Between Constitution, peace and pandemic Premier Mario Draghi’s visit to Veneto ends in the cellar

After yesterday’s brief but tense Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Mario Draghi experienced a relatively easier morning today. At the Dante Alighieri school in Sommacampagna there were no furious party leaders, but the students, the future of the country, who welcomed the Prime Minister with a rap dedicated to the Constitution. “A beautiful song, which speaks of peace, freedom, democracy, equal dignity are values that we do everything to realize in reality. The words of the Constitution must be matched by deeds”, Draghi recounted. After a long and dutiful parenthesis on the war in Ukraine, Premier Draghi, then, dwelt on the impact of the pandemic on the lives of the youngest, which was also the focus of the meeting with Nadia Zenato, at the head of the Lugana and Amarone brand of Vapolicella, who, precisely to the talents of tomorrow, has dedicated for some years now the “Wine. Beyond the Landscape” created to support young photographers through the Zenato Academy.

Wine could not, of course, be absent from the topics of conversation, with Draghi, to whom producer Nadia Zenato donated a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella Archivio Storico 2008, expressing appreciation for the family’s commitment to promoting the excellence of Italian wine in the world: “it was a great honor for us to have the opportunity to confront the Prime Minister and bring the story of our company as an example of the rich entrepreneurial structure of Veneto that is committed with determination and dedication to export values, culture, and history of a great country, Italy”, commented Nadia Zenato. “It is that desire to look beyond, to explore beyond what we already know, that has also led us to take on a new challenge with the Zenato Academy-as she proudly told President Draghi-in supporting young artists and promoting experimentation in the cultural sector and particularly in photography”.

The Prime Minister was then welcomed by Sandro Boscaini at the headquarters of Masi Agricola, the reference point of Amarone, in Gargagnago di Valpolicella. It was a meeting that allowed the Premier to make contact with the symbolic places of the winery: experimental center, drying loft, historical aging cellars. “We are very honored by the preference given to us. A recognition of the historical significance of Masi, of its territorial representativeness and the quality of its wines, appreciated all over the world”, comments Sandro Boscaini. “A unique opportunity to make President Draghi and the institutions participate in the ongoing projects aimed at enriching the Masi brand with new meanings and involving the consumer in an emotional and direct form. A commitment to sustainable growth on a territorial and induced level, with wine, ambassador of Made in Italy in the world, becoming a primary driver of tourism”.

Amarone Costasera, Masi’s signature wine, sealed the meeting with a toast in the winery in front of the famous barrel symbolizing the Masi Prize, which, for 41 years, has consecrated internationally the “champions” of Venetian civilization, wine culture and solidarity: the visit was also an opportunity to present a preview of the innovative “Masi Operations & Visitor Center”, which will celebrate the Anniversary of the Boscaini family’s 250 harvests at the “Vaio dei Masi” vineyard, which gave the winery its name and became an international brand. An architectural extension complex of the historic Masi cellars, a multifunctional wine tourism facility in the activities of the “Masi Wine Experience”, with an impressive drying loft, where tradition marries the most modern technologies: a true entry-gate of the Amarone lands.