San Michele di Ganzaria named “City of oil”: interview with Lino Saita

On 12 April 2024, in the council chamber of the Municipality of San Michele di Ganzaria, at 5.30 pm, San Michele di Ganzaria became part of the Cities of Oil, as the first municipality in Caltagirone to join the National Association of Cities of the Oil.
In particular, this association, founded in Larino (Campobasso) in December 1994, brings together the Municipalities, the Provinces, the Chambers of Commerce, the LAGs (Local Action Groups and Parks, located in territories in which oils are produced which document an adequate tradition olive growing connected to environmental, historical, cultural values ​​and/or falling within a Designation of Origin.
Specifically, the Association deals with disseminating the culture of the olive tree and quality olive oil, protecting and promoting the environment and the olive-growing landscape by organizing events aimed at spreading knowledge of the great Italian olive-growing heritage.
In fact, in San Michele di Ganzaria, the ceremony of delivery of the “City of Oil” flag to the Mayor of San Michele, Danilo Parasole, was held by the Regional Coordinator of the City of Oil Sicily, Giosuè Catania. During this event entitled “OIL TOURISM AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS”, Danilo Parasole, Mayor of the Municipality of San Michele di Ganzaria, Lino Saita, Councilor for Agriculture, and Giosuè Catania, Regional Coordinator of the Sicily Association, spoke. national oil city.

But let’s delve deeper into how this event took place through the interview with Lino Saita, councilor for agriculture.

How did the inauguration event of San Michele as a city of oil take place and what did it involve? And why was it named as such?
The Municipality of San Michele di Ganzaria has become part of the large family of the National Association of Oil Cities.
All this happened on the occasion of a conference with the theme “Oil tourism as an opportunity for the development of rural areas”, during which the Mayor Danilo Parasole received the prestigious flag from the hands of the Regional Coordinator of Sicily Giosuè Catania.
All this also happened thanks to the fact of having drawn attention to the olive sector and to the qualities of a product which appears to be a heritage of the territory that gave birth to the Monti Iblei PDO.

What does this nomination mean for San Michele di Ganzaria?
The Oil Cities are the expression of local communities that are still alive and preserve their identity, authenticity and biodiversity. The olive tree is the symbol and the glue of the various activities that make the area attractive.
The over 460 oil cities in our country and the thirty in Sicily, including San Michele di Ganzaria, are the expression of humanity and lifestyles, they propose a new model of hospitality made of sharing passions, knowledge, tourism aware aimed at the rediscovery of places. In fact, this event meant for San Michele not only a new impulse on the theme of oil and oleotourism as a strong point on an economic, tourist and cultural level, but also a way to enhance the typical products of the place.

Oil is a product considered gold: what do you think about it?
The olive tree represents the roots. Around the olive tree a virtuous relationship is created and built between residents and guests which has local traditions as its glue: a set of good practices to tell the story of the territory, the history of the places, the wisdom of the farmers in offering visitors quality products local foods paired with oils.
What other activities are planned to celebrate San Michele products and the city itself?
We are working to create an oil tourism route which, together with the quality of local products, brings together local communities to offer tourists a model of experiential tourism capable of giving value to food, to places of stay such as farmhouses and rural tourism, to cultural and landscape wealth that we possess.
Therefore our intent is to create a path among the centuries-old olive trees of our territory which are a true monument of civilization, a strong characterization of the centuries-old experiences that have affirmed oil as an indispensable product for our diet not only as a condiment for dishes, but also as a product with recognized nutraceutical virtues.
The oil therefore becomes the common thread that accompanies the visitor to discover the territory and its production realities which, with the related activities, allow the consumer to increase awareness, making them aware of the characteristics of a true extra virgin olive oil.
Furthermore, we must focus on training and comparison activities, more aimed at operators in the sector, which allow producers both to increase their knowledge with a view to continuous and constant qualitative improvement of oil production, and to network with other producers and actors of the supply chain.

What do you wish for San Michele thanks to this event?
I hope that San Michele di Ganzaria, but also the other local communities, set an example in networking for the valorization of our quality oil. Moving from the landscape, from the culture of our olive trees, to tasting the oils which allows us to understand the organoleptic qualities of the product, is a fundamental cultural advancement for maintaining the health of people and the entire economic-productive system.
Therefore we are committed to promoting and valorising the oil, training producers and restaurateurs, to spread greater awareness of the potential of this product which represents our town in every way.

VG