Taxed and Spent wrote:
>
>Italian airport waives liquids limit for hand luggage - but only for pesto
>
>Travellers to Italy often choose to take a taste of the country home
>with them by filling their suitcases with local food and drinks - only
>to be thwarted by airports' strict regulations on carrying liquids.
>
>One airport, however, is making an exception to the 100ml-maximum rule
>for taking liquids on board.
>
>From the start of June, tourists flying out of Genoa airport in
>northern Italy have been allowed to take larger quantities of liquids in
>their cabin baggage.
>
>The catch? The 100ml limit is only waived for those taking pesto, the
>region's famous sauce made of garlic, basil, pine nuts and cheese. "If
>it's not pesto, it can't fly in hand luggage," Genoa Airport press
>officer Nur El Gawohary told The Local.
>
>Genoa's Cristoforo Colombo airport launched the 'Il pesto è buono'
>(Pesto is good) initiative at the start of June, allowing passengers to
>take jars of pesto up to 500g on board, in exchange for a donation to
>Flying Angels, a local charity which provides flights for seriously ill
>children who need to travel overseas to receive care.
>
>The inspiration for the scheme came from airport staff. "Every year
>hundreds of pesto jars were seized at security controls and thrown away
>- a waste of food and an annoyance to our passengers," explained El
>Gawohary.
>
>"Ensuring safety is our primary goal," said El Gawohary. "We use the
>same equipment [to check the pesto] that is used to check medicines,
>special foods or breast milk, which can already be brought in the cabin
>in quantities over 100ml."
>
>Tourists unwilling to part with their oversized pesto jars can ask for a
>sticker in exchange for a charity donation, and staff then scan the jars
>in a special x-ray machine which has an anti-explosive device fitted.
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>
>In the first 20 days of the project, more than 500 passengers have taken
>part. According to the airport, the initiative has been "particularly
>appreciated by locals from Liguria" who no longer have to go without
>their regional specialty when holidaying abroad, but several tourists
>have also taken advantage of the scheme to take home a garlicky souvenir.
>
>The pesto must still comply with some limits: passengers can either take
>one 500g jar or two jars of up to 250g. They can only be taken on direct
>flights from Genoa, and the pesto in question must be Genovese.

Matters not to me, I abhor pesto because I detest basil... smells like
what I clean from under my lawnmower... for me pesto is a waste of
good pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil.