The first edition of The Extraordinary Italian Taste will take place this weekend at Qui-si-Sana in Sliema.

Kicking off this Friday, this festival sees the best of what Italy has to offer in one place. On the agenda are food and wine tasting, a cooking show, a food market along the promenade, all accompanied by Italian and international music.

The main focus will be the promotion of Basilicata and its products, giving all attendees the chance to discover this little pearl of southern Italy.

On location one will be able to find two beach restaurants specialising in food from the region, two squares dedicated to wine tasting open from 6.30pm to 11.30pm, a beach club open from 10am to 1am, where patrons can relax on sunbeds and sofas, an area dedicated to Italian music with DJs and live bands, and the screening of films at Cinema Dolce Vita on the beach.

The protagonists of Una domenica notte.

The festival is promoting the region of Basilicata. Pictured is the village of Castelmezzano. Photo: shutterstock.com

The films being screened all promote the Basilicata region and include Flipo con la Basilicata (a short film being shown every night), Basilicata Coast to Coast (Saturday and Monday), and Una domenica notte (Friday and Sunday). Screenings start at 8pm.

Every day, from 6pm to 8pm, patrons can enjoy an Italian aperitivo with the help of a sommelier from the Italian Sommelier Federation. Participants can also taste special bruschette made with Maltese bread and products from the Lucano region.

The event runs until Monday and is being organised by the Maltese Italian Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Sliema Local Council and Regione Basilicata, under the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Malta.