Why This Olympian is Sparking a Craving for Italian Cheese

The Olympics showcase incredible athleticism, dedication, and peak performance—and for some, a newfound love for parmesan cheese.

Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa, who contributed to her team’s silver medal in women’s gymnastics—Italy’s first medal in the event in 96 years—has quickly gained attention for her fondness for cheese, perhaps even more than her impressive routines.

At just 21 years old and hailing from Lombardy in northern Italy, Villa was sponsored by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano (Consortium of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) in 2021.

Photos celebrating this unique partnership have gone viral following her Olympic success. In these images, the gymnast is seen in her leotard, perched on a stack of massive cheese wheels while doing the splits, as well as performing handstands and cartwheels alongside the cheese. One playful shot features her reclining next to a large chunk of parmesan, with tantalizing flakes scattered around. In another, she’s joyfully hugging a cheese wheel to her chest, and in some, she can’t resist cramming chunks of the delicious, crystalline cheese into her mouth.

Other photos showcase her impressive performances on the bars, but none have captured the public’s imagination quite like the cheese-themed images.

These playful shots were taken by photographer Gabriele Seghizzi, who features the full set on his website.

The photos have also drawn attention to Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s gastronomic haven, known for its culinary treasures, including prosciutto, filled tortellini, tagliatelle al ragù, and delicious cold cuts like culatello and mortadella.

Parmigiano-Reggiano, or parmesan cheese, is most famously made in the hills around Parma, about 65 miles northwest of Bologna. It must be produced in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantova to qualify as true Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cows are fed strict diets and it takes around 550 liters of milk to produce one of the giant wheels that Villa is sitting on for her pictures. Not that the wheels are formed immediately – they are left to age for a minimum of 12 months, though some more expensive cheeses can take 24, 36, 40 months or more.

At 12 months, each wheel is tapped by an inspector with a special kind of hammer to listen to its ageing progress. Each wheel is stamped with its own identity number, to prevent fakes and identify which factory it was made in, and is branded – literally – as a true wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Want to try it in its homeland? Bologna is the most obvious foodie destination in Emilia-Romagna. Here, in the streets beside the Basilica of San Petronio, there has been a market since the medieval period, and today dozens of shops sell dizzying numbers of different cheeses.

Less visited than its neighbors, Parma is the spiritual home of parmesan cheese. The city center is filled with delicatessens that often offer tastings of various cheeses aged to perfection before you buy. Local bars and restaurants serve up taglieri, or generous platters, of cheese and cold cuts. You can also tour parmesan factories in the surrounding hills, and don’t miss the Museo del Parmigiano-Reggiano in Soragna, just 40 minutes outside of Parma.

The Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium has also sponsored tennis star Jannik Sinner, so we hope to see captivating images from that partnership soon. But until then, there’s always the delightful experience of visiting Parma itself. Buon appetito!