ENGLISH TITLE: The Riviera of olive oil. Strategies of construction of food identities between protected designations of origin and touristic imaginary

ABSTRACT: This work is focused on the specific communication of the olive oil produced in Liguria and guaranteed by the Authority — “Consorzio per la tutela dell’olio DOP Riviera Ligure”—as an excellent product, in which we can found a deep link to the area where olive trees grow and where the knowing and the techniques of farmers work together to make the best oil. But not only food values are pursued in this course: the Authority builds with its advertisements an identity strongly defined in a continuous cross reference between oil and Ligurian area, therefore the communication involves not only food’s characteristics, but also a geographical marketing strategy. This paper examines a corpus of advertisements available on the Authority’s website in order to investigate the meanings conveyed by the way in which it establishes the link between the advertised olive oil and its area of production.

KEYWORDS: advertisement; food identity; Mediterranean; oil; olives.