Food festivals and place branding: local community's perceptions of Treviso as "the city of tiramisù"

Food is certainly one of the main characterizing elements of the Italian identity and tiramisù is definitely one of the strongest representatives. Tiramisù is an internationally known dessert, which has attracted the attention of several researchers for different purposes. This analysis considers tiramisù as a gastronomic feature exploited by the city of Treviso to promote its tourist image. The intention is to investigate how people react to this emerging image of Treviso, and understand how place branding takes place in the city beyond the city tourism strategy. The number of events and activities surrounding this dessert are increasing and media attention is reinforcing the image of Treviso as “the city of tiramisù”. The strategy to promote a place through its local characteristics is a branding technique inspired by marketing methods, where the role and management of local communities is a delicate matter.