“There is a great commitment, a great passion, a great hunger for results and I believe that these events also serve to involve the territory, to make it clear how this region, through this primary sector, can build a piece of the future. I think that the results are important, such as the double-digit growth in exports. We have focused a lot on the olive sector and with these events we will show how much the quality of our oils has increased. I believe that events like these also serve to build a system in Calabria that strengthens pride, awareness and the ambition for quality. All the values of an intangible nature, nothing connected to infrastructure, but which serves to make the Calabrians understand that probably bottling their oil after having produced it with care, can be the social lift also in this century as oil has been in past centuries”.
Thus the councilor for Agriculture of the Calabria Region, Gianluca Gallo, who with the president of Veronafiere Federico Bricoli in video connection, together with Gianni Bruno, Exhibition Manager Wine & Food Area of Veronafiere, the general director of Arsac, Fulvia Caligiuri, the mayor of Catanzaro, Nicola Fiorita, accompanied by the municipal councilor for Economic Activities, Giuliana Furrer, the vice-president of the Council, Filippo Mancuso and the director of the Agriculture department, Giuseppe Iiritano, presented today at a press conference at the Cittadella “Sol and The City” where the great protagonist will be extra virgin olive oil, tomorrow 19 and 20 December, hosted in the Catanzaro exhibition area. Once again, the synergy between the Agriculture department of the Calabria Region and Veronafiere was decisive, with the organizational support of Arsac.
The initiative
“With councilor Gallo – said Federico Bricoli, president of Veronafiere – we have organized events in Calabria with a national and international echo. The councilor from this point of view is an inexhaustible mine of ideas, but above all he has a truly contagious motivation which has meant that Veronafiere and the Calabria region now truly have a program of actions on promotion in these sectors, a point of reference for everyone. The operations that the Calabria region implements are of absolute efficiency. we were able to see it at the Vinitaly City in Sibari and it is now confirmed as an organization from which we also took inspiration for our activities”.
Reference point sector
“Today, talking about agriculture in Calabria – underlined the vice-president Filippo Mancuso – means talking about a sector that is becoming a point of reference for other regions too. Thanks to the work done, Calabria is finally recognized for virtuous and quality experiences, and this is by no means a given, especially if we consider that often, in the past, we have been cited as an example for negative aspects. When we talk about Calabrian agriculture and the policies implemented, I believe that the path started represents a reference model. For this reason I am particularly happy to participate in these initiatives and to be present at the inauguration: moments that demonstrate how agriculture and our products can become concrete tools to bridge that reputational gap – concluded the vice president – which has penalized Calabria for too long”.
Significant growth
Gianni Bruno, Exhibition Manager of the Veronafiere wine and food commercial area, talks about a Calabria that has demonstrated significant growth in recent years, not only in the wine sector but also in the olive sector. “The experience of Vinitaly in Sibari confirms how increasingly important events designed for the general public are, both for wine and oil. The Calabria Region has understood this scenario for two years now, investing in initiatives capable of bringing the public closer, talking about quality productions and, at the same time, encouraging the growth of wine and oil tourism, strategic elements for the development, promotion and marketing of the area’s excellence”.
Enhance excellence
“Sol and the City Sud” was created with the aim of valorising above all Calabrian olive oil excellences, but also the entire agri-food heritage of Southern Italy, offering a broad and contemporary look at a sector which finds one of its most important strengths in Calabria: with 180 thousand hectares of olive groves and a mosaic of native cultivars also recognized through numerous PDOs and PGIs, the region confirms itself as one of the absolute protagonists of national production. The two days, with free entry from 10am to 10pm, will be animated by a packed program that will alternate moments of in-depth study with scholars and experts in the sector, in-depth courses dedicated to tasting and the uses of oil in well-being and cosmetics, not forgetting the important role that bread production has in Calabria, and show cooking curated by leading chefs. There is also space for new frontiers relating to the different uses of oil, but also for activities that will involve families and children.
The numbers
“There will be around one hundred companies coming not only from our region, but also from Campania and Basilicata – declared Fulvia Michela Caligiuri, general director of Arsac – together with a large presence of employers’ organisations. The objective is to create a great showcase for Calabrian oil, make our excellence known and put at the center an identifying product with extraordinary qualities”.
The location
Mayor Nicola Fiorita was very satisfied with the events scheduled in Catanzaro. “We welcome this new event with great enthusiasm at PalaColosimo, a structure that in recent months has established itself as a regional point of reference and beyond for the main fairs and events. The December event adds to those that we have successfully hosted in recent months, helping to make Catanzaro an increasingly important center for the exhibition system of Southern Italy and an attractive hub for events of national importance. It is the confirmation of a city that is growing, opening up and investing in quality”.
Plan:
https://arsac.calabria.it/sol-and-the-city-sud-debutta-in-calabria-19-e-20-dicembre-allarea-fieristica-di-catanzaro/