The largest festival of regional Italian cuisine in Germany returns to Berlin – now celebrating its tenth edition.
True Italian Food 2026
Fried zucchini flowers filled with Asiago cheese and anchovies, pasta frittata with salsiccia and friarielli, homemade focaccia with potatoes and rosemary, eggplant parmigiana, gnocchi with rocket cream, cicchetti with creamed cod, beans with chicory, dumplings, montanara pizzas, arancini… All this and much more can be enjoyed at 72 hrs True Italian Food, returning to Berlin for its tenth edition from April 15 to 18, 2026. And the best part: each of these specialties comes with a Sarti Spritz (or a non-alcoholic Crodino Spritz) for just €10.
Around 50 Italian restaurants in Berlin are taking part in the event and have chosen to participate despite rising costs and the current challenges facing the hospitality industry. For 72 hours — from Wednesday at 5 pm until Saturday evening — the German capital will turn into a major celebration of Italian cuisine. At the heart of the event are regional specialties that invite visitors on a culinary journey across Italy: from Venetian cicchetti and South Tyrolean dumplings in the north, to central Italian classics such as amatriciana and fried ravioli from Emilia, all the way to Sicilian arancini and the cipollina from Catania in the south.
Italian cuisine also means creativity: some restaurants are experimenting with unusual interpretations such as a cannolo made with savory Asiago cheeseor a gourmet savory gelato inspired by carbonara. In short, it’s a unique journey through the world of Italian flavors — at an unbeatable price and available for just a few days in a European capital.
The event turns 10!
These are exactly the factors that have made 72 hrs True Italian Food a recurring and highly anticipated event in the German capital: an exceptional range of unique recipes created especially for the occasion — all at a very attractive price. The event has been held annually since 2016, with only one break in 2021 due to the pandemic, and attracts thousands of visitors each time. The highest turnout so far was reached in 2025, with around 6,500 menus sold.
A brief look back: True Italian was born in the summer of 2015, when the agency Berlin Italian Communication registered the True Italian Foodbrand. At the time, the agency was already in contact with many Italian restaurateurs in Berlin who wanted to clearly position themselves as authentically Italian in such a dynamic city and to build a stronger network among themselves.
It soon became clear that a quality label alone was not enough to truly make Italian restaurants visible. What was needed were concrete occasions that allowed people to experience these places firsthand. That is how the first edition of 72 hrs True Italian Food was born in 2016. The success was immediate — both with the public and in the media — confirming that Berlin was the ideal place for a format like this. Ten years later, True Italian now organizes numerous events, some with a very specific focus on particular products or types of venues. 72 hrs True Italian Food, however, remains the most open and versatile format: restaurants, pizzerias, enoteche with small kitchens, and street food concepts can all take part and present their own signature product. In this sense, the event is perhaps the most comprehensive celebration of Italian cuisine in Berlin — and at the same time a current portrait of the city’s Italian gastronomic scene.
This is how the event works
To try one of the specialties created specifically for the event, all you need to do is visit one of the participating restaurants between Wednesday, April 15 from 5 pm, and Saturday evening, April 18 — in other words, within 72 hours (or just a little more) — and ask for the True Italian offer.
After that, each guest has the option to either try additional dishes from the regular menu or continue the culinary tour by heading to the next True Italianvenue and enjoying another aperitivo.
All participating restaurants offer vegetarian options, and some also provide vegan or gluten-free alternatives. These are clearly marked both online and on the flyer with the corresponding symbols. The full list of participating venues and their featured dishes will be published shortly.
The map of all participating restaurants
To make the culinary tour even easier, the 72 hrs True Italian Map has been created — inspired by Berlin’s public transport network map. It shows all participating venues, organized by neighborhood, along with their addresses and featured specialties. The map will soon be available as a flyer in all participating restaurants. A digital version is also available on Google Maps.
Organisators and partner
The event is organized by Berlin Italian Communication within the project True Italian , which aims to promote and enhance Italian tradition in Germany through a series of initiatives and events. The year 2025 will be especially eventful — scroll down to discover the full list.
Sponsors of the event are Sarti and Crodino, two brands of the Campari-group, the cheese Asiago DOP, Mammafiore, a big distributor for italian products abroad, with the brands Clai, Defendi, Artigiana and Isabella Leoni.
Mediapartner are tipBerlin and Berlino Magazine.
72 hrs True Italian Food 2026
WHAT: A small portion of a selected Italian specialty and a Sarti Spritz for €10
WHEN: From Wednesday, April 15 at 5 pm until Saturday, April 18
WHERE: In nearly 50 selected Italian restaurants in Berlin
Website – Instagram Profile – Facebook Event