È Daniele bennati, two-wheel champion and current technical commissioner of the Italian national road cycling team is the new one “Ambassador of the Cities of Oil”. He received this prestigious recognition on the occasion of the meeting organized by the Regional Coordination of the Oil Cities of Tuscany which took place at the Cyclist Library of Castiglion Fiorentino.
Since 2019 the National Association of Oil Cities has established the Roll of Honor of the Ambassadors of the Oil Cities, awarded to personalities in the world of culture, art, politics, information and sport who have distinguished themselves for having carried out significant activities for the purposes of promoting the culture of olive civilization and extra virgin olive oil in Italy and around the world.
Bennati received the prestigious honor “for having contributed to promoting the culture of extra virgin olive oil in the world of sport and cycling in particular. For being the spokesperson for educational messages aimed at generations of young cyclists for whom using extra virgin olive oil in their meals today more than ever means making a winning choice for their health and a bet on their future. For having recommended the use of this precious ally of the body and mind and for having supported the adoption of a correct lifestyle - based on good, healthy food and physical activity - as a fundamental tool in the prevention of injuries and illnesses".
"This year - he has declared Michele Sonnessa President of the Oil Cities - on the occasion of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the birth of our Association, we wanted to pay homage to a man of sport who has a great passion for extra virgin olive oil and who through his work promotes the culture of oil not only among professionals but also among cycling enthusiasts, especially young people. As the City of Oil we believe that sport is the bearer of important values and we are convinced that the bicycle in particular is the symbol of that slow and sustainable tourism that we have always promoted when we talk about oil tourism that comes from the heart of our oil communities. 'Oil. For this reason, from here, from Castiglion Fiorentino, we want to launch a new and ambitious project that we will carry out in 2025: the GirOlio d'Italia, that is, a bicycle tour of Italy that will include olive groves and Italian oil cities among its stops. with itineraries for amateurs immersed in the olive-growing landscape”.
"Castiglion Fiorentino is the birthplace of Daniele Bennati who is a great champion but also a great man with whom we shared important values such as love for our land and our olive grove" added Mario Agnelli Coordinator of the 60 Tuscan Oil Cities.
The Technical Commissioner was proud and, upon receiving the award, declared: “I'm from Castiglione and oil has always meant a lot to me. Athletes know that to achieve certain results it is essential to adopt a healthy and correct diet. Quality EVO oil has always been on our tables because it is not a simple condiment but a real food that can be considered a real supplement. It is not true that it makes you fat if taken in the right quantities, because it is rich in good fats, gives a great energy supply that lasts over time and is especially useful in the winter months. I am really happy for this recognition, I thank you for choosing me and I hope I can bring this message all over the world" .
Prof. have already obtained this important recognition previously. Pier Luigi Petrillo President of the Body of World Experts of the UNESCO Convention for Intangible Cultural Heritage for his commitment to promoting the Mediterranean Diet, sen. Dario Stefano for having supported the promulgation of the Oil Tourism Law; Professor Roberta Garibaldi, author of the annual report on Italian food and wine tourism and the first report on oil tourism, and the food and wine expert Pasquale Di Lena, creator and founder of the Oil Cities.
Daniele Bennati, former road cycling champion, in his career won two Tours of Piedmont, three stages at the Giro d'Italia, two at the Tour de France (including the highly coveted last stage with arrival at the Champs-Élysées) and six at the Vuelta a España, also winning the points classification at the 2007 Vuelta a España and the 2008 Giro d'Italia. On 2 November 2021 he was appointed Technical Commissioner of the Italian National Road Cycling Team.
