一直以來，中國與意大利關係密切，香港作為東西方文化交匯的國際城市，隨處可見不同種類的意大利餐廳。「民以食為天」這句話同樣適用於意大利。為了讓更多香港人了解意大利文化，意大利海外商會於5月18日在位於中環的意大利餐廳ESTRO舉行 TRUE ITALIAN TASTE 2022 午宴，帶領大家品嘗最原始、最地道的意大利美食。

　China and Italy always had close relations. Hong Kong, as an international city which combined Eastern and Western cultures, has different types of Italian restaurants everywhere. ‘People regard food as their prime want.’ This Chinese Proverbs is also applicable to Italians.To raise awareness of the benefits derived from the use of authentic Italian agri-food products, and to promote the ‘Made in Italy’ while also fighting the so-called ‘Italian Sounding’ phenomenon. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macao held the Authentic Italian Table, a gastronomic lunch experience on May 18 at the Italian restaurant ESTRO in Central, giving a chance to everyone to taste the most original and authentic Italian food.

　是次活動是 The Extraordinary Italian Taste 系列活動的一部分，此活動由外交與國際合作部資助推廣，Assocamerestero及意大利海外商會（The Italian Chambers of Commerce aborad）合作實施。當天亦邀請到意大利駐香港總領事孔德樂 (Clemente Contestabile)、意大利海外商會副主席 Davide De Rosa、總經理Caterina Bernardini de Pace、副總經理Davide Ciotti 及一眾KOL、網紅共聚一堂，深入了解意大利飲食文化。

　意大利駐香港總領事孔德樂（右二），該會副主席Davide（左一）、總經理Caterina （左二）及ESTRO主廚Antimo （右二）合影。

　Mr. Clemente Contestabile （right 2), Mr. Davide De Rosa (left 1) , Ms Caterina Bernardini de Pace (left 2) and Mr Davide Ciotti (right 2) were invited to the luncheon.　 

　The project TRUE ITALIAN TASTE, part of the campaign The Extraordinary Italian Taste – is promoted and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and it is implemented by Assocamerestero, in collaboration with the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad. Mr. Clemente Contestabile (Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong), Mr. Davide De Rosa (Partner at Gianni & Origoni and Vice President of the Italian Chamber), Ms Caterina Bernardini de Pace (the General Manager) and Mr Davide Ciotti (the Deputy General Manager) were invited to the luncheon.

　Naples-born chef Antimo Maria Merone has managed several Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau over the past decade.

　值得一提的是，ESTRO主廚Antimo Maria Merone親自炮製美食，給大家帶來視覺、嗅覺、味覺享受。Antimo在過去十年內曾主理多間香港和澳門的米其林星級餐廳，一直想要擁有一間真正屬於自己的餐廳。疫情不能阻擋熱情，ESTRO終於在2021年開業。有了著名建築師和設計師André Fu的加持，ESTRO的餐廳設計低調奢華，精緻的同時不失家一般的溫暖，與Antimo設計的餐單相呼應。

　It is worth mentioning that Antimo Maria Merone, the chef of ESTRO, cooked delicious food, bringing a sense of sight, smell and taste. Antimo has managed several Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau over the past decade, and has always wanted to have a restaurant of his own. The epidemic cannot stop his enthusiasm and the ESTRO finally opened in 2021. ESTRO is his first restaurant, launched in partnership with JIA group. With the help from the famous architect and designer André Fu, ESTRO's restaurant design reflects understated luxury. Not only is it delicate but it also creates a strong feeling of being at home, which corresponds to the menu designed by Antimo.

　With the help from the famous architect and designer André Fu, ESTRO's restaurant design reflects understated luxury.

　Antimo講到，自己作為拿坡裡人，童年的味覺記憶跟隨他來到世界各地。意大利美食雖然在其他地區備受歡迎，但不同地區對意大利「味道」總有一些誤解，這也讓他萌生了「尋味意大利」的想法。「新」與「舊」的結合是ESTRO的特點，Antimo通過現代烹飪技術讓拿坡裡美食得到升華，精緻菜餚的背後是Antimo從故鄉、故人、童年中汲取的靈感。ESTRO一詞在意大利語中是「靈感」的意思。

　Antimo said, as a Napoli native, the taste of childhood followed him around the world. Although Italian food is popular, there have always been some misunderstandings about the ‘taste’ of Italy, which gave him the idea of ‘searching for Italy’. The combination of "new" and "old" is the characteristic of ESTRO. Antimo sublimated Neapolitan cuisine through modern cooking techniques. The inspiration of each exquisite dishes is from his hometown, his old friends and childhood. Besides, the word ESTRO means "inspiration" in Italian.

　Antimo Maria Merone, the chef of ESTRO, cooked delicious food, bringing a sense of sight, smell and taste.

　Buttons - filled with parmigiana, tomato jus, basil.

　意大利駐香港總領事孔德樂接受記者訪問時表示，香港與意大利關係密切，兩地的來往甚至可以追溯到200年之前。早在1861年，意大利便在香港設立了總領事館，雙方在經濟、政治、文化方面的交流頻繁，香港更在2020年中意建交50周年之際，於香港藝術館展出文藝復興時期著名畫家波提切利（Sandro Botticelli）的真跡。他認同美食是幫助兩地建立友好關係的橋樑，認為此次活動很有意義。

　Clemente said, the connection between Italy and Hong Kong can be traced back to 200 years ago. In 1861, Italy has already established the Consulate General in Hong Kong. The two regions have frequent communication on economy, politics and culture. In 2020, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibited the authentic works of Sandro Botticelli, the famous Renaissance painter. He agreed that food is a bridge to help build friendly relations between the two places. He thought this event is rather meaningful.

　該會副主席 Davide說，香港作為中國的對外門戶，與各國往來密切，恢復正常的人流、物流是經濟發展、文化交流的前提。他期待去更多中國內地城市如北京、上海、廣州等地推廣意大利文化，希望香港與內地能夠盡快通關。

　Davide De Rosa said that as the portal to the foreign world, Hong Kong has close and frequent contacts with other countries. The premise of economic development and cultural communication is getting back to the normal flow of human resources and logistics. He looks forward to going to other mainland Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou to promote Italian culture, and he hopes that the path between mainland and Hong Kong can be opened as soon as possible.

　該會總經理Caterina說，此次活動是第五波疫情結束後舉辦的第一場線下活動，籌備近1個多月，其間克服了許多困難。接下來，商會將繼續舉辦一系列文化活動，也期待更多人通過該會舉辦的活動了解意大利、喜歡意大利。 （記者 呂明霞）

　Caterina said that today’s event is the first offline event after the 5th wave. It had been prepared for almost one month, and she and her colleagues had overcome a lot of difficulties. Next, the Italian Chamber of Commerce will continue to hold a series of cultural activities, and she expects that more people will know more about and take interest in Italy through the activities held by the chamber. （Lesean Lyu）