Costa creates Italian regional menus

Costa Cruises has overhauled the menus on its ships, creating 14 regional Italian lunch and dinner menus and 252 new dishes. 

Examples include Gricia-style rigatoni pasta with jowl bacon and Pecorino Romano cheese cream (from the Lazio region) and golden fried breaded pork cordon bleu with potato croquettes and grilled tomato (from the Friuli region). 

"We chose the recipes that truly represent the tastes and aromas of Italian history and culture, creating a real culinary voyage through 14 different regions that's based on the itinerary of each ship," said Filippo Bertuzzi, Costa's corporate director, food and beverage operations.

The new menus are part of Costa's "Italy's Finest" campaign — an effort to focus more on Italian cuisine by partnering with food and beverage brands such as Barilla, Illy Caffé and Ferrari wines.