Bergamot of Calabria: from table to scent

The king of Calabria's native citrus fruits, the Bergamot of Calabria, is the protagonist of a travel proposal that smells of orange blossoms and Mediterranean.

An itinerary along the "Bergamot Route" is an intoxicating experience, inspiring and lulling the senses, just as it has been for the travellers, perfumers and poets who have travelled it in every age.

What makes the Bergamot of Calabria so precious, so much so that it is called "Green Gold"? Let's find out together, with a trip along the Ionian coast of Reggio Calabria and its sun-kissed province.

Smooth, green, fragrant like no other citrus fruit in the Mediterranean.

The Bergamot of Calabria is unique, as unique is its history and the events that have consecrated the essence of Reggio Calabria bergamot one of the most prestigious PDOs of Calabria, coveted by perfumers halfway around the world.

The result of a spontaneous mutation undergone by the lemon (limetta) or bitter orange in the area around Reggio Calabria, as far as the so-called Costa dei Gelsomini (Ionian coast), the Bergamot of Calabria has made an extraordinary rise in the world of cosmetics and confectionery.

The year was 1686, when a famous Sicilian ice-cream maker opened the oldest café in the world in Paris, Café Procop, at whose tables ice creams, sorbets and syrups flavoured with Bergamot of Calabria water were served, launching the sought-after essence onto the market. The same one that tickled the nose of his shop neighbour, the apothecary who first had the intuition to transform the essential oil of bergamot Calabria into a perfumery essence.

So you do not know, my beautiful lady, that in every most exotic and most international perfume, if it is to be a perfume of class, there is the product of Mr Bergamot. This vegetable fixative, born in one of the most beautiful corners of the world, from a poetic tree, with a most excellent aroma, is itself a true perfume.

Kazimiera Alberti (The Soul of Calabria)

Writers, artists and travellers of every era make false papers to get a few drops of the renowned Calabrian essence. The "Vate", Gabriele D'Annunzio, claimed he could not do without it to conquer his mistresses.

What are the actual properties and benefits of Bergamot of Calabria today? What is the supply chain process that has decreed the Green Gold a branded product, with the name "Bergamot of Reggio Calabria - Essential Oil PDO"? 

The essence of Reggio Calabria bergamot is obtained from the fruit of 3 varieties (Feminella, Castagnaro and Fantastico, all belonging to the species Citrus Bergamia Risso), using a process that draws on ancient gestures and jealously guarded secrets.

Harvesting takes place between November and March, strictly by hand: after breaking the stalk with the thumb, the bergamot is immediately placed in the box. Extraction was also once done by hand, with the so-called "sponge" method, but today a more profitable cold extraction is preferred, with the "cold pressed" method, using a special peeling machine.

The particular microclimatic conditions of the area give the Bergamot of Calabria the organoleptic properties that make it unique: the fruit has strong antiseptic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Its sour flavour does not make it edible in its natural state; on the other hand, after processing its sweetness is the basis of fine liqueurs, creams, icings, jams, soft drinks, slushies, ice creams, candies and even candies.

To get to know the secrets of Bergamot of Calabria at first hand, it is necessary to take a tour of its city of origin, Reggio Calabria, allowing yourself to be won over by the scents of the Strait.

First stop is the Citrus Museum, among the 7 business museums in Calabria, where it is possible to admire the machinery used for the extraction of both the essence of Reggio Calabria bergamot and the juice, the two elements at the basis of all subsequent processing from antiquity to the present day.

The museum's "star"? The famous Gangeri Bergamot Machine, derived from a model invented in 1840 by Nicola Barillà from Reggio Calabria. The rich photographic collection illustrating the cultivation, harvesting and processing of the Bergamot of Calabria is flanked by one dedicated to two other important Calabrian essences: jasmine and the opium poppy.

A visit to the "City of Bergamot" is completed by a stroll along the Falcomatà Seafront, a tour of the not-to-be-missed National Archaeological Museum housing the Riace Bronzes, and the discovery of the Art Nouveau buildings housing several perfumeries and herbalist shops where you can buy the must-have souvenir: a bottle of Bergamot of Calabria cologne.