Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), through its agency ISMEA and in partnership with the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV), has launched a campaign championing pasta and volleyball as national icons. The initiative aims to promote pasta, Italy’s second-largest export after wine, with 2024 production reaching 3.2 million tonnes of dry semolina pasta, 60% destined for export.
The campaign pairs pasta with volleyball, Italy’s second most popular sport, boasting 7 million fans, 1.2 million active players, over 350,000 registered athletes, and a rich medal haul. It highlights pasta’s nutritional benefits for athletes, citing its low glycemic index for sustained energy release, its role in stimulating endorphins and serotonin (the feel-good hormone), affordability, culinary versatility, and environmental sustainability. The Italian pasta industry reported €8.7 billion in turnover for 2024.
Italian Women’s Volleyball stars Ekaterina Antropova, Carlotta Cambi, and Anna Gray serve as ambassadors. “It’s a huge honour and pleasure to represent something that sets Italy apart worldwide,” Antropova stated. “We’re very happy to present pasta through the campaign ads and our successes.”
The multi-channel campaign, launched in September, features a TV spot filmed during the Olympic champions’ training retreat at the FIPAV Pavesi Centre, alongside radio ads and social media content (Reels, Stories). The ads capture athletes enjoying surprise pasta breaks organized by the team captain and vice-captain. It will also feature at key volleyball events, including the Italian Beach Volleyball Championship. The 2025 #Adessopasta tour kicked off at the Gold Stage in Montesilvano (PE) and concludes on August 3rd in Marina di Modica, Sicily.
Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida emphasized: “Today we combine sport and nutrition thanks to extraordinary champions like the Women’s Volleyball team, demonstrating that proper nutrition equates to wellbeing and longevity.” He stressed the government’s duty to “protect and enhance Made in Italy” and support businesses, reinforcing Italy’s unique “quality, identity, and wealth-generating capacity”. Sport Minister Andrea Abodi called the pairing “extraordinary,” noting pasta as a “happiness supplement” and highlighting the campaign’s role in educating youth on nutrition and exercise through initiatives like the Youth Games.
ISMEA President Livio Proietti affirmed support for the strategic pasta sector via promotion campaigns and strengthened supply chain contracts for quality and competitiveness, stating: “Pasta is a symbol of the Mediterranean diet… Italy is the undisputed global leader in production.” FIPAV President Giuseppe Manfredi expressed pride in partnering again after the 2023 men’s team campaign, celebrating “two authentic Italian excellences” and the athletes’ embodiment of “commitment, teamwork, and passion.” Sport e Salute President Marco Mezzaroma and Union Food President Paolo Barilla also attended the launch conference.