A guide brings together the addresses of cooperative restaurants from all over Italy — social projects built around food, often rooted in their local area and in sustainability.
There are 203 restaurants, spread across Italy's 20 regions, listed in the guide "Il Gusto della Cooperazione", dedicated to cooperative restaurants and now in its third edition. The restaurants are not focused solely on their gastronomic offer, but develop social value, local roots and sustainability around food. "The guide is not simply a list of restaurant addresses to discover and visit," explained Maurizio Gardini, president of Confcooperative, "it is a genuine journey of discovery into one of the faces of cooperative Italy, which is made up of entrepreneurship, participation and solidarity."
"It is testimony to a vision that continues to generate opportunities, inclusion and development, and that represents more than just an economic activity," continued Fabiola Di Loreto, director general of Confcooperative. "Cooperative restaurants are places where gastronomic tradition meets social innovation, where the quality of the offer goes hand in hand with responsibility towards people and the environment. The book is full of accounts of communities that organise themselves, territories that enhance their own resources, people who create opportunities for work and independence, often involving vulnerable individuals or those at risk of exclusion. It is the story of hundreds of enterprises that, through food and conviviality, produce shared value and strengthen social bonds."
Il Mangiabottoni in Verona is a social restaurant born from the experience of the cooperativa L'Officina dell'Aias, which has been active in the city for more than twenty-five years supporting people with disabilities and their families along pathways towards independence and wellbeing. It is a space that opened in 2019 alongside the StraVagante Hostel, where hospitality and inclusion go hand in hand. The name comes from the memory of a friend who had the habit of pulling off and eating buttons — a curious detail that has become the symbol of the commitment to always placing people at the centre, with their uniqueness, their talents and their vulnerabilities. At Il Mangiabottoni, young people with intellectual disabilities and autism undertake training and professional integration pathways, supported by specialist educators who guide them in developing the skills needed both in the kitchen and front of house, experiencing a sense of agency that builds confidence and self-esteem. The kitchen is entrusted to professionals who have gained experience in fine dining and who have chosen to place their skills at the service of a vision of gastronomy capable of combining quality and social impact.
The Osteria Sociale Strapazzato in Albano Laziale (Rm) was born from the experience of the cooperativa Sorriso per Tutti, active since 1993 in promoting pathways for people with disabilities, mental health difficulties and social vulnerabilities. The aim is to offer those involved an authentic professional context in which to acquire practical skills and try their hand at a public-facing activity. The establishment promotes an idea of widespread cooperation, choosing products from other organisations in the Third Sector and social cooperatives in Lazio, building a network of collaborations that values ethical supply chains and responsible production. Menus are available in printed, audio and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) formats, while work tools have been adapted to support operators' independence. The kitchen draws inspiration from Roman tradition, sometimes reinterpreted: there is carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia and amatriciana, but also breaded lamb cutlets with a salad of friggitelli peppers, peaches and basil, boiled meat croquettes with salsa verde, and battered courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes and mint. Fresh pasta is made by hand in the kitchen, while dried pasta comes from the Pastificio Futuro at the Casal del Marmo young offenders' institution.
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The Agriturismo etico Le Grazie in Bevagna (Pg) was born from the idea of combining the social mission of the cooperative "Utopia 2000" — which runs accommodation for people experiencing temporary hardship — with slow, mindful and social tourism. This created a continuum between the educational project and the world of work through the launch of training pathways in tourism, agriculture and services. Why does it call itself ethical? Because it is part of a "for benefit" economic supply chain; because it sells products made within projects with high "social impact", such as the management of assets confiscated from criminal organisations; and because it favours zero-kilometre sourcing.
The Locanda Buoni e Cattivi in Cagliari is a project of the cooperative of the same name, run by the Fondazione Domus de Luna. Born inside the Quartucciu young offenders' institution in Cagliari, its name was inspired by a song by Vasco Rossi that the young people used to sing. Since 2010 it has welcomed young people with difficult backgrounds, single mothers, women who have escaped the cycle of domestic violence, young people with Down syndrome, and immigrants. Fruit and vegetables are bought from direct growers, bread, pasta and desserts are home-made, and wines and beers are Sardinian.