<p>MIAMI, Feb 18: From a delicious pasta dish with flavors reminiscent of a visit to a Roman trattoria, to fresh seafood that brings to mind a leisurely lunch in Portofino, dining onboard a Costa cruise transports the taste of Italy to sea wherever guests travel. To celebrate Costa&rsquo;s grand tradition of Italian cuisine, along with the high praise bestowed on it from numerous past guests, Europe&rsquo;s Number One Cruise Line is unrolling a new &ldquo;Buon Appetito&rdquo; culinary contest for past guests to submit their favorite Costa dining experience. </p><p>Between Feb 17 and April 17, 2009, guests who have sailed with Costa may enter the &ldquo;Buon Appetito&rdquo; culinary contest by visiting <a href="http://www.costacruises.com/">www.costacruises.com</a> and submitting an entry detailing their favorite Costa dining experience or dish in 300 words or less. One winner will be selected by a Costa panel based on creativity and style. The winning entry will win a cruise aboard the new Costa Pacifica, complete with a complimentary dinner for two in the ship&rsquo;s specialty restaurant, the Club Blue Moon. The restaurant features menus prepared by award-winning Italian chef Ettore Bocchia, heralded for his Michelin-starred cuisine at the Grand Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy. </p><p>&ldquo;With so many of our guests telling us how much they enjoy the Italian cuisine aboard our ships, we decided to celebrate their enthusiasm with this special &ldquo;Buon Appetito&rdquo; culinary contest,&rdquo; said Maurice Zarmati, president and ceo of Costa Cruise Lines&mdash;North America. &ldquo;While we offer other types of dishes onboard as well, it&rsquo;s the special brand of magic in our Italian dishes that really moves guests to rave about our cuisine.&rdquo; </p><p>With more than 50 different recipes created each day using 3,500 ingredients, it&rsquo;s no wonder guests love &ldquo;dining Italian style&rdquo; aboard Costa&rsquo;s fleet of 12 ships &ndash; soon to be 14 when the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica come into service in May and June respectively. From homemade pastas and sauces to freshly made pizzas and other specialty dishes, Costa brings its Italian heritage for &ldquo;mangia bene&rdquo; to its guests around the world. </p><p>Entries for the &ldquo;Buon Appetito&rdquo; culinary contest must be submitted via <a href="http://www.costacruises.com/">www.costacruises.com</a> by April 17, 2009. A winner will be selected on or around May 17, 2009 and be notified via mail. The prize is cruise only and the winner is responsible for air, non-commissionable fees and government taxes. Certain restrictions apply. For complete information regarding reservations or more information, guests may contact a travel agent, call (800) GO-COSTA or visit <a href="http://www.costacruises.com/">www.costacruises.com</a>.</p>