PROSECCO HILLS AWARDED UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The announcement arrived on Sunday 7 July, from Baku, Azerbaijan, where the Permanent World Heritage Committee recognized the exceptional universal value of the Veneto landscape, inscribing it on the World Heritage List. "A unique place of value has been recognised," said Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi and Veneto Governor Luca Zaia.

The 97 square kilometres of green and undulating landscape, dotted with vineyards on steep slopes, which produce Prosecco Superiore Docg: bubbles made famous all over the globe, which testify to the constant work of man and their heroic interaction with the territory, in an area that includes 15 municipalities between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, located between 150 and 350 meters above sea level.  

Located in north-eastern Italy, the site includes part of the vine growing landscape of the Prosecco wine production area. The landscape is characterized by 'hogback' hills, ciglioni - small plots of vines on narrow grassy terraces - forests, small villages and farmland. For centuries, this rugged terrain has been shaped and adapted by man. Since the 17th century, the use of ciglioni has created a particular chequerboard landscape consisting of rows of vines parallel and vertical to the slopes. In the 19th century, the bellussera technique of training the vines contributed to the aesthetic characteristics of the landscape.

The first version of Prosecco dates back to 1868, by Antonio Carpenè, the founder of Carpenè Malvolti, who had produced it with grapes of the native vine Glera. "It would certainly be proud of the work carried out in 150 years by local winemakers - said Etile Carpenè - and how they were able to change the socio-economic fortunes of their families by making these lands, which in 1853 had only one vineyard, a national pride. more significant is the fact this recognition reaches the 95th anniversary of the first labelling of the term Prosecco.

The title of Unesco World Heritage on the Prosecco hills comes after ten years of work, with a unanimous vote. A new goal for the territory, arriving exactly on the fiftieth anniversary of the DOC, established in 1969, and on the tenth birthday of the recognition of the DOCG, which took place in 2009. With the addition of the Prosecco Hills, thus became the eight site in Veneto and the 55th in Italy to extending Italy lead in the UNESCO rankings over China, Spain, and France.