Metapontino: A Land of Delights

Metapontino: whereabouts of a blessed land
Metaponto is located in the province of Matera, on the splendid Ionian Coast. Metapontino is the name of the area surrounding Metaponto, a land stretching for some forty kilometres between Apulia and Calabria, blessed with a mild climate, which makes it one of the most renowned fruit-producing areas in Italy, with a long history.

Metapontino: a rich trove of delicacies
Excellent quality, year-long, highly-specialise produced, entrepreneurial dynamism and research are Metapontino’s strongpoints. Because of Metapontino’s favourable climate, strawberries, peaches, apricots, grapes, citrus fruit and vegetables are harvested earlier than any other production area in Italy. Another asset of Metapontino is the low humidity rate, a condition that helps prevent fungal growth, while reducing phytosanitary measures.

Metapontino: fruit and vegetable galore
Strawberries are farmed in the areas of Scanzano Jonico, Policoro, Marconia di Pisticci and Metaponto di Bernalda. Peaches and nectarines cover a 5,000-hectare area. Percoche, peaches with a hard, yellow pulp non-adherent to the stone (free-stone), are also farmed in Metapontino, as well as apricots, Japanese plums, European plums, actinidia and grapes. However, the land is primarily devoted to citrus farming. The lemon occupies a small area in the southern part of the region, on the border with Calabria. In the Tursi and Montalbano countryside, the history of citrus farming goes back to the Saracen domination. In this area, in addition to the navel orange, there is an indigenous variety with a high juice content: the Staccia orange. Vegetable farming in Metapontino include asparagus, cauliflowers, cabbages, broccoli, lettuce, endive, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, melons, fennel, artichoke and rocket (rucola).