DIGAMMA

SOCIETA’ CONSORTILE A RESPONSABILITA’ LIMITATA

To the U.S. First Lady

Mrs. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama

Bari, 19.06.2015

I am writing as President of DIGAMMA SCRL – BARI in Apulia, southern Italy. Your keen interest in my land and its ancient culture where the Mediterranean Diet was born is well known and that’s why I am writing to You.

My friends in Lecce dedicated a 1,400-year-old olive tree known as “The Queen” to You, US First Lady Michelle Obama, because of Your commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles.

“The First Lady has launched the ‘Let’s Move’ campaign for a healthier lifestyle and diet in perfect harmony with the requirements of a Mediterranean diet,” the Province of Lecce said in a statement on a dedicating plaque we wish to give You.

The ancient giant tree “The Queen” has a diameter at its base of 46ft (14m) and can produce up to 1,300lbs (600kg) of olives and roughly 26 gallons (100 liters) of extra-virgin olive oil a year.

DIGAMMA SCRL-Bari made a three-dimensional movie describing the giant olive tree, the oldest alive in that area and other similar trees together with relevant monuments and buildings in the same district, as a present to You to help You in best knowing of this territory.

The Province of Lecce is a the farming district in the south of Italy or, in American geographical terms, “the heel part of that boot-shaped country”.

Our olive trees are one of the main signs of identity of our land and maybe considered a crossing of nature, nurture and health.

Here we have now an actually critical situation due to severe “Xylella disease” of these olive trees.

Due to this disease our impressive thousands of century-old olive trees are in danger of disappearing; starting now from south Italy and then, if disease not halted, affecting entire mediterranean basin.

We need to arrange as soon as possible an actual international scientific taskforce (for which Digamma s.c.r.l. will provide its imaging technologies, three dimensional microscopy and others) to fight and to win this battle.

Yours is the voice not only of the First Lady of the United States, but also of a Person who has shown to have a great heart for the environment, its landscape, its history and its values.

Dear Mrs. Obama, help us to save our ancient history to deliver it to the people of tomorrow.

Deeply grateful for what You’ll do for us, sincerely Yours.

Prof. Vittorio Pesce Delfino

DIGAMMA SCRL BARI

______

Sede Legale e Operativa

70123 Z.I. BARI -Via Saverio Milella, 2 bis

Tel e fax +39 80 5316850

Anagrafe Nazionale Ricerche n. 56484XXE C.C.I.A.A. N.457213 P. I.V.A./C.F. 06024530724