THE COSTA D'AMALFI PGI LEMON AS THE PROTAGONIST OF VIETRI SUL MARE SUMMER

The presence of lemon groves on the Amalfi Coast dates back to ancient times, as some historical documents attest. The fruit was introduced by the Arabs, first to Spain and Sicily, and then to Campania. In Amalfi, however, its use spread mainly to combat scurvy, the disease due to vitamin C deficiency, which mainly affected sailors and seamen, who were forced to go for long periods without taking any. As a result, the Amalfi Republic stipulated that there should always be large quantities of lemons aboard the ships of the Amalfitans, and so it was that the terraces of the Coast began to host many lemon orchards to support both domestic and foreign demand, which soon became just as important. Today, the Amalfi Coast lemon has a thousand uses in the kitchen: it is the star of many typical recipes, from lemon coffee to limoncello to desserts, including delizie, babas and Amalfi kisses.

Every summer in July, the lemon is celebrated in a veritable festival held in Dragonea, a hillside hamlet of Vietri sul Mare. Now in its 16th edition, it is the only event on the Coast dedicated entirely to the so-called "yellow gold." At the event it will be possible to taste many dishes made with PGI lemons, created for the occasion not only by local restaurants and pastry shops, but also by the ladies of Dragonea, who each year demonstrate their culinary skills. Among the highlights you will find ravioli and scialatielli with lemon, grilled lemon scamorza, lemon chicken and octopus, and finally typical desserts and limoncello liqueur. 

The event is organized by the Transboneia 2000 association and aims precisely to promote the typical products of the hillside territories of Vietri sul Mare. Every year musical companies participate in the evenings cheering up the festival with songs and dances. In short, if you love this magnificent fruit, the appointment is for July 8 and 9, 2023 in Dragonea!