FIRST DAY OF OIL CAPITAL 2024
AND THE WEEKEND’S EVENTS
The 16th edition of Olio Capitale kicked off this morning, opening with a conference entitled “The Roots of Oleotourism. Discovering the Oil Communities.”
“Oil tourism is rapidly growing and evolving, supported and favored by the ever-increasing,” said Roberta Garibaldi, president of the Enogastronomic Tourism Association, “interest that Italian and foreign travelers have in food and wine, of which oil represents one of the best-known expressions of the Belpaese.
In her speech, Roberta Garibaldi illustrated these innovations in light of the desires of tourists, who show an interest in tourism products, services and experiences that fully allow them to experience culture and territories in new and active ways.
Particular attention was paid to the challenges that the sector will be called upon to face. First is the need to enrich and diversify the portfolio of offerings, in order to meet the needs of the market while maintaining its uniqueness and connection to the territory.
The second challenge concerns professionalization: the human resource plays a fundamental role in welcoming, introducing, involving, and educating those who approach the discovery of the olive-growing heritage, and it is therefore essential to act on training to increase the skills of those who work and will work in the sector.
The third focus is collaboration between public and private actors and the need to identify models and processes that encourage co-design and development of integrated proposals.
The project “Oleario. Where Italy leaves its mark,” funded by the National Rural Network was created to highlight and spread knowledge about our olive and olive oil heritage, enhancing the link between food, agriculture, territory, culture and tradition. “Oil,” explained Milena Verrascina, oil project manager of Crea’s Policy and Bioeconomy Center, “that is past, present and future; oil that is innovation and sustainability, key concepts in the directions of development that are also declined and interpreted in the production chain of Oil.
Oleario ultimately aims to tell the plurality of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to enhance, protect, give evidence to this product that has considerable growth potential and still needs to be revealed to consumers.”
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Sonia Ferrari, a professor of tourism marketing and territorial marketing at the University of Calabria, and Tiziana Nicotera, a tourism marketing consultant and expert, authored the ‘First Report on Roots Tourism in Italy’ in 2021. The volume, which is the first structured and comprehensive study on the phenomenon published in our country, encompasses the results of a series of researches carried out over the past years also thanks to the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The two researchers illustrated the characteristics of this tourism segment, namely expectations, tastes and preferences as well as specific needs, all useful information for the strategic planning of public and private operators in the sector.
In particular, they dwelled on how the affective attachment or place attachment to the land of origin by root tourists determines the desire to support these places and their products, especially agri-food products, making these tourists assume the role of ambassadors of Italy in the world.
MIRABILIA NETWORK PROTAGONIST
For the third year in a row, Mirabilia Network participates in “Olio Capitale – Exhibition of typical and quality extra virgin olive oils” with important events on the calendar, both with a stand and a wide representation of olive oil companies, from many nodes of its network, thus confirming its great attention to a new frontier of the tourism experience: oleotourism, which assumes an important added value in favor of SMEs.
On the sidelines of the Round Table “Regional Provisions in Implementation of the National Law on Oleotourism: State of the Art and Harmonization,” a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Mirabilia, Città dell’Olio and the Chamber of Commerce of Umbria with Ercole Olivario, with the aim of more effectively pursuing the common goals of the development of oil culture and the growth and strengthening of oleotourism in Italy through collaboration.
The document is a further and concrete step in the promotion of oil tourism, an important and emerging issue that embraces, across the board and on many levels, more and more operators and interests. Oil tourism has high potential for small and medium-sized enterprises.
“The choice to sign this Memorandum of Understanding in Trieste is not accidental, it is a moment of hope,” said Mirabilia Network President Angelo Tortorelli, “for possible enlargements of subscriptions. This is not a Protocol that begins and ends with the three of us, Ercole Olivario, Città dell’Olio and Mirabilia: we hope that there may be other entities that contribute to achieving a shared goal. We strongly wanted this Protocol, I am very proud and happy, because at the basis of the common subscription is the sharing of the modus operandi with which these three subjects, for years now, have been continuing to operate.”
In the dedicated Mirabilia area there are 21 operators, who will make use of a qualified context to present their oil tourism offer and that of the extra virgin olive oil product, and will benefit from dedicated communication, which will highlight the offer of oil tourism at the fair.
Operators directly present their offer to Italian and foreign tourist buyers, travel agencies, as well as managers of associations deputed to the enhancement of the agri-food and cultural product who organize travel programs, as well as to “oil lovers,” i.e., those who love the product and prefer to visit the places of production independently. All this, of course, is in addition to the possibility of direct sale of the oil product to visitors.
Therefore, the path of Mirabilia continues, aiming at the construction of a tourist offer and a related widespread itinerary, both related to extra virgin olive oil, to enhance the areas with the presence of sites and other tangible and intangible Unesco heritage, to be connected more and more with oil productions.
In the two previous editions of “Olio Capitale,” the Network has already introduced the concept of oil tourism, encouraging participation in the fair. The goal for 2024 is to assess and increase the current visibilitỳ of the oil tourism business offer of companies and oil-related tourist attraction points, as well as to highlight the business offer, through a B2B̀ activity at the fair.
“In wishing our entrepreneurs the best of luck,” says President Angelo Tortorelli, “we tell them that Mirabilia will continue to stand by their side for support that is also a push toward the growth of the offer from the point of view of product, services and professionalism.
CAPITAL OIL CONTEST
Awarded in the afternoon the winners of the “CONCORSO “”OLIO CAPITALE”” 2024.
For the Light Fruity Category – Light Intensity AZIENDA AGRICOLA TOMMASO FIORE RISERVA.
For Medium Fruity Category – Medium Intensity ACCADEMIA OLEARIA S.r.l. BIO D.O.P. SARDINIA.
For the category Intense Fruity – Intense Intensity AZIENDA AGRICOLA LE TRE COLONNE di SALVATORE STALLONE D.O.P. TERRA DI BARI.
Honorable mentions are:
The Best Organic TORRETTA S.r.l. Daphne Organic.
Honorable Mention Origin AZIENDA AGRICOLA LE TRE COLONNE di SALVATORE STALLONE D.O.P. TERRA DI BARI.
Honorable Mention Young AZIENDA AGRICOLA I NONNI DI MATTEO di SABATO ANNAMARIA
Honorable Mention Regina Oleum TORRETTA S.r.l. Daphne Organic.
Honorable Mention Ex Albis Ulivis AZIENDA AGRICOLA LE TRE COLONNE di SALVATORE STALLONE D.O.P. TERRA DI BARI.
Honorable Mention Professional Tasters Jury AZIENDA AGRICOLA LE TRE COLONNE di SALVATORE STALLONE D.O.P. Terra di Bari.
Honorable Mention Jury Restaurateurs AZIENDA AGRICOLA LE TRE COLONNE di SALVATORE STALLONE D.O.P. Terra di Bari.
Honorable Mention Popular Jury.
TORRETTA S.r.l. Daphne Organic. Honorable Mention Quality ONAOO.
ACCADEMIA OLEARIA S.r.l. – Riserva D.O.P. Sardinia – Italy/Sardinia
AGRESTIS SOCIETA’ COOP. AGRICOLA – I.G.P. Sicily – Italy/Sicily
ACCADEMIA OLEARIA S.r.l. – Organic – Italy/Sardinia
ROMANO VINCENZO e C. S.a.s. – Le Sciare Novecento – Italy/Sicily
AGRISANA SOC. COOP. AGRICOLA – Sicily I.G.P. Organic – Italy/Sicily
CAPITAL OIL AND LILT
Oil Cities, LILT and FIF together at Olio Capitale to spread awareness that quality EVO oil in a balanced diet is an elixir of long life that contributes in the prevention of several diseases. A press conference was held today in which Oil Cities, LILT, and FIF announced the initiatives that will see them side by side in 2024, the year in which Oil Cities celebrates its 30th anniversary. A pact to promote awareness of the health properties of EVO oil, a timeless and unbeatable ally of health, emphasizing its beneficial properties, promoting proper daily consumption, especially among the younger generations.
THE WEEKEND PROGRAM
SATURDAY, MARCH 09, 2024
OIL BAR
open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The promotion of extra-virgin culture passes through the Olio Capitale Oil Bar, the oil bar where – seated comfortably at the counter – you can choose from hundreds of labels at the fair. Divided between “Monocultivar” (light/medium/intense) and “Blend” (light/medium/intense) to allow everyone to best grasp the characteristics of the different products featured at Olio Capitale 2024.
OIL ROOM
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Tasting oils finalists of the 18th Olio Capitale 2024 Competition, light fruity category led by the experts of U.M.A.O (Unione Mediterranea Assaggiatori Olio)
