A report conducted by GEA-Foundation Edison Observatory showed that between 2010 and 2014 Italian exports have grown. Quite shocking news in a time of crisis as such, but this sector seems not to know the word "recession". In fact, the overall increase was 61 billion dollars.

Moreover, according to the World Trade Organization, Italy stands among the 5 countries in the world (together with China, Japan, Germany and South Korea) having a commercial surplus superior to 100 billion dollars.

Another reason to be proud of Italy is that almost a fifth of the exported products are on the podium of preferences, producing a 195 billion dollars income. Marco Fortis (vice-president of Edison foundation) defined these goods as "niche excellences" that work as a catalyst for the whole trade volume. In particular, they concern four main sectors, i.e. food & wine, fashion, home and automation.

With regard to gastronomic sector, the most appreciated items abroad are pasta, tomatoes, meat, liqueurs, cheese and wine. With regard to the latter, Italian wineries are not only appreciated by French and German people but also by Americans. In fact, the United States represent the third market for Italian export, with a total of 29,8 billion Euros.

Moreover, some cities have specialized on particular products. For instance Florence, Milan, Lucca, Grosseto and Perugia focus on oils (both vegetal and animal ones), Naples and Modena on bakery, Salerno of fruits and vegetables, Sassari and Parma on dairy products.  Still, Trento, Milan, Cuneo, Florence, Verona, Siena, Venice, Treviso, Asti and Brescia seemed to be in 2014 the unquestioned main wines and beverages exporters towards the US.

Finally, Luigi Consiglio (GEA President) stressed how the interest and "passion for Italian food is increasing around the world". The US is a market in expansion since the demand for healthier food is high and Italian diet is among the healthiest. For this reason, business partnerships for Italian companies are at hand at the moment.

Follow @castaritaHK