In a majestic hall at Genoa’s Ducal Palace, a hundred finalists of the tenth Pesto World Championship faced off with pestle and mortar, flanked by the intricate frescoes of Domenico Tintoretto and Veronese.
Aromas of fresh basil and crushed garlic lingered in the air as the contestants, clad in green aprons, pounded the herbs into the popular pasta sauce.
Mattia Bassi, a naval engineer from the Liguria region, used utensils belonging to his grandmother, Rosetta, to prepare his version of the traditional Ligurian sauce. He had watched her at work as a child and practised hard in the run-up to the competition, having tried to enrol unsuccessfully on a previous occasion.
Mattia Bassi won the tenth edition of the Pesto World Championship
LIGURIA DAY
He shared one of the secrets of his approach: “Pound the garlic and pine
