L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano From Sicily to Expo, how local products promote the land's identity and heritage: Adele Giaconia and the Villa Colonna Olive Oil A bridge between the past and the present, keeping the history and looking at innova- t i o n : t h i s i s t h e p a t h s o m e Sicilian farmers are following in the area known as "Nebrodi", a park established in 1993 that i n c l u d e s t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t S i c i l i a n w o o d l a n d s . T h e A r a b i a n u s e d t o c a l l i t t h e "Island in the island", where wood, high mountain green pas- tures, and lakes clashes with the dry Sicilian lands. These pro- d u c e r s a r e h e l p i n g S i c i l i a n economy using products at their b e s t : a m o n g t h e m , A d e l e G i a c o n i a , a f o r m e r m a t h teacher, that - once retired - decided to embrace a different lifestyle, leaving Palermo and moving to her family estate in the countryside near Messina. The estate came with an olive grove that had been neglected for years. With the help of her husband Salvatore, Adele reno- v a t e d t h e o l i v e g r o v e a n d founded the "Azienda Agricola Villa Colonna" for the produc- t i o n o f h i g h q u a l i t y o r g a n i c extra-virgin olive oil. Can you tell us a bit of the history of this land? I would say that our story d a t e s b a c k t o 1 5 7 7 , w h e n Marcantonio Colonna, a hero of the naval battle of Lepanto, was n a m e d V i c e r o y o f S i c i l y b y King Philip II of Spain. He also r e c e i v e d t h e p r o p e r t y o f immense Sicilian feuds. Then the district in the territory of Reitano, a small town in the THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 4 SERENA PERFETTO p r o v i n c e o f M e s s i n a , w a s named "Colonna" and, at the end of the 18th century, the Giaconia family became the owner of nine hectares of the land, seven of them made of olive groves. When did you start work- ing on the production of your olive oil? T h e G i a c o n i a f a m i l y h a d always produced olive oil that had never been on the market. Since 2001, together with my h u s b a n d S a l v a t o r e , w e i n c r e a s e d t h e p r o d u c t i o n b y planting more than two thou- sand new trees and by building a m o d e r n w a t e r i n g i m p l a n t . The clayey soil and the position of the olive grove, directly on the sea, allow an ideal environ- ment for Santagatese, Giarraffa, Biancolilla, Verdello, Nocellara del Belice e Messinese vari- eties. The olive grove has sev- eral hundred-year-old trees of the "Santagatese" variety and h a s b e e n r e c e n t l y u p g r a d e d w i t h n e w s p e c i e s o f t r e e s selected to enhance the quali- ties of the product. What's the secret behind producing olive oil? We start harvesting early in October when the olives are greener. We use the traditional S i c i l i a n m e t h o d : e v e r y d a y before the harvesting, we settle n e t s u n d e r e a c h s i n g l e t r e e . Then, we collect olives manual- ly or sometimes using automat- e d c o m b s , d i r e c t l y f r o m t h e trees. Those considered overly m a t u r e o r b a d f r u i t s , w h i c h usually fall down spontaneous- ly, are discarded. On the same day of the harvesting, we carry olives to the mill, where olives are weighted, washed and sepa- rated from the foliage and the waste. At this point, the real production of olive oil starts. The production of olive oil represents more than a busi- ness… Villa Colonna belongs to the " S t r a d e d e i S a p o r i d e i Nebrodi", an association related to the Nebrodi's Park. We orga- nize tours in the park and create a n e t w o r k o f f a r m h o l i d a y accommodations and extra-hos- pitality services. To me, it rep- r e s e n t s t h e p e r f e c t w a y t o appreciate and enjoy the touris- tic offer of the area, character- ized by a precious naturalistic, historical, and cultural heritage. Why was so important to be part of this project? In the past, our identity has been characterized by a strong connection between agriculture and local firms. This link still exists but can be also seen as part of a bigger picture, repre- sented by our heritage. The his- torical, naturalistic, anthropo- l o g i c a l a s p e c t s a r e u s u a l l y ignored or left apart, while they could represent a good starting point to make people aware of the importance of our identity. W h a t w a s m i s s i n g t o Sicilian products before Le S t r a d e d e i S a p o r i p r o j e c t started? Our high quality products used to be sell in Northern Italy or abroad without keeping the connection with the land where they were made. We want to use our products to attract visi- t o r s a n d h e l p t h e m e x p l o r e Sicily, using our local accom- modations, having their meals in our restaurants, taking tours around our firms where prod- ucts such as olive oil, cheese, wine, salumi are made. Why does Milan Expo rep- resent an opportunity? As Villa Colonna, we decid- ed to become member of the B i o - M e d i t e r r a n e a n C l u s t e r , w i t h t h e S i c i l i a n R e g i o n a s Official Partner. We embraced the Cluster's spirit because it represents the Mediterranean values, related to food, integra- t i o n , a n d c u l t u r e . T h e Mediterranean area is made of a mix of tastes, cultures, history. That's why we decided to take our project and our products to Expo, to let visitors from all over the world discover about Sicily from a different perspec- tive. Which milestone are you most proud so far? Our firm has been rewarded with an honorable mention for the special commitment in olive growing in the Nebrodi's area. L ' O l i o d i C o l o n n a h a s a l s o t a k e n p a r t i n t h e T w e l f t h Exposition of single Cultivar Oils. The chemical and sensory data related to our oil are con- sidered excellent and are now included in the single cultivar oil database and in the 2015 edition of the related catalog. What's your next goal? Our goal is and has always been helping the survival of the small local businesses of our territory, often threatened by the bigger international compa- nies. We have to provide high quality products with a well defined identity, something that is missing in products coming from big companies. A network of small businesses employing local labour and services can i m p r o v e t h e g r o w t h o f t h e Nebrodi economy, creating new jobs and welfare. Adele with a bottle of Villa Colonna Olive Oil outside the Italian Pavillon at Expo Adele and Salvatore at their stand at Milan Expo

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