Investor Relations

World Pasta Day 2015: Costa Cruises Launches A Special Appointment Dedicated To Pasta On Board Its Ships

In collaboration with Barilla, October 25 on board the ships in the Costa fleet marks the start of the “Pasta in Festa” Days promoting tasty, healthy and sustainable food experience.

Genoa – October 22, 2015 – Costa Cruises in collaboration with Barilla, one of the Italian cruise company’s partners in the pursuit of excellence, is launching a “tasty” initiative in the form of a tribute on the occasion of World Pasta Day (www.worldpastaday2015.org), celebrated on October 25 at the Milan Expo.

On this special day, pasta will be the undisputed star on board 12 Costa ships deployed on Mediterranean cruises and on an exceptional Around-the-World trip.  In the buffet restaurants, guests will be able to sample a range of dishes based on traditional Italian regional recipes, made using Barilla pasta.  Starting from October 25, this special program dedicated to the world’s favorite Italian staple will become a regular weekly appointment on all the company’s cruises, under the name of “Pasta in Festa” (“Pasta Party”).

“This initiative further strengthens our partnership with Barilla, an Italian name synonymous with excellence,” said Costa Cruises President Neil Palomba.  “We chose Barilla because we share the same goals: to offer Italy’s finest and contribute to sustainable development.  For our guests, who come from over 200 different countries, we will be preparing pasta dishes inspired by the Italian tradition which are tasty but also ideal for a healthy diet and respectful of the environment.”

“Pasta tastes good, it’s good for you and its sustainable,”  said Barilla’s President Region Italy Francesco Del Porto “and we want to convey this, together with the emotion of conviviality and Italian style, to all Costa’s cruise guests.  We will stress ‘the 5 good reasons to love pasta*’ and let them try a series of delicious pasta dishes that are ‘Double Pyramid’ certified, i.e. they combine high nutritional value and low environmental impact.”

Thanks to the collaboration between Costa Corporate Chef Stefano Fontanesi and Academia Barilla Chef Marcello Zaccaria (www.academiabarilla.it), together with the team of Barilla nutritionists and environmental experts, on board the ships guests will be able to choose from a selection of six types of pasta prepared on the spot, like delicious caserecce with peppers, mezze maniche (tube-shaped pasta) with trevisano red chicory and walnuts on cream of Taleggio cheese, whole grain spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, capers, olives and monkfish or Sardinian gnocchi (dumplings) with red mullet and saffron.  Also on the menu are two cold pasta dishes, namely whole grain mezze penne alla mediterranea, rich in fiber, and an original fusilli pasta salad with chicken, balsamic vinegar and hazelnuts, all strictly “Double Pyramid”.

There will also be cooking demonstrations conducted by shipboard Chefs, who will reveal the tricks of the trade and give tips on how to make perfect pasta.

World Pasta Day and the “Pasta in Festa” Days will also provide the opportunity to carry out interesting activities designed to raise the awareness of guests to the great nutritional properties of pasta as well as its social and environmental excellence. These principles are shared by both companies and reflected in Barilla’s plan called “Good for you, good for the planet”.

A video broadcast in the cabins will explain to guests the details of this joint commitment and the scientific principles of the “Double Pyramid”; also, special computer kiosks in the buffet restaurants will reveal to guests the 5 good reasons to love pasta and dispel some myths, while providing the recipes and ingredients for pasta dishes, as well as their nutritional value and environmental impact, making them ideal for a healthy, balanced and ecologically aware lifestyle.

Further informative material available on board will focus on the link between nutrition and environmental sustainability, according to Barilla’s “Double Pyramid” model.  This model, with its underlying values embraced and shared by Costa Cruises, reveals that the most environmentally friendly foods – like pasta, rice, fruit and vegetables – are often the healthiest ones for human consumption, while many foods that are damaging to our bodies are also damaging to the environment.