Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa clearly has unparalleled taste in sponsorships.
Though most Olympians are lucky if they get to promote sports drinks or athletic gear, Villa was once the face of one of her nation’s greatest treasures: Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
After helping her team take silver in women’s gymnastic, people on the internet were delighted to learn that the gymnast was a professional fan of formaggio.
Back in April 2020, Villa introduced her savory sponsorship with an Instagram photo of herself in a leotard hanging out with giant wheel of the grateable cheese.
“I am very happy to be part of the great @parmigianoreggiano family,” she wrote of the Italian food staple, which is legally required to come from the Italian regions of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua, making it far superior to a generic parmesan.
“Since I was a child I’ve always loved this amazing product, a symbol of excellence and Italian culture, and since today being able to collaborate with them makes me extremely proud and excited to face future challenges,” the caption went on.
Giorgia Villa finishes her routine on the uneven bars on Day 4 of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Tom Weller/VOIGT via Getty Images
Other posts showed Villa playing with snack-sized packages of the cheese or posing with giant rounds of Parmigiano-Reggiano. In one, she hugged a wheel and wrote, “Always together with my best friend @parmigianoreggiano, ready to start again and face new challenges!”
The last time Villa blessed the world with cheese content was August 2021, however. People confirmed her partnership with Parmigiano-Reggiano ended in 2022.
Though the gymnast no longer officially represents Parmigiano-Reggiano, the cheese consortium shared a statement celebrating Team Italy’s silver medal on Tuesday.
“The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium is always thrilled when the Italian team members, especially when so young, achieve such extraordinary results, and has always been sensitive to the world of sports,” the company said in a message to People magazine.
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The statement called Parmigiano “essential food in everyone’s diet and, in particular, that of athletes, who find in it a totally natural energy boost.”
Villa and teammates Angela Andreoli, Alice D’Amato, Manila Esposito and Elisa Iorio scooped up second place in the women’s gymnastics team competition on Tuesday, marking Italy’s first medal in the sport since 1928.