Soave is a World Heritage Site for Agriculture, the first in Italy linked to viniculture

Soave is a World Heritage Site for Agriculture, the first in Italy linked to viniculture, and recognized by FAO’s scientific committee, which has made Soave the 53rd World Site recognized as Patrimony of Humanity in agriculture according to the GIAHS program - Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. The Soave Consortium started the process ten years ago, through studies, publications and other recognitions, such as Primo Paesaggio Storico Rurale Italiano, now sealed by a recognition that will protect, as heritage of humanity, the distinctive features of the territory where Venetian white was created, as well as the Veronese pergola, the hydraulic system made of dry stone walls and terracing (recognized, among others, also by UNESCO as an intangible heritage), the drying process and Recioto of Soave, and further, the social organization made up of 3.000 winemakers gathered in a proper cooperative, where every day they deal with the difficulties of cultivating grapes growing on the volcanic and calcareous soils of the denomination. Values and traditions, hundreds of years old, have been handed down from generation to generation and are still alive today, carried forward by young people who are just entering this world.
The first step was the publication of "A Soave Landscape" in 2006, which first of all recognized the intrinsic value of all the distinctive and identifying elements of a territory that has been dedicated to viniculture for more than 200 years. The 2015 edition of "Origin, style and values" laid down the foundation for the work the Consortium coordinated, which led to the recognition as the First Italian Rural Historical Landscape, and finally, the application of the candidature GIAHS, written by Aldo Lorenzoni in collaboration with Chiara Mattiello and the Consortium. “It is a great, great satisfaction”, explained Sandro Gini, president of the Soave Wine Protection Consortium, “that puts Soave among the most important agricultural and wine systems in the world, for its ability to maintain centuries-old traditions, along with innovation, which must distinguish a modern and productive system that is efficient and capable of producing income. Soave has become an example for all of humanity and we are truly happy”. “The award is not a goal but rather a starting point”, said Aldo Lorenzoni, director of the Consortium, “ made of the many projects we are implementing for the dynamic conservation of this site, considered unique in the world. Through these projects, the entire production system is moving in the same direction, and that is, made of sustainability and trust in the future”.