The year 2026 marks the pinnacle of Italian cuisine's popularity. Following its inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, which acknowledged it as a system of convivial and social knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation throughout the country, a state law was enacted to establish "Restaurant Day for the Culture of Italian Hospitality". UNESCO has never acknowledged an entire national cuisine in its entirety: not just pizza or pasta in all its forms, but all of Italian food, from handed-down gestures to timeless techniques, from Sunday meals to lesser-known regional specialties. UNESCO's designation has resulted in a 283% rise in professional training courses for pizza producers in Italy this year.