cross-contact.

Vegetarian and vegan: Puglian cuisine is naturally rich in vegetarian options, because it is based on vegetables, legumes, olive oil and durum wheat. Dishes like ciceri e tria, fave e cicoria, orecchiette with turnip tops, pittule and many street foods are vegetarian or can be made vegetarian. Vegan options are increasingly available, especially in the plant revolution theatres and in the Only The Best area, where many producers showcase vegan cheeses, legume-based pastas and vegetable ferments. The organization often marks vegan routes.

Gluten-free: For people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, there are good options, but attention is needed. Felicetti and other pasta producers showcase gluten-free and alternative grain pastas, and many chefs propose naturally gluten-free dishes based on legumes, vegetables and rice. However, cross-contact can occur in show cooking areas where flour is used, so always ask the chef directly and look for clearly labeled gluten-free stands.

Nuts, almonds and lactose: Almond is central to Salento pastry. Pasticciotto, fruttone, almond milk for caffè leccese, many biscuits and cakes contain almonds. If you have nut allergies, be very careful in pastry theatres and pasticcerie. Lactose and dairy are present in many dishes, especially rustico leccese, which contains béchamel and mozzarella, pasticciotto with custard, and many fried foods, but dairy-free alternatives with olive oil bases are often available and some masterclasses focus specifically on lactose-free cooking.

Halal, kosher and other requirements: Pork and horse meat are part of some traditional dishes like puccia, but vegetarian alternatives are always offered. For religious or ethical requirements, the best approach is to contact info@foodexp.it in advance, especially if you have booked Memorabili lunches and gala dinners, because those menus are fixed tasting menus designed for the occasion and the kitchen needs prior notice to prepare an alternative that respects both dietary needs and the quality of the experience.

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Free entry with registration: Based on previous editions, entrance to the Chiostro dei Domenicani to attend talks, meetings, theatres and performances is free with registration on the official website www.foodexp.it or by personal invitation. The free entry policy is part of the philosophy of FoodExp, which wants to promote and encourage the presence of students, professionals, journalists, communicators, industry insiders, curious people and tourists who want to explore issues and discover new realities.

Paid tasting sessions and masterclasses: Tickets for tasting spaces, experimental laboratories and guided tastings in the Only The Best area are paid separately and are already available on the site a few weeks before the event. Based on 2025 edition pricing converted to USD, single tasting sessions were priced at approximately $17 to $35 per person, while premium wine masterclasses with AIS sommeliers and vertical tastings were priced at approximately $55 to $90 per person. These sessions have limited seats and tend to sell out.

Memorabili lunches: The Memorabili are exclusive lunches where starred chefs propose an exclusive tasting itinerary designed for the occasion. They are one of the most sought-after experiences of FoodExp. Based on 2025 prices converted to USD, tickets were approximately $108 to $140 per person, including multi-course menu and wine pairing. They are held inside the Chiostro or in partner venues and require advance booking.

Gala dinners: The gala dinners are authentic events of taste where some of the most important brigades in Italy join together in extraordinary culinary collaborations. The program typically includes a Welcome Dinner in a masseria, a main gala dinner at Torre del Parco and a closing dinner at the Chiostro dei Domenicani. Based on 2025 prices converted to USD, the Welcome Dinner was approximately $162 to $216 per person, including multi-chef menu, wines and after-dinner cocktails, while main gala dinners were approximately $130 to $185 per person. These dinners are limited to a small number of guests and are considered the highlight for professionals and collectors.

How to buy and professional accreditation: All paid tickets are available on the official website www.foodexp.it with online payment and QR code confirmation. It is strongly recommended to buy early. For industry professionals, press and students, there are invitation codes and accredited access. For partnerships, sponsorships and special requests, contact the organizer at info@foodexp.it or by phone at +(39) 348 2712176.

공식 행사 정보

Event title: FoodExp 2026 – Lecce, Italy

주최자: Sinext di Giovanni Pizzolante

Nature of event: International Forum of Food and Wine and Hotel Hospitality

장소: Chiostro dei Domenicani, Via S. Pietro in Lama, 23, 73100 Lecce, Italy

공식 웹사이트: https://foodexp.it/

이메일: info@foodexp.it

전화: +(39) 348 2712176

Entry: Free entry with registration on the website www.foodexp.it or by invitation for talks, theatres and performances. Tasting spaces, Memorabili lunches and gala dinners require separate paid tickets.

Languages: Sessions are primarily in Italian, with international guests speaking English with Italian translation in main theatres. Some masterclasses are held in English.

Co-financing and partners: The event is co-financed by the European Union, the Italian Republic, the Puglia Region and the Department of Tourism with Puglia Promozione, POC Puglia, and is supported by main sponsors such as Agugiaro & Figna, Acqua Panna-S.Pellegrino, Felicetti, Berlucchi, Alma, Berto’s, Novaleas, Banca Popolare Pugliese, Associazione Italiana Sommelier Lecce and Le Dune Group.

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