Denominazione comunale d'origine facts for kids
The Denominazione comunale d'origine (De.CO), or Denominazione comunale (De.Co.), is a special Italian recognition given by local town governments. It helps protect and celebrate unique local products, traditional recipes, food businesses, or craft items (both food and non-food). These items must be strongly connected to the local area and its community. Unlike other labels like PDO or PGI, De.CO isn't about quality. Instead, it's a certificate that shows something is truly typical of that specific place.
What is De.CO?
The De.CO mark is like a special badge of honor for things that are truly unique to a specific Italian town or "comune." Imagine your town has a secret recipe for cookies passed down for generations, or a special type of cheese made only there. The De.CO helps make sure these unique items are recognized and protected.
It's important to know that De.CO is different from other well-known European food labels. For example, PDO (like for Parmesan cheese) and PGI (like for Parma ham) are about strict quality rules and how the product is made. De.CO, however, focuses on the typicality – meaning it's a traditional product or craft from that specific place, often with a long history there.
How De.CO Started
The idea for De.CO came from an Italian law passed on June 8, 1990. This law gave local towns the power to create their own rules to help promote and protect traditional local activities, especially those related to food and farming.
Since 2002, many towns have used a standard set of rules, or a "model regulation," to set up their De.CO system. This model was created by the National Association of Italian Municipalities, which helps towns work together.
What Can Be De.CO?
While De.CO often applies to food, it can also be used for other special things. For example, in the city of Turin, a De.CO can even be given to local festivals, unique skills, or special areas of land that are important to the territory. This shows how flexible the De.CO system can be in celebrating a town's heritage.
De.CO Across Different Towns
Some regions in Italy have taken extra steps to support De.CO. For instance, the region of Liguria created a special list in 2018. This list helps keep track of all the Ligurian towns that have De.CO products, making it easier to find and celebrate them.
Sometimes, a special product or area might stretch across more than one town. A good example is Stupinigi. This area is part of the town of Nichelino, but its natural park also reaches into other towns like Beinasco, Candiolo, None, Orbassano, and Vinovo. In cases like this, the De.CO was set up using an "inter-municipal regulation." This means several towns worked together to create the rules for the De.CO, ensuring the product or area is recognized across all the places it touches.
