Regional Institute of Wine and Oil

Vinitaly, Salvini at the Sicily pavilion: infrastructure at the center to relaunch wine tourism

Vinitaly 2026: Minister Salvini at the Sicilian Pavilion with Councilor Sammartino: exports and infrastructure at the heart of the strategy.

Wine tourism in Sicily, a three-step recipe: connect, make accessible, build the future. The minister Matteo Salvini Visiting the "Sicily" Pavilion at Vinitaly 2026, he emphasized a model that combines identity and quality, connecting regions, businesses, and services. "More than half of Sicilian wine production ends up on international tables: this represents wealth for Sicily and Italy, thanks to American, German, and Japanese buyers. I believe that this Sicily," the minister emphasized, "capable of combining quality, identity, and open markets, will be increasingly supported also in terms of logistics and infrastructure, because exporting excellence must be increasingly simple, fast, and competitive. Wine, like the entire agri-food sector, is an extraordinary ambassador for our country."

"I also believe that a small portion of this growth is due to the €28 billion in construction sites currently underway in Sicily on roads, highways, railways, and dams, which support agriculture, business, transportation, and manufacturing," Salvini continued. "On the water issue, we've restarted structures that have been idle for 40 years. There are construction sites underway on the Palermo-Catania-Messina line and on the railway line, and I hope that, as requested by several Messina and Catania producers, there will be further construction sites for other bridges within the year."

«This Vinitaly tells the story of a system – highlighted the regional councillor for Agriculture Luca Sammartino – that of integrated services: from infrastructure to cultural heritage, to the enchanting landscapes that attract tourists and reveal the wisdom of our artisans in our cuisine. This is our government's formula: to bring together Sicily's extraordinary excellence and showcase it. Today, those who come to Sicily from the United States don't just want to invest, but also because they find a welcoming land. In this moment of great difficulty, we are convinced that the recipe Sicily has implemented will bring great satisfaction, not only in terms of visitor flows, but also in terms of what we are seeing at Vinitaly. The investments made by the national and regional governments in our land demonstrate the great attention we are finally seeing after so many years.

But the challenge lies in the future. Three objectives have been identified to make wine tourism a true industry: better connect the hinterland, ensure more accessible and frequent air travel, and complete major infrastructure projects. "I'm also thinking of the bridge over the Strait of Messina," Salvini added, "which could represent not only a strategic infrastructure, but also a symbol of engineering and architectural value and a tourist attraction."