Today, November 16, 2022, marks the 12th anniversary of the recognition of the Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its value lies in its ability to connect people and nature through social rituals in which food becomes a unique and unrepeatable cultural moment for sharing the social identity of a community.
The Mediterranean Diet, therefore, is not simply a healthy lifestyle or a list of foods that help protect our health. It is culture, social connection and a political choice: from historical memory passed down from generation to generation, to conviviality as a tool for social cohesion and for strengthening the sense of belonging to a specific territorial identity, to the choice of protecting biodiversity and seasonality in order to safeguard the Planet.
Living according to the Mediterranean way of life therefore means becoming ambassadors of values that, with knowledge and consistency, we have the responsibility to nurture and pass on to our children through example and everyday commitment.
It was precisely on these foundations that, in Pollica, the cradle of the Mediterranean and home to the UNESCO Emblematic Community of the Mediterranean Diet, the Mediterranean Diet Festival took place from November 11 to 16, celebrating this way of life recognized throughout the world.
In 2022, the Municipality of Pollica was responsible for coordinating the Network of Emblematic Communities of the Mediterranean Diet.
The program featured numerous opportunities for meetings and discussions on the Mediterranean Diet, involving well-known artists from Naples. Enzo Avitabile shared his personal testimony through his distinctive voice and music; rapper Clementino, with enthusiasm and energy, engaged even the youngest audiences while telling the story of his own Mediterranean lifestyle; and actor Sergio Assisi offered a journey through gastronomy, culture and performance, narrating food through theatre and Neapolitan poetry.
The extensive program of events also included institutional moments, contributions from the scientific community and the participation of local stakeholders who work every day, through their activities, to promote Cilento cuisine, virtuous agricultural practices and biodiversity protection.
In Pioppi, the village where Ancel and Margaret Keys lived and carried out their studies, a statue of Ancel Keys created by Renzo Vassalluzzo was inaugurated today. The statue commemorates the passionate scientific research that Keys conducted in this area for forty years and his contribution to identifying and promoting the Mediterranean Diet as a positive lifestyle for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
In addition, the New Ambassadors of the Mediterranean Diet were appointed, with the task of protecting and passing on this way of life that is so important to us:
Stefania De Pascale, scientist at the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Naples; Giuseppe “Peppone” Calabrese, gastronome and television presenter; Cristian Santomauro, Master Pizzaiolo; and Giuseppe Pagano, agricultural entrepreneur.
