IN OCTOBER THE INTERNATIONAL TERRACED LANDSCAPES WILL SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE 222 KM DRY STONE WALL (MAROGNE) TERRACED VINEYARDS IN VALPOLICELLA, HOME OF AMARONE, AIMING TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THEM

The 222 kilometers of “marogne”, the dry stone walls that support the sloping vineyards of the production area of Amarone della Valpolicella will be in the spotlight from October 9-11th bringing scientists, landscape architects, engineers, wine traders and journalists to Italy for the third global meeting of the International Terraced Landscapes (ITLA) on the policies of defense, development and promotion of the history and culture of quality agribusiness.
Attention towards terraced landscapes has been growing since the 2000s, so much so that some have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, like the Ifugao terraces in the Philippines, the Yuanyang terraces in Yunnan, China, the island of Bali in Indonesia and the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Unfortunately, many terraced landscapes have been abandoned because of high costs to maintain them, but even the still working terraces are in danger because the knowledge needed to maintain them is inexorably being lost.
The third global meeting, "Landscapes terraced choices for the future", will be held October 6 to 15th (www.terracedlandscapes2016.it/programme/) beginning with the inaugural conference in Venice and intends to give a strong impulse to the international commitment to protect and enhance their multi-functions.
“The International Terraced Landscapes”, said Olga Bussinello, director of the Consorzio Vini Valpolicella, “focuses on the scenic, but also agricultural areas that deserve to be preserved connection with the products, in this case wine, which support their economy. It is very important to identify strategies for the conservation of the “marogne” and to sustain the projects that emerge from the workshops with funding to motivate the population as well as entrepreneurs”.

The Consortium of the Wines of Valpolicella, in collaboration with the Veneto Region (one of the ITLA founders) and local governments, will be at the forefront in organizing tours for the experts to deepen their knowledge of wine making activities as well as the history and architecture of the area. “There is a close link between the architectural artifacts and the ‘marogne’”, explained Bussinello. For instance, the church of San Floriano (12th century) in Valpolicella was built with the same stone that marks the terraced vineyard landscape”.
The stone of the Alpine foothills of Verona has been used since prehistoric times, through the Roman period - the Arena and the Roman Theatre in Verona – to the present. Starting in the Middle Ages it was used to build terraces in order to expand agriculture crops on the slopes of the hills of Verona and in the last two centuries more and more terraces have been built.
“The highlight of the culture and tradition of the landscape and agricultural production area”, said Christian Marchesini, president of the Consortium, “will add value to the territorial identity of Amarone della Valpolicella, strengthening it even more in international markets”. The hope is that the conservation and enhancement of the “marogne”, which will be promoted and encouraged thanks to the International Terraced Landscapes, is the first step towards protecting them on the international level.
"Preview Amarone", to be held on January 30th and 31st (Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona) will be an excellent opportunity to start talking about the project with the producers of the Consorzio dei Vini Valpolicella, who will present the 2012 vintage of the territory’s most important wine. In addition to tastings, there will be a conference mediated by Andrea Scanzi of the daily, Il Fatto Quotidiano, who together with president Christian Marchesini, will discuss the work of the Consortium, the technical presentation of the vintage by Dr. Diego Tommasi of Cra Conegliano and the performance on foreign markets, presented by the researcher Denis Pantini Nomisma - Wine Monitor http://anteprimaamarone.it).