DMED – Mediterranean Diet Exhibition
Food, culture, and wellness at the Naples Maritime Station
About DMED
A national exhibition for a world heritage
DMED – Mediterranean Diet Exhibition is the premier Italian trade fair dedicated to the Mediterranean Diet, inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Conceived, promoted, and organized by the EDAMUS Consortium—a non-profit organization bringing together producers and entrepreneurs from the agri-food supply chain—the exhibition was founded in 2022 in Capaccio Paestum, in the heart of the Cilento region, where the Mediterranean dietary model was first studied and codified.
After four editions in Cilento, the event moved to the capital of Campania in 2026: the Municipality of Naples hosted the fifth edition within the Maritime Station on the Molo Angioino, overlooking the gulf and just steps from Piazza Municipio. This move provided the exhibition with an urban and international showcase, bringing it closer to both trade professionals and the general public.
Three pillars: food, culture, wellness
The DMED format revolves around three keywords—food, culture, and wellness—expressed through a program that blends scientific outreach, supply chain promotion, and culinary entertainment. It is far more than a standard trade fair: alongside the exhibition area, the event features institutional conferences, round tables, workshops, masterclasses, and networking opportunities for producers, researchers, restaurateurs, and buyers.
- Exhibition Area: Protection consortia, agri-food companies, producer organizations, and guest regions, with continuous tastings throughout the day.
- Conferences and Talks: Food districts, authentic villages, sustainable supply chains, and nutrition and health, featuring public bodies and research centers.
- Cooking Shows: Michelin-starred chefs, pastry chefs, and local cooks showcase products and techniques of Mediterranean cuisine live.
- Scientific Workshops: The CNR offers educational activities on biodiversity, nutrition, and the monitoring of invasive species in the Mediterranean.
- DMED Award: Honors awarded in several categories—Culture, Food, Research and Innovation, Social, Sport, and Health.
The PDO and PGI Festival and the Handmade Pasta Championship
Two sections particularly define the event. The PDO and PGI Festival brings together the protection consortia of Italian denominations for a journey of guided tastings and technical meetings, which in Naples featured a dedicated hall. The Handmade Pasta Championship, reaching its third edition in 2026, showcases the national final of a traveling selection that crosses Italy, involving high-level training schools, professionals, and fresh pasta enthusiasts—a competition now open to Italians living abroad.
An event supported by institutions
DMED is backed by an extensive framework of institutional partners—including the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and University and Research—and various Italian Regions, from Campania to Abruzzo, Calabria to Sicily, which participate with groups of companies selected through public calls. This approach makes the exhibition a meeting point for agri-food policies, scientific research, and the market, rather than a purely commercial showcase.
Why visit
For those arriving in Naples, DMED is an opportunity to understand what the Mediterranean Diet truly means: not a diet fad, but a lifestyle rooted in seasonality, conviviality, local products, and sustainability. Free admission, afternoon and evening hours, and activities for families and children make the visit suitable for non-professionals, who can move from a tasting of PDO cheeses to a workshop on marine biodiversity in just a few meters.
DMED — edition 2026
DMED 2026: the fifth edition arrives in Naples
For the first time, the Mediterranean Diet Exhibition left Cilento to settle in the capital of Campania. From June 11 to 13, 2026, the spaces of the Maritime Station on the Molo Angioino hosted the exhibition area, conference rooms, and demonstration kitchens of the event organized by the EDAMUS Consortium.
The chosen theme—Food, Culture, and Wellness, with a common thread dedicated to Peace—ran through all three days, from conferences on agri-food supply chains to meetings on longevity and nutrition. Alongside Italian exhibitors, trade operators from Germany and South Korea were also present, confirming the growing international vocation of the exhibition. The official report from the organization mentions approximately 10,000 visitors over three days, in an urban context new compared to the Cilento editions.
Programme DMED 2026
Thursday, June 11
- Opening to the public at 3:00 PM and inauguration of the exhibition area with over 50 exhibitors.
- Conference "Authentic Villages – Destinations to learn from territories," dedicated to the relationship between small municipalities, food, and slow tourism.
- Start of the PDO and PGI Festival in the Dione Hall, with guided tastings by protection consortia.
- Inaugural cooking show with chef Salvatore Giugliano.
Friday, June 12
- Conference "Food Districts: a new development model for the Italian agri-food sector," with public bodies and supply chain representatives.
- Meeting "Mediterranean Diet and sports performance," on nutrition, movement, and health.
- National professional final of the Handmade Pasta Championship (third edition), with twenty-two finalists selected during a tour across Italy.
- Cooking shows and masterclasses with Michelin-starred chefs and pastry chefs, including Cristina Bowerman, Michele De Blasio, Cristiano Tomei, and Sal De Riso.
Saturday, June 13
- Family day: CNR scientific workshops on biodiversity, nutrition, and monitoring of invasive species in the Mediterranean.
- Amateur competition of the Handmade Pasta Championship, open to enthusiasts.
- 6:00 PM, Calipso Hall: "Staying healthy: instructions for use," a meeting on longevity and wellness with Rosanna Lambertucci and nutrition specialists.
- Presentation of the DMED Awards in the categories of Culture, Food, Research and Innovation, Social, Sport, and Health.
- Closing with folkloric musical performances.
The events were distributed between the Urania Area (rooms 1-3), the Dione Hall dedicated to the PDO&PGI Festival, the Galatea Hall, the Calipso Hall, and the Perseide Hall.
Highlights DMED 2026
- First Naples edition of the exhibition, at the Maritime Station on the Molo Angioino.
- Over 50 exhibitors, with regional groups from Campania, Abruzzo, and Calabria, and foreign operators.
- First edition of the PDO and PGI Festival, entirely dedicated to Italian denominations.
- National final of the Handmade Pasta Championship, won by Giovanni Mannino with his "Bilingual Trofie," a reinterpretation of Genoese pesto with Irish ingredients; DMED Nutritional Balance award to Fatima Laouichi and RICREA Consortium Sustainability award to Daniela Cocilova.
- CNR scientific workshops open to children and families.
- DMED Award and collaboration with the 'A Voce d'è Creature Foundation on the theme of solidarity.
Prices DMED 2026
Practical information — DMED
Location
Naples Maritime Station, Molo Angioino, 80133 Naples (Port district). The main entrance faces the port, opposite Piazza Municipio.
How to get there
- By train: From Napoli Centrale, take Metro Line 1 to the Municipio stop (about 10 minutes), then walk for 5 minutes.
- By plane: Naples Capodichino Airport, connected to the city center by the Alibus shuttle (terminus at Molo Beverello, adjacent to the Maritime Station).
- By car: Take the Napoli Porto exit from the ring road (tangenziale); paid parking is available in the port area and at Piazza Municipio. Public transport is recommended due to city center traffic.
- By ferry: The Maritime Station is the city's cruise and ferry terminal, served by connections to the islands in the gulf.
Admission and hours
Free admission. In the 2026 edition, the event was open to the public from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM on all three days. Some conferences and masterclasses may require prior registration on the official website.
Tips
The Port district and the nearby historic center offer a wide range of hotels and bed and breakfasts. It is worth combining your visit with a walk along the Via Partenope waterfront or a stop at the Maschio Angioino, just a few minutes' walk from the exhibition.
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Where does it take place — DMED
Stazione Marittima – Molo Angioino
Molo Angioino, Stazione Marittima, 80133 Napoli