Italian opera singing, cuisine and wine together to celebrate Italy “queen” of Unesco sites

Opera singing, among the most exalted arts of Italian culture, and Italian cuisine, of which wine is its most faithful companion, together drive the convivial spirit which distinguishes our country. Two Unesco World Heritage elements, officially together for the first time in “an unprecedented event” to celebrate Italy as the leading nation in the world with the highest number of Unesco sites. This will take place on June 5th at the Arena di Verona, the world “temple” of opera and a symbol of the city of Verona, a Unesco site - and the “capital” of Valpolicella and Amarone, as well as, for over half a century, of Italian wine thanks to Vinitaly at Veronafiere - where the show “Campioni del Mondo - Italia Loves Unesco” - “Champions of the World - Italia Loves Unesco” will be staged. It is organized by the Arena di Verona Foundation in collaboration with Rai Cultura and the Ministries of Culture, Agriculture, Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Sport and Youth, to support the Unesco candidacy of the Neapolitan classical song. Hosted by Milly Carlucci and broadcast live on Rai Uno and Eurovision, the event will feature 500 artists, including the Arena Orchestra and Chorus, alongside stars such as Plácido Domingo, Patti Smith, Vittorio Grigolo, Gigi D’Alessio, Sal Da Vinci, Serena Rossi, and Massimo Ranieri. Meanwhile, outside the Amphitheatre, Paolo Belli will lead the audience in preparing an “Italian dinner under the sky” for 1,000 people, including 100 Unesco delegates arriving from Paris.
The event will be presented on June 3rd at the Ministry of Culture in Rome, by the Ministers of Culture Alessandro Giuli, Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida - once again working “in concert”, as they did in securing Unesco recognition for Italian cuisine, and Tourism Gianmarco Mazzi, together with Milly Carlucci, Rai Cultura director Fabrizio Zappi, and Cecilia Gasdia, superintendent of the Arena di Verona Foundation, with Renzo Arbore joining remotely.
“It will be an extraordinary event - said Minister Lollobrigida in recent days in an interview with WineNews from the Assoenologi Congress No. 79 in Conegliano, in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Hills, a Unesco World Heritage Site - dedicated to Italian cuisine and opera, supported by our hospitality sector, but with wine as the star. We will attempt to create the largest toast ever held in the world at the Arena di Verona: it will be a great challenge involving hundreds of students from agricultural and hospitality institutes who will help distribute the glasses and pour the wine. An event which will be broadcast on Rai and worldwide, with evocative images combining product quality with what must be experienced, Italy conviviality, wellbeing, and the beauty of our monuments. These - explained Minister Lollobrigida to us - will be events we will organize at a national level and that will also accompany missions aimed at supporting wine exports. We will be in South Africa shortly afterward, together with Vinitaly, to promote it across the continent, starting from a country that produces wine but looks to Italy as a great example and pays close attention to Italian wines. There, we will present our products and expertise to expand the market, also involving buyers from across Africa. We will also work on other regions of the world, such as Mercosur, despite its complexities, although I believe these do not affect the wine sector: it is a market that is opening up and offers great opportunities for expansion in that area. Then, we will strengthen, as we are doing with Ice president Matteo Zoppas, our work in the United States, and in Germany, which is providing great satisfaction even in this phase of economic slowdown”.