talians eat fresh fruit all year round. Juicy fruits are usually served for dessert instead of sweets, and baked goods are only served for breakfast. Perhaps this is the secret to the slimness of the locals. So what fruits grow in Italy and what time of year is best to buy them?
10 fruits of Italy
Italians are sure that the most delicious fruits grow here, so they prefer to buy fruits from local farmers. This makes sense, as the country’s warm and sunny climate is actually very good for gardening. Many varieties of delicious fruits are grown here, which you should definitely try.
Lemons
Very popular fruit in Italy. The lemons here are large and very beautiful; they are added not only to tea, but also served with a variety of dishes – pizza , spaghetti, fish, and simply used to decorate the table. The juicy pulp and aromatic peel are used, from which a special Italian lemon liqueur called Limoncello is prepared. Lemons are sold from October to May at a price of 2.5 – 5 € per kg.
Oranges
This is the real pride of Italians. Blood oranges are especially prized. The soil and climate of Sicily are ideal for these fruits, so they grow incredibly tasty and, of course, rich in vitamin C. It is believed that the peak season for oranges in Italy is January, and these sunny fruits can be seen on sale from October to May at a price of approximately 1-2 € per kg.
Tangerines and clementines
In Italy, these fruits are also very popular. They are served both fresh and added to ice cream and other Italian desserts . They are sold from November to March, the average cost is from 1 to 3 € per kg.
Grape
The grapes ripen beautifully on the sunny slopes of Italy, filling with sweet juice. The choice of white and blue varieties is very large. The grape season lasts from July to October, the price per kilogram is from 2 to 3 €.
Watermelons
You should definitely try watermelons in Italy: here they are really sugary. The first watermelons ripen in June and you can enjoy these juicy giant berries until August.
Small watermelons weighing about 2.5 kg are also grown in Italy. They are no less tasty than the big ones.
You can buy large watermelons not whole, but, for example, take half or a quarter – the seller will cut off the required part and carefully pack it. You can eat them all summer, at the beginning of the season the cost per kilogram is 1 €, and at the end of the season it drops to 0.25 €.
Persimmon
Persimmons appear on Italian shelves in October and are sold until February. There are several varieties of this sweet and incredibly healthy fruit, and they are all good in their own way. Persimmons are sold in season at prices ranging from 1 € to 2.5 € per kilogram.
Fig
Usually sold in Italy for two months: from August to September. To try the most delicious and ripe fruits, it is better to go to the south of the country – there is much more choice there than in the north. Figs grow in Italian gardens to be especially sweet. Cost per kilogram is approximately 2.5 €.
Peaches and nectarines
The south of Italy is excellent for growing peaches and nectarines. From May to June you can enjoy aromatic fruits of all kinds, among which it is quite difficult to find tasteless ones. The price per kilogram varies from 1 € to 3.5 €.
Fruits of the prickly pear cactus
These are perhaps the most exotic Italian fruits. They are called fico d’India here. Prickly pear cacti grow everywhere in Italy, but to produce fruit on an industrial scale they are grown on special farms.
When buying this fruit, you need to remember that its surface is covered with tiny spines that dig into the skin. Knowing this, Italians pick fruit only with gloves. Before eating, the skin is cut and removed, and only the pulp, which looks like a raspberry-colored jelly-like mass, is eaten. A kilogram of fiki-d-india will cost about 3 €.
Which markets in Italy can you buy good fruits at?
Every big Italian city has a market that sells wonderfully ripe fruit. These markets are colorful and noisy, and the shop windows are eye-catching, like exquisite still lifes. It’s worth going to the Italian market if only to admire this beauty.
Trionfale Market in Rome
This is a large and vibrant market where Italian farmers bring their best fruits. By the way, you can buy here not only fruits, but also other locally produced products: all kinds of Italian sausages , cheeses, dairy products, spices.
Market in Via Osoppo Milan
A farmers’ market consisting of approximately 100 stalls, with approximately 70 stalls offering fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables. They also sell very good Italian cheese and quality meat products, as well as many, many flowers. This market is a real riot of taste and colors. In the morning there are fewer people at the market, so you can easily choose the products you need, and in the afternoon there are a lot of visitors, but by this time prices are also reduced.
Mercato Centrale in Florence
A large, noisy and colorful Italian market, which is equally popular with locals and tourists, and people come here not only for the food. On the ground floor you usually choose fruits, vegetables, sausages, cheeses, sweets, and baked goods. And having gone up one floor, visitors have lunch or dinner – all kinds of cafes and restaurants offer delicious Italian dishes , good wines and fresh juices.
Tips for successful fruit shopping in Italy
Markets and supermarkets in Italy delight with abundance and variety; there are both local fruits and those imported from other countries. But how to choose the best ones?
Choose locally grown fruits. Italians are in no hurry to buy overseas fruits; they believe that the best ones are those grown in Italy. Housewives always prefer products from local farmers from their own gardens.
Buy seasonal fruits. Italians know a lot about the best fruits and usually choose seasonal ones, as they taste better and also contain more vitamins and nutrients than those produced in greenhouses. The largest selection is in August and September.
Buy fruits from street fruit stands and small shops. Most often, locals buy fruit where it says “Prodotti Locali”, which translates as “local products”. It is in such retail outlets that you can find fruits grown by Italian farmers.
In small stores and shops, do not pick up fruit with your hands. When buying fruits in small shops and fruit shops in Italy, you need to know one rule: you cannot take the fruits yourself, but you need to tell the seller what you want to buy and in what quantity. Then the seller will be happy to weigh the product you like.