Italian Pavilion's Italian stallion: Caravaggio restaurant

You can tell you’re in Italy, or at least the Shanghai version, when you arrive at the door from the main 2010 Expo site and see attendants (including men) dressed in hot pink sneakers and tight silvery pants, designed by Prada of course. 

Italy is exuberantly proud of the Italy Pavilion -- it’s the most impressive of all the European 2010 pavilions, at least according to Umberto Vattani, president of the Italian Trade Commission. “Interestingly, the Italy Pavilion is not like the other European pavilions but more similar to the China Pavilion in its meaningfulness and its art works,” he says.

A classic Italian dish served up in the middle of Shanghai.

Speaking of artistic, even the concept of straight walls has been turned on its head in the Italy pavilion. There doesn’t seem to be a straight wall in the entire pavilion -- the soaring central room is outlined by gently tilting walls; one wall is adorned with models wearing iconic Italian fashions, another has the seating and music stands for an entire orchestra precariously stuck to it. 

The (Italian) art of dining

But of course, it wouldn’t be Italy if there weren’t fine food and drink. An entire room of the first floor is dedicated to a display of the gourmet cornucopia of the Italian nation, from a wall of hundreds of Italian wines to a roof of rustling wheat (yes, a field of dried wheat hangs in place of a ceiling) to a giant model of an olive tree spreading its green branches in the center of the exhibit.

In order to taste the fruits of this display, visitors can take the long escalator ride to the second floor restaurant, Caravaggio, which offers an affordable taste of authentic Italian cuisine in a casual open dining room, and also great people-watching of the lively crowds touring the pavilion.

But of course, it wouldn’t be Italy if there weren’t fine food and drink. An entire room of the first floor is dedicated to a display of the gourmet cornucopia of the Italian nation.

Caravaggio is divided into two areas, a white-themed buffet area (average check around RMB 130) and a black-themed a la carte area (average check around RMB 200-500, depending on wine cost). The pavilion invites chefs from various regions of Italy for special dining events on a rotating basis, so the menu of the restaurant frequently updates to incorporate new regional dishes.

Regional tastes

The week we went, the region of Calabria was on offer.

Calabria is famed for the unique soft and very spicy salami called n’duja. “N’duja is made with 60 percent pork fat, so it’s actually soft enough to spread on bread which is exactly how it’s often eaten traditionally,” said chef Francesco Mazzei, the guest chef from Calabria during a cooking demonstration.

In his demonstration, Mazzei illustrated the versatility of n’duja by melting it into an octopus and tomato ragout, creating a pungent, spicy pork and seafood sauce for fresh gnochetti, a type of thumb-rolled gnocchi.

Also on Mazzei’s menu is a richly flavored and meltingly soft eggplant fricassee made with the unique tomato-shaped eggplants and intensely fragrant oregano of the Calabria region. Mazzei ends his meal with a classical Calabrian iced truffle -- a chocolate sorbet with a filling of dark chocolate chunks and toasted almonds -- a sweet way to end your visit to Italy, in Shanghai.