After the Wine Tourism Movement, the non-profit association which includes around 1000 of the most prestigious wineries in Italy, selected on the basis of specific requirements, first of all, that of the quality of the wine tourism welcome. which has opened the doors to millions of wine tourists and enthusiasts to discover the world and culture of wine directly in its places of production, now it's the turn of the oil. Protagonist of the Mediterranean Diet, Unesco heritage.
The newborn Oil tourism movement in fact, it proposes to promote the extraordinary olive-growing territories of the Bel Paese e enhance the culture of extra virgin olive oil Italian quality that has experienced a real boom in recent years. From an analysis of the cwithin studies by Italia Olivicola who elaborated the data of the last five years photographed by the ICQRF, Sian, Ismea, Crea and the Qualivita Foundation. the annual consumption value of quality extra virgin olive oils in Italy has risen on average to almost 150 million, up 28% in the last five years. Exports, which concern half of national production, on the other hand, increased from 40 to 62 million euros in the same period, with a leap of 55%.
The new Oil Tourism Movement (MTO) set up in Rome starts from this reality, the aims of which were illustrated in the Sala Caduti di Nassiriya of the Senate of the Republic.
The message launched by the new association is clear: to make people understand the value of an agriculture that respects the environment, transferring the healthy qualities of an organic and natural oil, where there is the care of the olives, the cold extraction, the cleaning of the certified plants in the oil mill and perfect conservation and traceability of the supply chain, we will promote awareness campaigns on the importance of Mediterranean diet which finds in the oil a real source of polyphenols, vitamins, nutrients a great protagonist.
At the head of the movement a combination that represents a guarantee of good intentions, Donato Taurino (President) and Vittoria Cisonno (Director and creator) owners of a leading company in Squinzano in the province of Lecce of 160 hectares which, in addition to producing quality extra virgin olive oil, has also carried out a parallel project of hospitality and tourism in the area which has met with great success.
And it is no coincidence that the Puglia region was the first to feel the need to systematize the work and passion of all the oil millers by setting up a Consortium, MTOlio Puglia, which gave life to the ABC Olio and Ulivo Day events aimed at gourmet tourists curious to know the olfactory and gustatory qualities of extra virgin olive oil. The overall project of olive oil tourism therefore arises from a locally conceived project which today wants to be extended to all of Italy for quality olive growing.
“The official constitution of the Movimento Turismo dell'Olio as a national Consortium – said the new president of MTO, Donato Taurino – represents not only a formal act, but the implementation of a real team game and indicates the clear will of all of us to wanting to open the doors of our companies to tourism.
For us, this means creating a system to promote the excellence of our agri-food with the conviction that tourism linked to the lands of extra virgin olive oil, like wine tourism, represents a flagship of Made in Italy and therefore a strategic driving force for the economy of our country, which boasts a unique olive heritage in the world for variety (about 500 cultivars) and scenic charm. But there is still an enormous unexpressed potential that we intend to exploit through the commitment of the Movimento Turismo dell'Olio, which aims to actively involve quality companies and all regions of the country”.
“The Italy of extra virgin olive oil – added Senator Dario Stefàno – is a winning brand, undoubtedly capable of competing with the wide range of offers on the global market thanks to its undisputed quality, its millenary history and its varieties territories that constitute an undeniable added value. For many years, however, oil tourism in our country has not had the opportunity to fully express its enormous capabilities, and not only because it is driven by wine tourism.
It was necessary to give a decisive push starting with a real recognition of dignity through a primary-rank rule that disciplined and made this important activity exercisable. And I'm very proud that that law exists today and bears my signature. I add that, as an Apulian, I cannot hide the intrinsic value and deep feeling that binds me to the olive-growing tradition. It is a bond that today, with the Xylella epidemic still ongoing and the need to strengthen everyone's commitment to fight against it, takes on an important meaning of rebirth, to rediscover energy and stimulating resolutions”.
“It is important to understand – observes Vittoria Cisonno, MTO Director – that it is necessary to compete on the world market conserve biodiversity and the experience of farmers – Italian artisans who make the difference. In Italy there are about 500 varieties, a unique genetic heritage in the world that offers the possibility to our cooks to make each dish different according to the territories and offers inimitable aromas. The enthusiasm of all the Italian oil millers marks a good start”.
To complete the board of the newborn MTO were appointed Vice President, Count Franco Silvano Toni di Cigoli (Umbria), directors Piercarmine Tilli (Abruzzo), Raffaele Maria Maiorano (Calabria), Nicoletta Manestrini (Lombardy), Sebastiano de Corato (director MTV) and as president of the technical committee, Angela Canale.
