Giorgia Villa and Parmigiano Reggiano: an Italian match made in heaven (2024)

Giorgia Villa stood on the podium at the Bercy Arena and took a bite. Her taste buds picked out the cold, metallic success of Italy’s first silver medal in the women’s team gymnastics since 1928. They are more used toParmigiano Reggiano.

Before Tuesday’s all-around final in Paris, two images defined Villa.

One was of the 21-year-old upside down on a vault, each of the four medals she won at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires hanging proudly from an outstretched leg. The other, posted on Instagram, was of her kneeling on the floor apparatus clutching “my best friend”; a wheel of cheese. Unlike Ron Burgundy’s pet pooch Baxter in Anchorman, she didn’t eat all of it, favouring instead the ‘bocconcini’ (bites) that Italians unwrap as snacks. “I eat everything in the right quantities,” she said. “We’re supervised by a nutritionist who gives us the right advice.”

The so-called King of Cheeses markets itself as “a form of energy.” Villa has been an ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano since the run-up to the last Olympics in Tokyo and is not the only Italian athlete chosen to extol the virtues of these umami-packed ingots of milk, calf rennet and salt. Tennis world No 1 Jannik Sinner is another. “I’ve been a loyal customer since I was a child,” he said. High in calcium, Parmigiano Reggiano helps maintain bone strength. It is a source of vitamin D and is lactose-free so is easily digestible and has beneficial prebiotic and probiotic effects.

At its own games, the 2023 World Cheese Awards in Norway, Parmigiano Reggiano dominated. “Parmigiano Reggiano has once again demonstrated the qualities of a cheese that is unique in the world,” said Nicola Bertinelli, the president of the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano makers said. “We return to Italy with our heads held high, with a total haul of 137 medals, three of which were Super Gold and 27 Gold after competing with more than 4,500 cheeses from 43 countries across six continents.”

Instead of crumbling as it does when chiselled out of its core, this cheese has an undisputed winning mentality. Is it any wonder Villa uploaded a picture of herself vaulting over a piece that looks like an energy-emitting crystal?

Made, not produced, for more than 1,000 years in the Emilia-Romagna region around Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (but only on the left of the river Reno) and Mantova (only on the right of the river Po), this beloved nutritional hack has D.O.P or Protected Designation of Origin status. Anything made outside of its boundaries cannot be considered Parmigiano Reggiano.

“As with the regions where the Idaho Potato or the Kauai coffee from Hawaii are grown, there is a specific microbiological characteristic that cannot be found anywhere else in the world,” a statement from the consortium read amid the outrage caused by a cheesemaker in Ukraine marketing its produce as Parmigiano Reggiano. Chalky imitations are frowned upon and taste like the stuff gymnasts put on their hands for grip. Imposters have even been taken to court by the consortium.

A more existential threat to Parmigiano Reggiano was the series of earthquakes that struck Emilia-Romagna in 2012. Its makers faced losses of $50million (£39m) as 360,000 wheels were damaged. They were saved by the charismatic Massimo Bottura, arguably the greatest chef of his generation, whose restaurant, Osteria Francescana, in Modena was twice voted the world’s best. Through social media, he invited people to a cookalong of a new recipe, a cacio e pepe risotto — but as a core ingredient, they had to use Parmigiano Reggiano from the broken wheels. The makers sold out.

Bottura would, over the years, launch other initiatives to feed the homeless, end social isolation and prevent food waste as he detailed in the book Bread is Gold he co-authored with his wife Lara Gilmore. In Paris, Villa and the other members of Le Fate or the Fairy Five, as the women’s gymnastic team is known, helped turn Parmigiano Reggiano into silver. In the all-around final, they found themselves paired with none other than Team USA.

“Doing the rotation with them was just WOW,” Villa said. “(Simone) Biles and her team-mates are fabulous gymnasts, what can I say? Simone is from another planet. To see her vault and all her acrobatics from so close up is a unique privilege. We had more spectators because of the rotation and it was a good publicity for Italian gymnastics.” Le Fate rose to the occasion. By trying to stay with the United States, they elevated themselves above the rest of the competition.

“We wanted to add a little pepper,” Enrico Casella, the team’s technical director, said when reflecting on how they stepped it up on the floor apparatus.

For Villa, in particular, it was a moment to savour. The 21-year-old missed the last Olympics after twisting her ankle three days before the team were due to fly out to Tokyo. “Seeing my teammates Asia and Alice D’Amato leave without me hurt because they’re like sisters to me,” she said.

Now the bitterness has faded. Her silver medal will no doubt age as well as the best Parmigiano Reggiano.

(Top photo: Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium)

James Horncastle covers Serie A for The Athletic. He joins from ESPN and is working on a book about Roberto Baggio.