Vinitaly and the City debuts in Calabria, from Friday 30 August to Sunday 1 September at the Sibari National Archaeological Park.

Calabria will be the first region in Italy to host Vinitaly and the City away.

Since Friday 30 August to Sunday 1 September, the off-fair version of the international wine fair in Verona will arrive in Sibari. In this itinerant formula dedicated to wine lovers – as part of an experimental journey – Vinitaly and the City aims to spread the wine culture and the knowledge and diffusion of fine Italian wines while promoting, at the same time, the territories of origin.

The event, the result of an agreement between the Calabria Region and Veronafiere Spa, with the fundamental collaboration of the Archaeological Parks of Crotone and Sibari, will be organized by Arsac, and will take place at the Archaeological Park of Sibari, one of the most important and prestigious in Italy and, above all, an undisputed symbol of that Magna Graecia civilization that in ancient Sybaris had one of its most flourishing colonies, in which great attention was dedicated to the production of excellent wines in a land where already in previous centuries, thanks to the presence of the Enotri, the cultivation of vines - as historically documented - was common practice.

In the next few days, logistical details and programs of the various events scheduled for the weekend will be announced, some of which will be hosted in the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide, in the name of the strong bond between wine, the territory and its history, as underlined by the President of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto: “We are honored to be the first region in Italy to host the traveling format of 'Vinitaly and the City', making its debut far from Verona. A great opportunity to enhance and make our wine excellence, our culture, our traditions increasingly known to the country and the world. A precious opportunity also in terms of promoting tourism in the Calabrian territory, the Sibaritide and in particular the Sibari Archaeological Park, a wonderful pearl of our Calabria”.

“I thank Veronafiere Spa for choosing us: we are ready – concludes President Occhiuto – to take up the challenge and host this extraordinary event which, we are sure, will soon become a model for many other regions".

For the Councilor for Agriculture of the Calabria Region, Gianluca Gallo “The fact that Calabria is the first stop of the itinerant Vinitaly and the City testifies to the centrality that our region has acquired in the wine sector, thanks to the excellence of its wines and the skill of its wine producers. A source of pride for a land that has become aware of the potential of its natural and human resources and that, through them, now invests with conviction and confidence in its own future”.

For the general director of Veronafiere, Adolfo Rebughini: “The debut of the Vinitaly and the City format outside the confines of Verona could not have found a better stage than Sibari and its archaeological park. This initiative is the result of the collaborative relationship that binds us to the Calabria Region and to the Calabrian wine producers, present every year at Vinitaly with a group of over 80 companies, some of which also accompany us in promotional activities abroad, such as in Chicago. Vinitaly and the City Calabria represents a sign of the inclusive planning that has always characterized the work of the Verona Fair, but also of the event's ability to respond to the growing need to find valid tools for territorial marketing. In fact, wine is not just business: a good part of its value and narrative potential is linked to the land, culture and traditions, aggregation and sociality, elements that find a perfect synthesis in Calabria”.

“We are witnessing the evolution of a parable that began two years ago with the enhancement agreement with the consortium for the protection of DOP Terre Di Cosenza wines, which last year saw an entire month dedicated to the culture of wine in Magna Graecia and in particular in the Sibaritide – finally declares the director of the archaeological parks of Crotone and Sibari, Filippo Demma –. In the wake of that experience we were guests at the regional stand at the Verona fair, culturally characterizing the presentation of regional productions. We are honored that President Occhiuto and Councilor Gallo have decided to continue this collaboration. We will thus take the opportunity to further extend the fame of the Park, in which the influx of visitors has been growing exponentially for three years, but above all we will have the opportunity to continue the mission of disseminating cultural contents to the general public: the initiative will be accompanied by extraordinary night openings of the museum, guided tours, talks and initiatives that will broaden knowledge of our heritage among the general public".