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

In collaboration withBarilla, October 25 on board the ships in the Costa fleet marks the start ofthe “Pasta in Festa” Days promoting tasty, healthy and sustainable foodexperience.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

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

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

“Thisinitiative further strengthens our partnership with Barilla, an Italian namesynonymous with excellence,” said Costa Cruises President Neil Palomba.“We chose Barilla because we share the same goals: to offer Italy’sfinest and contribute to sustainable development. For our guests, whocome from over 200 different countries, we will be preparing pasta dishesinspired by the Italian tradition which are tasty but also ideal for a healthydiet and respectful of the environment.”

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

Thanks tothe collaboration between Costa Corporate Chef Stefano Fontanesi and AcademiaBarilla Chef Marcello Zaccaria (www.academiabarilla.it), together with theteam of Barilla nutritionists and environmental experts, on board the shipsguests will be able to choose from a selection of six types of pastaprepared on the spot, like delicious caserecce with peppers, mezzemaniche (tube-shaped pasta) with trevisano red chicory andwalnuts on cream of Taleggio cheese, whole grain spaghetti with cherrytomatoes, capers, olives and monkfish or Sardinian gnocchi (dumplings) with redmullet 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, balsamicvinegar and hazelnuts, all strictly “Double Pyramid”.

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

World Pasta Dayand the “Pasta in Festa” Days will also provide the opportunity to carry outinteresting activities designed to raise the awareness of guests to thegreat nutritional properties of pasta as well as its social andenvironmental excellence. These principles are shared by both companies andreflected in Barilla’s plan called “Good for you, good for theplanet”.

A videobroadcast in the cabins will explain to guests the details of this jointcommitment and the scientific principles of the “Double Pyramid”; also, specialcomputer kiosks in the buffet restaurants will reveal to guests the 5 goodreasons to love pasta and dispel some myths, while providing the recipesand ingredients for pasta dishes, as well as their nutritional value andenvironmental impact, making them ideal for a healthy, balanced andecologically aware lifestyle.

Furtherinformative material available on board will focus on the link betweennutrition and environmental sustainability, according to Barilla’s “DoublePyramid” model. This model, with its underlying values embraced andshared by Costa Cruises, reveals that the most environmentally friendly foods –like pasta, rice, fruit and vegetables – are often the healthiest ones forhuman consumption, while many foods that are damaging to our bodies are alsodamaging to the environment.

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