Handmade narrations: Handling digital narrations on food and gastronomic culture

This article describes a study of a digital multimedia system that allows people to enjoy a narrative experience focusing on food and gastronomic culture. With this multimedia application, termed di Piazza in Piazza, people have gotten in contact with several types of digital content about culinary traditions and local Italian products, simply using their hands. This design decision came after the acknowledgment that hands play a prominent role in the relationship between humans and food (think, for example, about the activities of eating and cooking). Studies of di Piazza in Piazza users have basically unveiled two results: (a) it was a really funny experience using hands and (b) narrations focusing on local products and traditions have mostly captivated the interest of visitors, thus confirming the strong cultural relationship among people, culinary traditions, and regional foods.