Italy on Wednesday will mark National Bread Day with bakeries throughout the country inviting customers to get a closer look at how bread is made.
The initiative has been extended into a week-long event in the Italian capital where a new local bread has been invented and named after the beloved captain of the city's Serie A soccer team: Francesco Totti.
The 'Tottino' is a circular loaf weighing about half a kilo and mixes white durum wheat flour with whole wheat flour.
On Saturday a special jury of experts will award the 15 best breads produced in Italy.
A two-day national conference will be held Wednesday and Thursday on the topic 'Bread Today Bread Tomorrow', organised by the Italian Federation of Bakers (FIPPA).
The conference will examine the growing costs of making bread, which include the difficulty of finding quality raw materials, energy bills and labor costs.
Bread baking employs some 330,000 people in Italy and the sector has an annual turnover of some eight billion euros a year.
