Calabrian citrus fruits at a glance
| Citrus | Where it is grown | Season | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clementines | Sibari plain, Gioia Tauro plain | late October – January | Small, sweet and fragrant, almost always seedless. |
| Navel (Navelina) oranges | Sibari plain and other coastal plains | late November – March | Blond orange with the typical “navel”, seedless, good for eating and juicing. |
| Vaniglia oranges | coastal areas of the region | December – April | Very low acidity, sweet and delicate taste, pale flesh. |
| Blood oranges (Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello) | several areas of the region | December – April, depending on the variety | Streaked or fully red flesh: the colour depends on cold winter nights. |
| Late blond orange of Trebisacce | Trebisacce, upper Ionian coast of Cosenza | March – May | Local variety that ripens when the other oranges are over. |
| Lemons | along both coasts | ours October – December | We grow the Liscione variety, with smooth peel. |
| Sweet lime (piretta) | mainly the province of Cosenza | November – February | Looks like a lemon but is sweet, with very little acidity and an intense aroma. |
| Pink grapefruits | Sibari plain | November – April | Pink, sweet and juicy flesh. |
| Yellow grapefruits | Sibari plain | December – March | More bitter and aromatic than pink ones. |
| Mandarins | grown throughout the region | November – February | Very intense aroma, thin peel, with seeds. |
| Bergamot | coast of the province of Reggio Calabria | November – March | Not eaten as a fruit: its peel gives the essence used in perfumery and in Earl Grey tea. |
| Citron | Riviera dei Cedri, upper Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza | summer – autumn | Large fruit with a very thick peel; the typical variety is Liscio Diamante. Mostly used candied. |
Why Calabria is a land of citrus
Mild winters, plenty of sun and fertile plains close to the sea: Calabria has ideal conditions for citrus. The best areas are the large coastal plains, such as the Sibari plain on the Ionian Sea and the Gioia Tauro and Lamezia plains on the Tyrrhenian, sheltered from cold winds by the mountains behind them. Almost every known citrus fruit grows here, including two that have become symbols of the region: bergamot and citron.
Clementines
Calabria is Italy's leading clementine-producing region, and the Sibari plain, where our groves are, is its heart. They are harvested from late October to January: early, mid-season and late varieties take turns throughout the winter. They are sweet, fragrant and almost always seedless. We explain why in our guide to clementines, while the differences between Comune, Nova, Tacle and the others are in the article on clementine varieties. We pick our seedless clementines by hand, only when an order comes in.
Oranges: blond, blood and late
Among blond oranges, Navel oranges are very common: you can recognise them by the small “navel” at the base of the fruit. We grow Navel (Navelina) oranges, in season from late November to March, and Vaniglia oranges, from December to April, which are very sweet because they have almost no acidity. You'll find all about Navels in our guide to Navel oranges and tips for juicing in juicing oranges: which ones to choose.
Blood oranges (Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello) are grown in several areas of the region and ripen between December and April. The red colour of the flesh comes from anthocyanins, pigments the fruit produces when winter nights are cold: that's why the colour varies a lot from one year to the next. We don't grow them.
Then there are local varieties. The best known is the late blond orange of Trebisacce, on the upper Ionian coast of Cosenza: it ripens between March and May, when the other oranges are over, and is protected by a Slow Food Presidium. All the oranges we grow are on our Calabrian oranges page.
Lemons and sweet lime (piretta)
Lemons grow along both coasts of Calabria. Our Calabrian lemons are of the Liscione variety and are harvested from October to December: they are the first citrus of the season.
Calabrian sweet lime, which everyone here calls piretta or sweet lemon, is little known outside the region. It looks like a lemon but tastes sweet, with very little acidity and an intense aroma: in Calabria it is also eaten in segments or juiced. It is in season from November to February. Ours is on the Calabrian sweet lime (piretta) page.
Grapefruits
Both pink and yellow grapefruits are grown in the Sibari plain. Pink grapefruits have pink, sweet and juicy flesh and are in season from November to April. Yellow grapefruits are more bitter and aromatic and are harvested from December to March. If you want to try both, there is the mixed box of pink and yellow grapefruits.
Mandarins
Mandarins are grown throughout the region and ripen between November and February. Compared to clementines they have a more intense aroma, a thinner peel and almost always seeds. The two are often confused: we explain the differences in clementines or mandarins. We don't grow mandarins.
Bergamot
Bergamot is the citrus most closely tied to Calabria: about 90% of world production comes from a narrow coastal strip in the province of Reggio Calabria, running from Villa San Giovanni towards the Ionian coast. It grows little elsewhere, because it needs a very particular climate. It is harvested from November to March, as the fruit turns from green to yellow.
Bergamot isn't eaten like an orange: the flesh is sour and bitter. Its peel gives a precious essence, used in perfumery and to flavour Earl Grey tea; the juice and zest are also used in pastry, liqueurs and marmalades. We don't grow it.
Citron
Citron is grown on the upper Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza, in the area aptly called the Riviera dei Cedri (Citron Riviera), between Santa Maria del Cedro, Diamante and Scalea. The typical variety is Liscio Diamante: a large fruit with a very thick peel and little flesh, used mostly candied. Every summer rabbis from all over the world come to Calabria to hand-pick the finest citrons, which are used for the Jewish festival of Sukkot. We don't grow it.