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More than 5 treasures from Italy's villages are at risk

Without tourism, Italy's villages are also at risk. And, along with them, also the typical products of these places.

Published

April 3th 2021

More than 5 treasures from Italy's villages are at risk. In the photo, Atrani, in the province of Salerno

Travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 emergency have left thousands of villages in Italy at risk.

With the consequent strong negative impact on tourism, 5.266 traditional food treasures of small and traditional villages are at risk, according to Coldiretti, the Italian farmers' association.

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Why Italy's village treasures are at risk

According to the alarm raised by Coldiretti, the absence of tourists, both Italian and foreign, has a strong impact on the survival of Italy's agri-food treasures.

The association points out that the collapse of tourism in Italy led to a gap of around 27 billion euros (around 189 billion reais) that would be left by foreigners – 61% less in 2020 compared to 2019.

The lack of vacationers is having a snowball effect on the economy as a whole, due to the drop in spending on food, accommodation and transport, leisure, shopping and souvenirs.

“Behind each product there is a history, a culture and a tradition that has remained alive over time and that best expresses the reality of each territory”, he says Ettore Prandini, president of Coldiretti.

According to him, there is “the need to value this heritage also to increase the driving force of the Made in Italy in the foreign market”.

What are the treasures of Italian villages at risk

Specifically, Coldiretti's analysis highlights some particular "treasures" of food and wine that are at risk:

1.578 different types of breads, pastas e cookies;
1.498 fresh and processed vegetables;
809 types of salami, hams, meats and sausages of various types;
503 cheeses;
291 gastronomic products
170 products of animal origin, including honey e dairy;
166 preparations based on fish e molluscs;
164 across beers, soft drinks, distillates e liqueurs;
49 different types of butter and olive oils.

The ranking of regions in Italy with the most typical specialties

The “treasures” described by Coldiretti are kept in 5.498 villages spread across Italy. The same Coldiretti also provides data relating to the regions with more typical specialties, which is led by Campania with 552 “treasures”.

Below, here is the full classification: