The oldest Community of Italian amateur cooks shares the art of authentic traditional cuisine with curious travelers, providing an exceptional gateway to discover the Country
Bologna, ITALY March 19 2024 - Cesarine.com - the first online platform in Italy for food experiences - is a gem born and grown under the arcades of Bologna, preparing to celebrate its twentieth birthday. The platform's food experiences captivate a predominantly international clientele - including Americans, Canadians, Australians, Germans, and other Northern Europeans - who cherish this distinctive hospitality experience, often complemented by a dedicated cooking class. Curious travelers particularly relish the chance to immerse themselves in the traditions of various Italian regions. Thus, Cesarine stands as an exceptional display of the most genuine Italian cuisine and serves as a remarkable portal to explore a land with no secrets from its community members. For travelers, Cesarine offers a life changing experience, allowing them to step off the beaten path and enter the homes, stories, and habits of local families and communities across more than 450 villages and cities in Italy, acquainting them with local products and producers, wine makers, historic shops, and local customs. The platform unites approximately 1,500 amateur chefs who, in the last year, welcomed over 48,000 guests, marking a 65% increase from 2022 and effectively doubling the previous year's revenue.
Founded in Bologna in 2004 by a group of citizens committed to preserving and sharing the essence of authentic home cooking, Cesarine was acquired in 2014 by tech entrepreneur Davide Maggi, a pioneer of some of Italy's earliest digital startups. Since then, Cesarine's narrative has expanded within the sharing economy, transforming each Cesarina and Cesarino into potential micro-entrepreneurs right from their homes, with the platform and community serving as conduits for connecting with prospective clients, all while upholding its core values: a love for cooking, authenticity, local gastronomic culture, exchange, humanity, and warmth. In 2019, Cesarine was honored as a recognized Slow Food community.
The year 2024 began with a surge of enthusiasm for Cesarine: each week, dozens of spontaneous applications pour in from those eager to join the community. Operating in a global market valued at approximately 130 billion - with half a billion in Italy's digital-only sector - Cesarine.com is on the brink of executing a strategic acquisition plan across Europe, aiming to become the foremost European food experience platform within the next three years.
Twenty years have passed since 2004: twenty years of tagliatelling, pastatelling, and sfogliatelling. Twenty years of open home doors but above all twenty years of people's stories, of changing lives, of pivotal moments in personal journeys, of men and women who decide to make their passion for cooking a potential job.
Happy birthday to all the Cesarine and Cesarini of Italy!
The name – The name Cesarine is an affectionate tribute to all those grandmothers, aunts, nannies with now improbable names who have delighted the flavors of our childhood.
Destinations
Among the most requested areas, in 2023 the beloved Venice takes first place, followed by Lake Como and Florence in third place. Other areas much loved by guests are Chianti and more generally Tuscany, with Montepulciano, Lucca, and Siena at the top. Then, of course, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast where Sorrento and Positano remain the most coveted. And again the great art cities - Bologna, Milan, Rome, Naples. There is a strong upward trend for Sicily, which is expected to be very much in demand in 2024, especially by American clientele, with Palermo, Messina, Catania, and Taormina among the favorite destinations.