Towards a million signatures for Pizza in Unesco World Heritage
2015-6-23
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Today marks the resumption – with the help of visitors toExpo Milano 2015and the bright yellow stalls ofColdiretti– of the quest for signatures for a mass popular petition. The goal? To obtain for the Pizza – or more precisely, the art of Neapolitan pizza-makers – officialUnescorecognition as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity, worthy of protection, preservation and transmission to future generations as a treasure of mankind.
June 20: Pizza is the protagonist of Expo Milano 2015
Today is an important day: the attempt to enter theGuinness Book of Recordswith the longest pizza ever made is part of the“World Tomato Week”, and represents a priceless opportunity to further an international awareness campaign by gathering signatures from Italian and international citizens on a special petition. At the Coldiretti Farming Association’s Pavilion at the beginning of the Cardo – with the participation ofRoberto Moncalvo, Coldiretti President, and Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, Univerde President – a slice of 100% Italian Pizza was offered to all visitors, who were also able to watch the skills of acrobatic pizza-makers challenging each other in a spectacular exhibition of pizza-making virtuosity to entertain visitors, who in turn began to sign the petition.
The petition can be signed by pizza fans of all nationalities at the Coldiretti Pavilion
The crowds, queueing up for pizza and for signing, smile happily. “That’s the great thing – explains Coldiretti PresidentRoberto Moncalvo– and it’s a concrete example of why Coldiretti chose to fly its flag atExpo Milano 2015. We’re proud to be here, with all the farmers we represent and with the various initiatives and projects Coldiretti supports. On the one hand we’re pushing for the Guinness record for the longest pizza in the world, and on the other for Unesco heritage recognition for the art of Neapolitan pizza-making.” Signing the petition is open to all citizens of the world visiting the Universal Exposition, who as from today can sign in the Coldiretti Pavilion. The farming confederation is expending a great deal of energy on this initiative because “A pizza contains all the big ingredients of Italian agriculture: cereal cultivation, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella. All fundamental sectors which involve farmers from Northern to Southern Italy, contributing to a dish which is the emblem of Italian food in the world.”
Smiling crowds line up to sign, enjoying their slices of pizza
“Pizza is very often associated with celebration – explainsAlfonso Pecoraro Scanio– and it’s important to recognize it as an expression of our deepest traditions. In that wider context, the Neapolitan art of pizza-making is culturally the best identified example of pizza history. This is firmly rooted in centuries of local flair and tradition, and from there it has spread across the entire planet. A tradition can be lost either because its craftsmen become extinct or because it becomes so globalized that it loses its true identity.” This is the basic justification for setting in motion the quest for Unesco recognition. A path which has taken years to travel, and which will probably still require more. “In 2000, when I was Minister of Agriculture, I perceived the need to protect the origins of the pizza. We obtained European TSG traditional specialty recognition. We launched a first campaign for admittance to Unesco’s lists in 2006, but this was unsuccessful. In September 2014 we launched an online petition on Change.org, which attracted tens of thousands of signatures. This attracted the support of Coldiretti, theAssociazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani(Neapolitan Pizza-makers’ Association) andRossopomodoro, and we reached the 300 thousand signature mark. In March 2015 we officially deposited Italy’s Unesco candidacy. Now our horizon is Paris: the petition relaunched today aims to bring one million signatures to Paris in September 2016, ready for the final vote in November 2016.”
