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Rosolino Palazzolo, a 44-year-old Sicilian farmer, has just finished picking the first pitanga (Surinam cherry) and acerola (Barbados cherry) on his farm in a tiny village called Terrasini, close to Palermo. He looks at the bright cherries in his hand, smiling proudly. These fruits would normally be found growing along the equator but, in the past...

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Tomatoes are the heart and soul of Italian cuisine. With its deep red color and luscious, succulent sweetness, biting into one of these beauties is unlike any experience you ever had. Originally hailing from Latin America, the tomato found its perfect home in the sunny southern regions of Italy during the 15th century. Italians quickly adopted this...

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Here at Better Homes & Gardens, we’re such huge fans of all things Italian food (call us, Stanley Tucci!) that it’s pretty close to impossible to find a pizza or pasta recipe we don’t immediately swoon over. That said, some fast-casual and delivery renditions, or even some restaurant or homemade recipes, can lack a bit of fresh flair. Since one of...

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These are agriturismi, which I learnt about on my first meeting with Paola, years ago in Milan. She explained that agriturismo (agritourism) was a working farm with accommodation and dining. According to the government-operated Agriturismo Italia, there are now over 20,000 agriturismo across Italy. Initiated by farmers after the second world war to...

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Armani has chosen World Environment Day to announce the start of the Apulia Regenerative Cotton Project, an initiative aimed at reintroducing cotton cultivation in the region of Puglia, in southern Italy, using an environmentally friendly agroforestry system. To launch this experimental initiative, the Italian fashion group has partnered with the S...

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The Sustainable Vertical Farming research project was launched in 2022 at the University of Bologna, together with the collaboration of the Universities of Naples, Turin, and Pauda. This project is coordinated by Prof. Francesco Orsini of the Department of Agri-Food Sciences and Technologies (DISTAL). With it, the research institutions want to addr...

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Olive plants have long played an important role in Christian symbolism. It was an olive branch that marked the end of the flood in the biblical episode of Noah’s ark, and in Psalms 51:10 the fruit of the olive tree stands as a symbol of the blessings of God in the lives of believers.  But not many of us may know that a rare white olive tree, also k...

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In Puglia and Basilicata, bunches of asparagus at small greengrocers have a wild look. These lanky stalks are distant relatives of the shoots you’d find packaged in a supermarket — because they’re foraged.  Learning the art of scavenger hunting for asparagus in forests, and king trumpet mushrooms among wild thistle, is a way of life in towns around...

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According to the latest Ismea report, 2022-2023 global orange production is estimated at 47.5 million tons, down 5% year over year. A decrease that, in Italy, stands at -25%. In this scenario, Sicily is the first Italian region in terms of area invested in oranges, with about two- thirds of the national total: compared to 2021, there is a decline o...

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According to recent Ismea research, Italian tomato production is around 1 million tons (+9.5% in 10 years); annual per capita consumption is about 18 kg, also growing, with +12.9% over the decade. In this framework, the region of Sicily ranks first in national production with about 40% of the areas, which total about 25 thousand hectares. The Pomod...

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