Amalfi Lemon Experience: the Aceto Family welcomes you to their Lemon tours and cooking classes to have a wonderful experience in their terraced lemon farm
A different and immersive way of getting closer to the very essence of the Amalfi Coast: the Amalfi Lemon Experience offers you a deeper understanding of this region,its lemons and how the locals keep this tradition alive and kicking
Gigino Aceto, one of the most well-known lemon farmers on the Amalfi Coast, in spite of his over eighty years of age, still climbs onto his lemon trees with an agility that everybody envies. Yet, he humbly smiles and shies away from all the compliments he receives because this isn’t a talent to be shown off but simply what he does to tend to the beloved lemon orchards he has dedicated his life to. The beauty of this story is that Gigino, which in Italy is a nickname meaning small one, and his son Salvatore are the safekeepers of a peculiar variety of Amalfi’s lemon, the juicy sfusato amalfitano, rich in strong flavor and aroma.
The use of lemons in medicine was well known since the Arabs’ influence which led to the cultivation of lemon trees in Amalfi and its surrounding areas. Here citrus trees are tended differently than other parts of Italy: they are planted on terraced fields called “macerine” and their ramifications are supported by chestnut poles so that the plants can easily be covered by veils and protected during the winter period from any damage.
The branches of the plants and their fruits are lifted in order to be kissed by the sun and the hand-made willow ties keep the structures together. Just imagine the hilltops covered by lemon trees gently degrading towards Amalfi and embracing with their vibrant colors and perfume from top to bottom the landscape which is enriched by the colorful houses and the blue of the sea completing the coastline view.
It is a postcard picture vision that is just breathtaking. This amazing sight has been the same for the Aceto family for six generations, but it is not just a lovely one for this family; living with the land is a way of life. The Aceto family has always been one with their sfusato trees, for Gigino and Salvatore even Italian coffee is drunk with a bit of lemon juice. They are farmers to their core: they tend to their produce as if the lemons were their babies, they worry about their health, they climb, hug, and check their plants. As much as their lemon groves have an important function for the territory of Amalfi and coast, the roots of the lemon trees prevent the soil from sliding down to the coast.
The same feeling of being one with and respecting the nature supports the idea of lemon harvesting: bees are essential for lemon flowers to be pollinated, so Gigino has his own beehives, which contribute to the organic tending of the plants and at the same time he is able to produce his own honey as well. The hard life of farmers that have to climb up and down the terraces stairs and bring heavy baskets of lemons on their shoulders is made easier by the ingenious cable car created by Gigino, that is used for carrying more than one basket in one single journey.
Although the excellent sfusato lemons are imported all around the world, the Aceto family does not want their idea of growing citrus trees to be linked to any volatile trends or to follow any whim of the touristy Amalfi coast. The genuinity of their lemon trees permeates their own concept of sharing their knowledge with others. On one side there is prized lemon produce, harvested mostly for food preparation like the limoncello or marmalade that the Aceto family produces; on the other side this family has their own lemon tours, cooking classes and Museum of rural culture Arts and Crafts in order to share with others the profound treasured understanding of the land and its traditions. It’s an endangered and ancient lemon planting culture that the farmers themselves want you to experience, through their own life and struggles.
This has been defined as “Heroic Agriculture” because withstanding the hardships and struggles, it is carried on as a work of love. The intent of the Amalfi Lemon Experience goes beyond itself, it teaches you a lesson of resilience which in this time and age we gladly take on. Suffice to say that the first piece of advice that is given to anybody enrolling in their Amalfi lemon experience is not to bring your sunglasses or camera, but to bring a pair of comfortable shoes!