‘Gloria limonum et fructus inter omnes nobilissimus,’ wrote the botanist Johann Christoph Volkamer of the bergamot in 1708, in considered one of its first recorded mentions. This interprets to ‘the glory of essentially the most noble of all of the lemon fruits’, and over three centuries later, within the southern Italian area of Reggio Calabria, it continues its reign.
To put this into perspective, bergamots are to Calabria what Parmigiano Reggiano is to Emilia-Romagna, what prosciutto is to Parma, and what Montepulciano is to Abruzzo: its most prized and protected export.
Which is why, in formulating its new fragrance, historic Milanese home Acqua di Parma sources bergamot oil from the world’s most expert consultants, citrus processing firm Capua 1880, which extract oil from over 22,000 tons of bergamots, lemons, limes and candy oranges a yr. Bergamotto di Calabria, the latest member of the model’s Blu Mediterraneo vary, comprises a wealth of expertise inside its elegant bottle.
Based between Campo Calabro and San Gregorio on the rugged Ionian coast, the 140-year-old Capua 1880 produces 65 per cent of the world’s bergamot oil from 1,600 hectares of fields within the surrounding hills. The distinctive inexperienced fruit with its mottled floor thrives within the heat, windy, mineral-rich microclimate.
The fifth-generation family-run enterprise is additionally the final place on this planet to make use of the time-honed artisanal technique of ‘la spugnatura’ to extract the valuable oil, affording Acqua di Parma the chance to supply a very special, limited-edition run of the scent.
