Viaggio magazine, your passport into Mario Batali’s world

Celebrity Italian chef Mario Batali is launching his first magazine Viaggio this week.

Renowned editor Bob Guccione, Jr told Relaxnews on August 4, the magazine was to be an "inside look into Mario's world."

Most chefs have extended their brand by creating iPhone applications (Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay), blogging and tweeting (Anthony Bourdain, Curtis Stone, Robert Blanc) in addition to their television shows and cookbooks. In December 2008, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver launched his bi-monthly food lifestyle magazine Jamie.

Batali's magazine offers diners an intimate back-of-the-house look at Batali and his partner and winemaker Joe Bastianich's culinary way of life - all things Italian.

Chefs, wine directors including Dan Amatuzzi, Batali's friends like American actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Guccione, co-founder and co-editor of Viaggio, contributed to the free 24-page first edition of  Viaggio. Batali is known to foodies through his restauarants and also to an even wider public through his television appearances on specialty channel the Food Network.

Every two months new editions covering all things Italian including culture, food and wine can be found only in print at Batali restaurants including Eataly, the slow food Italian market and artisanal food mega-center modeled after Eataly in Turin, Italy, to open in New York City this August.

Guccione, a food lover, is also working on a larger national food publication concept as well as a luxury travel site, yet to be named, with partner Melanie Brandman, president of The Brandman Agency, a luxury and lifestyle PR firm.

To get a copy of Viaggio and savor "Mario's world," reserve a table at one of his 15 restaurants in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York or stop by Eataly:  http://www.mariobatali.com/restaurants.cfm.