Drought and tourism development the area’s next challenges.
Minister Lollobrigida’s video greeting also arrived
The Antica Fiera di San Gregorio was inaugurated yesterday in Valdobbiadene, an appointment that the territory’s most important authorities did not want to miss, to testify to the importance of this historic event.
As per tradition, the ribbon that kicked off the event was cut by the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, who, from the stage in Piazza Marconi, began by thanking the volunteers, the Valdobbiadene municipal administration, and all the people, including the exhibitors, who made the fair possible. He then went on to recall ‘those who are no longer here, the farmers and winegrowers who broke their backs on these hillsides and who have never seen this prosperity, this success. We are in front of heroic agriculture, a phenomenon observed internationally. We must prepare ourselves because this is the fastest-growing tourist destination in Veneto: we have 73 million tourist presences and the first industry in Veneto is tourism, with 18 billion euro of turnover; it is no coincidence that today we are inaugurating the IAT counter. Now we have to grow, to face this challenge, which is not easy but brings wellbeing. This is why it is necessary to create a system with the Olympics, which will bring great visibility, with 3.5 billion people in the world watching them and 1 billion more GDP in Veneto; this means that, since out of every three bottles of bubbly, one is Prosecco, we must be ready to make room for ourselves’. President Zaia then concluded his speech by emphasising the water emergency: “We are in great difficulty because of the drought, I do not rule out the need for an ordinance in the next few days, I ask you to give us a hand by saving the water resource; I hope that at the national level we decide to finance a grand plan, that we can go ahead with the cleaning of the Alpine reservoirs, and then we need to decide to authorise the use of quarries in the plains to create a network of reservoirs, financing the world of agriculture so that we can study methods for not dispersing the water resource, on the models of aridoculture as, for example, in Israel”.
“Thank you to all the authorities present today,” continued Luciano Fregonese, mayor of Valdobbiadene, “a presence that brings a great sign of closeness to those who for a whole year have been working on the Antica Fiera di San Gregorio, an opportunity to discuss issues that are increasingly important for the agricultural sector and the territory. I also greet the Mayor of San Gregorio Magno Nicola Padula, the Deputy Mayor Rita Robertazzi and the Councillor of Minori Maria Citro, municipalities from the province of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast with which we are bound by a friendship pact centred on small local productions, the small excellences that make our Italy great’.
“It is precisely the PPL, the small local productions, that are the driving force behind tourism in the area,’ underlined the deputy mayor of Valdobbiadene, Pierantonio Geronazzo. ‘PPL were born in Valdobbiadene and have made us great, as confirmed by the tourists who now come to the area attracted by Prosecco Superiore DOCG and who stop here determined to discover the malga cheeses of Monte Cesen, local sausages, jams and all that is typical local production.
“Valdobbiadene is the heart of the 9. 700 hectares of land that has become a World Heritage Site,’ continued Marina Montedoro, President of the Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, which has its headquarters in Valdobbiadene. ‘Today we are inaugurating the renovated IAT office, whose coordinated image is enhanced by some elements that strongly identify the area recognised by UNESCO.
Finally, the video-greeting of the Minister for Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida: ‘I was unable to attend but I would like to send you my best wishes and thank you for the work you are doing. The soul of Made in Italy lies in local traditions, in living and active communities that take care of the landscape and its fruits. Synthetic food and standardised diets cannot promote the wellbeing of peoples and nations but rather the interests of a few, large multinationals. We are for authentic products of the earth, good food and conviviality. The Mediterranean diet is a World Heritage Site, as are the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene; our territories produce world-famous excellence and precious niche products that express quality, biodiversity and a zest for life. These are factors that make Italy unique and we Italians first and foremost must be aware and proud of them. Events and trade fairs in the region are important because they contribute to moving forward along this path. We have the task and the honour of protecting and passing on all this. So thank you again for your commitment and I hope to meet you soon especially to toast with the wonderful Prosecco Superiore and to be able to say that Italian wine is a product of excellence that must be defended and exported to all areas of the world to ensure greater wealth for our beautiful Italy’.
And now the San Gregorio Fair is about to continue as planned: 150 exhibitors will be present in Piazza Marconi. With a strong specialisation in technologies and machinery for viticulture, they make San Gregorio a reference point for producers in the Prosecco Superiore area. Piazza Marconi will also host the Cittadella dei Prodotti Tipici, with tastings of the best local products and an information point for consumers, while the Loggia del Municipio will host the traditional Enoteca for the tasting of the best Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG products. Great emphasis will also be placed on local artisans, whose products will be on display in the Artisan Quarter, organised in collaboration with Confartigianato.
Villa dei Cedri will host the Parco della Creatività (Creativity Park) dedicated to art and hobbies, the Poesia del Paesaggio (Poetry of the Landscape), organised by the Amici del Presepe di Valdobbiadene (Friends of the Crib of Valdobbiadene), the art exhibition Lo sguardo dei sogni (The Gaze of Dreams), by the artist Mirella Sotgiu, the exhibition Attrezzi di altri tempi – Ricordi di economia rurale (Tools of bygone days – Memories of the rural economy), organised by Prof. Antonio Feletti, and the Panoramica Wheel, eagerly awaited by young and old alike.
Palazzo Celestino Piva will also host the 14th edition of the Cittadella dei Taglienti, an event within the event that celebrates the tradition of forging, the fruit of centuries of work in the hammers of Altamarca, and its link with agricultural work, and the Knives&Jewels exhibition that will present a host of artists from all over Italy who work with metals using a variety of techniques.
Finally, the conferences, which will continue until 23 March, organised in collaboration with the reference associations of the agricultural world: Confagricoltura, Coldiretti and Cia. As many as five appointments are scheduled, focusing on the fragility of the agricultural sector, climate change, and the new frontiers of sustainability in agriculture, aspects that are today essential for those working in agriculture.
And there will be plenty of space dedicated to fun for the whole family with Luna Park rides and the 20-metre Ferris wheel in the Villa dei Cedri park.
THE 2023 EDITION
PROGRAM
SATURDAY 11 MARCH
9 pm, Piazza Marconi – Concert with the band Funky Trail
9 pm, Antica Chiesa di San Gregorio Magno – Concert with the Coro Valdobbiadene, the Coro Solo Voci di Feltre and the Coro Montecimon di Miane
SUNDAY 12 MARCH
10.30 a.m., Viale Mazzini and Piazza Marconi – Parade and performance by the town band
11 a.m., Piazza Marconi – Official opening of the Ancient Fair of San Gregorio 2023
11.45 am, City Hall – Visit to the renovated IAT office
12.30 p.m., Villa dei Cedri – Inauguration of the floodlighting and safety work on the Cordana irrigation channel
4 pm, Piazza Marconi – Minicoro Nuovi Orizzonti performance
8 pm, Piazza Marconi – Cabaret and music show with Francofabrica, special guest MAL
9.30 p.m., Piazza Marconi – Charity raffle
MONDAY, 13 MARCH
10 p.m. – Fireworks
TUESDAY, 14 MARCH
2.30 p.m. – Schoolchildren’s Day at the fun fair
CONVENTIONS
Monday 06 March – 6 p.m.
Celestino Piva Auditorium, via Piva 53
Phytosanitary treatments: do we know the correct procedures?
Organised by Confagricoltura
Tuesday 07 March – 5.30 p.m.
Celestino Piva Auditorium, via Piva 53
Climate and adverse weather conditions. Tools for protecting agricultural enterprises
Organised by CIA Agricoltori Italiani
Thursday 09 March – 6.00 p.m.
Auditorium Celestino Piva, via Piva 53
The present and future of Prosecco Superiore Docg: comparing opinions
Organised by Coldiretti
Thursday 16 March – 6 pm
Celestino Piva Auditorium, via Piva 53
Climate change and strategies for managing water resources in hillside vineyards
Thursday 23 March – 5.30 p.m.
Celestino Piva Auditorium, via Piva 53
Markets, environment and territorial systems. The new frontiers of sustainability in viticulture
Organised by CIA Agricoltori Italiani in collaboration with Valoreitalia
PLACES
Celestino Piva Palace
- THE CITADEL OF KNIVES
- KNIVES&JEWELLERY
Villa dei Cedri
- “THE PARK OF CREATIVITY” art & hobby
- “LO SGUARDO DEI SOGNI” by Mirella Sotgiu – Art exhibition – Villa dei Cedri, first floor east adjacency
- “TOOLS OF OTHER AGES – RECALLS OF RURAL ECONOMY” – curated by Prof. Antonio Feletti – Villa dei Cedri, former factory
- “THE POETRY OF THE LANDSCAPE” organised by the Amici del Presepe di Valdobbiadene – Villa dei Cedri, Sala Caminetto.
Piazza Marconi
- CITY OF TYPICAL PRODUCTS with tastings and information for consumers
- ENOTECA WITH TASTING OF VALDOBBIADENE DOCG Loggia del Municipio
- ARTISAN QUARTER in collaboration with Confartigianato
- BENEFIT FISHING organised by the Parish
FAIR HOURS
Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mondays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (knife exhibition until 12 noon)
FREE SHUTTLE BUS
Sunday from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. from the Zecchei industrial area.
