Italy: First Sicilian blood oranges on the shelf

The season of the PGI Blood Orange from Sicily started on Monday 19 December. This Sicilian citrus is known worldwide for its quality and healthy properties, thanks to the special climate conditions in the growing area around Mount Etna. By Christmas, the fruit will be back on the Italian tables. Gerardo Diana, President of the Consortium for the Protection of the Blood Orange of Sicily. In the background Mount Etna, which, with its climatic influences, promotes the ripening of this citrus. To celebrate the start of the season, Gerardo Diana, president of the Consortium for the Protection of the Blood Orange, climbed the top of Mount Etna. Diana set off on foot from the Sapienza mountain refuge (1,910 meters above sea level), carrying some Moro oranges blessed with lava-red pulp in her backpack, to reach the summit after 900 meters of altitude. “We very often mention Etna as an indispensable element for the ripening of our Protected Geographical Indication blood orange,” says ...