ITALIAN WINE & FOOD ATTRACTS TOURISTS AND IS WORTH 20 BILLION EUROS. ACCORDING TO COLDIRETTI, PIEDMONT IS THE LEADER IN WINES, VENETO TAKES FIRST PLACE FOR WINE ROADS, TUSCANY THE QUEEN OF LOCAL PRODUCTS, AND EMILIA ROMAGNA LEADS IN DOP AND IGP

Italian foods and wines attract tourists to Italy, earning over 20 billion euros, taking first place worldwide for wines, products with certifications of origin, organics, and specialty goods. This was the confirmation made recently by Coldiretti, which also emphasized that Italy is the only place in the world that offers 159 products with protected denominations of origin (DOP, IGP), 484 wines with DOC, DOCG, IGT certifications, and 4372 traditional local products assessed by regional governments that are promoted during the summer in cities and towns dedicated to wine, olive oil, breads, organic goods, etc. located throughout the entire peninsula.
According to data from an international observatory of wine and food tourism over two thirds of vacationers (68%) based a large part of their choice for holiday destinations on the “enogastronomic shopping” that could be done there.
According to Coldiretti, emphasizing local food and wine products also means diversifying and expanding what the nation has to offer tourists beyond the traditional artistic and seashore destinations. The smaller cities and towns that are located in the agricultural areas where over half of all Italian food and wine goods are produced have now also become popular destinations.
And not only foreigners, but also Italians consider eating good foods and drinking fine wines an important part of one’s holiday. Besides eating well, it is also considered an important cultural and social element to a vacation. And, according to a survey on the Coldiretti web site (www.coldiretti.it) the vast majority of Italians also consider a romantic dinner the ideal date for amorous success.
As for the specific regions in Italy, it seems that Piedmont takes first place for offering tourists the largest array of DOC and DOCG wines to choose from, like Barolo and Barbaresco to name just a couple of the most well known.
Tuscany, on the other hand, takes the top classification for the largest number of certified traditional and local products, from olive oils to the zolfino bean, cheeses, and vegetables that can all be bought by visitors directly from producers.
Emilia Romagna, with 25 European recognitions, has the most products with certified denominations of origin (DOP and IGP), with the best known being Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano. As for ‘Wine Roads’, Veneto and Puglia have the most to offer, with wines for the first and ‘Olive Oil Roads’ more specifically for the second.
Therefore, Coldiretti concluded, the image of Italy is largely formed in visitor’s minds by the rolling hills of the Marche and Umbria covered with olive orchards and vineyards, by the Cartesian equilibrium of the hills of the Chianti area between Siena and Florence, the pastures in the high plains of Asiago and the malghe of Belluno, the terraces of the Cinque Terre in Liguria, the overflowing lemon orchards of the Sorrento peninsula, and the geometric order of the apple orchards in Val di Non in Alto Adige.