The project, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Euro-MED 2021–2027 Programme, participated with an information stand at the sixth edition of the event. Winemakers from both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian slopes of the province were in attendance.
Rometta (ME), 3 August 2026 — The sixth edition of “Wine Not?” took place yesterday evening among the narrow streets of Sant’Andrea di Rometta. The food and wine event, promoted and organised by the Pro Loco Sabatina – Sant’Andrea APS, was this year dedicated to the theme “A Story to Tell”. The INSPIRE project — INnovative Sustainable tourISm gRoundEd on agrobiodiversity — also took part, with an information stand set up along the tasting route, where visitors were introduced to the project’s objectives and lines of action. INSPIRE’s presence follows the institutional meeting hosted on 29 July at the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, during which the project had been presented alongside the Rometta event.
The evening opened in the presence of the Honourable Cateno De Luca, Member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, and Deputy Mayor Laura Castelli, representing the Municipality of Messina. On behalf of the Municipality of Rometta, the President of the Municipal Council Alessandro Nava spoke, together with representatives of the Pro Loco Sabatina – Sant’Andrea APS. In his address, the Honourable De Luca once again highlighted the centrality of territorial stewardship, pointing to local productions as a concrete development prospect for inland areas.
Deputy Mayor Laura Castelli underscored the strategic value that the Municipality of Messina places in INSPIRE, recalling the institution’s role as Lead Partner of a Mediterranean partnership and its decision to bring the project directly to the territories and communities that are its primary beneficiaries.
The event saw the participation of wine producers from both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian slopes of the province, alongside a dedicated area for local food products — a combination that conveyed the image of an area capable of telling its own story through its supply chains, its varieties, and the people who preserve them.
This result was made possible by the organisational work of local associations: in small towns, it is the Pro Loco groups and cultural volunteering organisations that bring together skills, networks of relationships, and direct knowledge of places, generating visibility, public attendance, and economic opportunities for local businesses.
The INSPIRE project identifies Mediterranean agrobiodiversity — native varieties, traditional agricultural supply chains, identity-defining products — as the lever for building a sustainable, year-round tourism offer capable of generating economic value without depleting the heritage that makes it possible. From this perspective, rural villages are not merely a backdrop, but an integral part of the model: places where agricultural production, food culture and hospitality can sustain one another, countering the depopulation of inland areas.
The presence of the stand at “Wine Not?” responded to a clear need for outreach and community engagement: bringing the project into contexts where its themes are already daily practice for producers, associations and volunteers, while at the same time gathering insights useful for the work of the coming months.
The Municipality of Messina is Lead Partner of INSPIRE, which brings together eight partners from five countries in the Mediterranean area.
INSPIRE is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg Euro-MED 2021–2027 Programme – ID Euro-MED0401041 – CUP F49I25000250006.
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