The world’s longest tea party took place in Bologna. The Italian tea festival In•Tè was held in Bologna from 1 to 3 March.

The Bologna Tea Festival transformed the Renaissance halls of Palazzo Pallavicini into Italy’s most important tea room: 45 events, 13 exhibitors, 2 round-table discussions, 1 exhibition and a national market growing by 22%, according to Euromonitor estimates.

These were the figures for tea and for the first Italian event entirely dedicated to the world of the famous amber-coloured beverage, which that year was titled ‘The World’s Longest Tea Party’.

An edition packed with impressive figures, which also featured international guests, such as tea guru Jane Pettigrew, author of numerous books dedicated to the world of tea and an international authority. In Bologna, she revealed the secrets of a perfect afternoon tea and presented the latest tea trends from around the world with the “Tea Trends” course.

On the subject of afternoon tea and tea parties, there was a tribute to the British Royal Family. In the workshop “Tea with the Queen”, participants were able to discover all the secrets of the tea ritual among the royals, from Queen Victoria to Elizabeth II. The session was led by Marina Minelli, journalist and author of the blog Altezza Reale.

Nepalese and Chinese teas provided an opportunity to meet another celebrity from the world of tea. Canadian documentary filmmaker and explorer Jeff Fuchs, author of the book *The Ancient Tea Horse Road* – which has also been made into a documentary – was a guest at the festival for three days. He hosted tastings of fine Nepalese teas and extraordinary Pu’erh teas, entertaining visitors with his travel tales. An exhibition dedicated to the places and people of tea was also presented. For those wishing to explore the subject of fine teas in greater depth, Anna Poian, a tireless traveller and ambassador for small Nepalese and Japanese farms, introduced single-origin teas, unique in both quality and history.