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Francesco Arena, master baker of the homonymous bakery in Messina, was awarded the title of “Artisan of the Year” as part of the Food and Travel Awards 2026, the ninth edition of the national event dedicated to the excellence of food and wine, hospitality and tourism organized by Food and Travel Italia.
The ceremony took place in Presicce, in the heart of Salento, bringing together protagonists of Italian gastronomic culture, hospitality and entrepreneurship. Under the claim “Beauty will save the world”, the event celebrated personalities and entities capable of enhancing, through their work, the cultural, productive and identity heritage of the country.
Among the protagonists of the evening also Antonio Decaro, Cristina Mercuri, the first Italian woman to win the title of Institute of Masters of Wine, the entrepreneur Alessandro Stivala, the chefs Andrea Berton and Mauro Uliassi, the master pizza chef Franco Pepe, the chef Enrica Ciardo, a well-known Italian restaurateur, entrepreneur and executive chef, owner of the Antica Pietra Filosofale restaurant located in Presicce-Acquarica.
However, a significant recognition for the Messina area was that given to Francesco Arena, master bread-maker and interpreter of a family tradition which, over time, has been able to renew itself through the study, research and valorisation of Sicilian raw materials.
For Messina and Sicily, the award represents an important recognition of the value of local craftsmanship. Francesco Arena has established himself as an ambassador of Sicilian artisan culture, bringing to the national scene a vision of bread-making based on quality, memory, research and the transmission of knowledge.
«The culture of bread is a knowledge that belongs to our history, but which continues to evolve – we read in the motivation for the award – In Messina, Francesco Arena renews the craft learned in the family through the study, experimentation and valorisation of ancient Sicilian grains. Breads, focaccias and baked products showcase craftsmanship that pays attention to raw materials and the people in the supply chain. A commitment that continues in training, to share skills and give a future to the art of baking.” The award was presented by Pamela Raeli, editor of Food and Travel Italia, who underlined the value of craftsmanship capable of transforming the product into culture, identity and heritage.
«We chose Francesco Arena – explained Pamela Raeli – because in his work we recognize an authentic and contemporary way of interpreting craftsmanship. Bread is not just a product: it is memory, territory, research and transmission of knowledge. Francesco was able to bring these values into the present, giving new attention to ancient Sicilian grains and the role of education. It is precisely this ability to keep roots and future together that we wanted to recognize with the title of Craftsman of the Year.”
The award valorises a professional path that starts from Messina and the family tradition, but which over the years has taken on a broader dimension, becoming testimony to the vitality and contemporaneity of Sicilian craftsmanship.
«Receiving this recognition – commented Arena – excites me deeply, especially because it comes from an authoritative reality like Food and Travel Italia and because I feel I can share it with my family, with my team, with my territory and with those who trust us. Being indicated as Artisan of the Year is also a responsibility: to tell Messina and Sicily through a simple and ancient product, but capable of expressing research, culture and the future.”
His work demonstrates how craftsmanship can represent a central element in the promotion of the territory. Through bread, Arena talks about Sicily, its raw materials, the wealth of knowledge handed down through generations and the ability of artisans to innovate without losing the connection with their roots.