Italian town joins mayor on morning walks to help him lose weight and the crowds are growing every day

Running a city is a demanding job that can easily take a toll on physical and mental well-being. But after securing a third term as mayor of Valdobbiadene, Italy, 47-year-old Luciano Fregonese is prioritizing his health. Located in the Veneto region, Valdobbiadene is famous for its prosecco production, and now its mayor is on a mission to shed weight gained during years of long hours and “convivial obligations,” according to The Guardian.

Fregonese’s goal is to walk daily to reduce his weight from 140 kilograms to 90, after years of long hours and “convivial obligations” added to his waistline. “For sure, it was a question of laziness and a sedentary lifestyle too, but being mayor meant I no longer did any sport or physical activity,” Fregonese told the outlet. “The other problem is that I enjoy eating and drinking, also because you eat and drink well here and so it’s not easy to follow a diet.” Fregonese oversees the town with 10,000 residents, which is known for its prosecco manufacturing.

“I enjoy an occasional glass of prosecco when in company but it was more the food and the irregular eating hours,” he revealed, before adding, “So I would only eat maybe once a day, but it would be late at night. It wasn’t an aesthetic problem: I began to not feel so great, it was an effort to walk and breathe and my knee and back were hurting. I am 47 – an age when you have to pay attention to your body. Fortunately, I am otherwise healthy.” His friends joked that he should focus on his weight loss during his re-election campaign, which worked in his favor as Fregonese defeated his political opponents with 67% of the vote.

When someone scrawled the word panzone (Italian for “tubby”) on a town wall, Fregonese saw it as a sign to get back in shape. “I wasn’t bothered by it,” said Fregonese. “But it did spur me on. A friend suggested walking together on Thursday evenings, which is when I have meetings with residents, but then I decided to combine the two,” the mayor said. He started walking 5.5 km every day, and this included a 250-meter uphill hike for which 45 residents initially joined him. “The week after we got 113 and last week it was 215 and 12 dogs," the mayor continued. "People come to support me in my goal, and I would say about 10% use the opportunity to ask me questions. But the majority come to walk too and chat with others."

"It is very motivating as I wouldn’t do it alone – it would be too boring and I am too lazy," Fregonese added. “Maybe in the future, but for now it’s just walking.” Fregonese wrote in one of his Instagram posts. "158 people and 5 4-legged friends. 5.2 km and 250 meters of overall elevation, travelled in 1 hour and 5 minutes with a 10 minute stop in San Floriano to listen to the Jazz Trio: Rob Daz on trumpet, Max Ravanello on susaphone and Jacopo Zanette on render and percussion," he added in the caption, referring to a jazz band that joined him and the residents in one fo the walks.