In conclusion of a 10-year-long process of nomination, during its 43rd session, the World Heritage Committee has officially declared the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene the 55th Italian ‘World Heritage Site’.
A total area of 18,967.25 hectares in the heart of Veneto, characterized by a ‘buffer zone’ of 9,769.80 hectares, and therefore a ‘core area’ area of 9,197.45 hectares of very steep hills, that go from east to west, from Vittorio Veneto towards Valdobbiadene. A fascinating and unique area that has been listed in the ‘cultural landscape’ category, in which it joins other 9 World Heritage Sites that are “evolutionary cultural landscapes, visible results of the interaction – a vital, constantly evolving interaction-, between man and the environment.”
Indeed, the vines from which the producers that make up the Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG create their internationally celebrated exceptional wines are cultivated on inaccessible slopes that require such hard and entirely manual labor. Thus, the landscape is the result of the commitment of generations of wine producers forging the vineyard-embroidered ‘patchworks’ characterized small plots of vines on narrow grassy terraces. This harmony between man’s work and the local environment has always been at the center of the territorial government plans for sustainability. From now on, the sustainable development of the area will also concern tourism paying particular attention to its positive economic implications, while focusing at the same time on how to sustainably manage the impact of increased travelers to the region.
Innocente Nardi, President of the Consortium for the Protection of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, said that “It is thanks to the work carried out by an exceptional team led by the governor of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia, with the contribution of the competent Ministries and impeccable work of the scientific committee chaired by Mauro Agnoletti and not least, the support of the Italian UNESCO Delegation, that we have achieved this goal.”
Ilona Catani Scarlett