The vice-president of the Province of Salerno, Giovanni Guzzo: “This is how we promote the values of peasant life in the land of the Mediterranean Diet.”
The Grape Festival of Oliveto Citra represents the symbol of the authenticity of the values of peasant life and the flavors of the production of excellent food and wine and wine in the land of the Mediterranean Diet”. Thus, the vice president of the Province of Salerno, Giovanni Guzzo, this morning at Palazzo Sant'Agostino in Salerno, opened the press conference to present the 49th edition of the “Grape Festival” and the 29th “National Folklore Festival” which will take place from September 29 to October 1, 2023 in Piazza Europa, in the municipality of Oliveto Citra.
Press conference held in the Marcello Torre room of Palazzo Sant'Agostino and which saw, in addition to the presence of the young people of the Pro Loco of Oliveto Citra who presented the typical food and wine of the Sele Valley, the mayor of the Municipality of Oliveto Citra, Carmine Pignata –“the grape festival- explains Pignata – in a time when technology has taken over life, it represents the exaltation of the value of rurality that tells the authenticity of human relationships and all this is possible thanks to a close collaboration between the Municipality of Oliveto Citra and the Pro Loco that has continued for half a century”.
Thanks to the Pro Loco of Oliveto Citra, the association promoting the event, and to the Municipality of Oliveto Citra, which together with the Unpli and the Campania Region sponsor the event, for three days, as it has been for almost half a century, on September 29 and 30 and October 1, the town of Alto Sele will be the protagonist and theater of cultural, food and wine events and popular musical entertainment, to enhance the grapes and the production of local wine with the creation and parades of allegorical floats, lunches in the vineyard, dances, songs, ancient games with barrels and the tasting of excellent local food and wine products.
“The grapes - explains the president of the Pro Loco of Oliveto Citra, Serena Di Guida, head of the association that has been promoting the Oliveto winemaking sector for about half a century -It represents one of the valuable agricultural heritages of the Sele Valley because it has its roots in peasant culture, enhancing its harvesting, grape harvesting and winemaking”.
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Characterizing the grape festival is the ancient parade of allegorical floats entirely covered in grapes. “The weeks preceding the event,” says the President of the Pro Loco, “see the inhabitants of the 23 districts of the town design the allegorical floats that during the days of the event are made and covered with thousands of grapes, parading through the streets of the town, recalling alongside the themes of the winemaking tradition, also current politics, society and history, thus unleashing creativity and imagination. Floats,” announces Di Guida, “which will see 5 representations of the artistic category and 18 of the traditional category, and whose parades will be accompanied to celebrate the 49th edition of the festival, by the music of Nostalgia 90.”
To enrich the event, which will also feature ancient games, there will be the National Folklore Festival which will feature performances by 8 popular music groups from various provinces and regions, including the flag-wavers of Cava de Tirreni and the bottari of Limatola.
Cultural and musical entertainment, which will be accompanied throughout the weekend by the presence of promotional stands of excellent local food and wine companies, crafts, and by a route of administration to the public of typical local dishes and good wine.
The event will start on Friday 29 September starting at 20.30:30 pm in Piazza Europa with the food and wine trail and musical entertainment. Saturday 13 September at 17 pm at the Collina degli Eroi, in the Lauri area, lunch in the vineyard, while from XNUMX pm exhibition stands, float-making workshops and in Piazza Europa, opening of the food and wine trail with popular songs and dances.
On October 1st, starting at 10 am in via Ausiana and Piazza Europa, a parade of allegorical floats and folk groups through the streets of the center, a gathering of vintage tractors under 1970, and the opening of exhibition and tasting stands, from 15.30:17.30 pm the grape games “Votta ca votta” in collaboration with the Don Bosco oratory of Oliveto Citra and at 19:21 pm the cart game “Attenti al tasso alcolico”, followed at 49 pm by a musical show by Bottari di Limatola, at 22 pm the award ceremony for the floats and a lottery draw. The 1th edition of the grape festival will close with a free concert at 90 pm on October XNUMXst, in Piazza Europa, by the musical group Nostalgia XNUMX.
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