Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria

The bergamot

The bergamot is a tree with several irregular branches. It has dark leaves without thorns. Its white flowers are spherical, from green to bright yellow, with smooth, almost shiny skin. It propagates through graft only. In 1804, producers confirmed that the best trees come through grafting through the Lima di Spagna kind of tree only.

It has been demonstrated that bergamot, Citrus Bergamia or Citrus aurantium, has balsamic and curative properties that have been known and studied since the early 1800s.

Its usage, either in medicine to heal bober wounds, providing a stimulating effect, and to treat the Scabies illness with just a few drops of it, and in the treatment of sporadic fevers and other kinds of infections.

It is nowadays used to prevent cardiovascular diseases, stroke, arteriosclerosis and heart attack. It is advisable in the treatment of anxiety and depression, and used as a disinfectant and activator able to reduce ageing and help combat free radicals.

MATERIALS

Sponge bergamot essential oil

Ancient techniques for extracting oil from the peel date back to 1700 and are entirely manual. Due to its unique olfactory notes, it is unattainable with current extraction techniques.

Olfactory, it can be compared to a finished perfume as it is complete in its entire olfactory pyramid.

Harvest period: December and January, on request.

Bergamot Essential Oil – Reggio Calabria Area

It is known and famous for its particularly green, fresh, transparent top notes with a strong diffusion character.

Harvest period: December.

Bergamot Essential Oil – central Ionian area

50 km of the Ionian coast from which an essential oil is collected and obtained, which is particularly rich in its fruity and flowery olfactory profiles while maintaining the typical green and fresh notes of the essential oil.

Harvest period: January.

Petitgrain bergamotier

A niche product obtained from the distillation of bergamot leaves and particularly appreciated for its floral and woody notes at the same time, with a strong diffusive character.

Harvest period: April and May, when the gardens are pruned.

CULTIVATION

Don Nicole Parisio expanded his bergamot orchard, located near the seaside, in a non-windy and mild location.

The new bergamot cultivation has quickly spread all over the Apennine ridge in Reggio, alongside the sea, between flat spaces and deep valleys cut through torrents.

“Don Nicolo Parisio brought many improvements there with his budget. Especially in the land of Pellaro in Motta San Giovanni, in the land of Giunchy and the mulberry, the bergamot and other fruits.” (ARSC – Fondo Notarile, Notar Giovambattists Casili, inv. 81 b. 50 fasc. 371 f.86)

The Beginnings of PRODUCTION

Cesare Pace told me that, due to his huge family, which consisted of nine young children to care for, and having no other way to feed them, he decided to dedicate himself to the work of the Lambicco tool, used to extract spirits from bad wines, as well as the bergamot to skin.
This industry was introduced in Reggio by a Frenchman in 1815. He had been using it for a long time without receiving any complaints from the landowners. “
(ARSC, Intendenza, Atti relativi di Quattro Uffici, inv. 50 bis b 103 fasc. 146)

In 1820. many spirits producers used to extract bergamot oil at home.

This story is about silent, experienced people who dedicated their lives to extracting bergamot oil. Rhythmically, they used light pressure on top of the fruit, in front of the sponge and the bowl.

Around 1850, they introduced a new technique for oil extraction.
It was a machine supported by a solid, square wooden base. It had two bih, overlapping zinc bowls that were internally ribbed.

The first people producing them were Luigi Auteri and Nicola Barilla from Reggio.

In 1875, Giacomo Gangeri refined this machine, which later became known as the “Calabrian machine” over time. It can extract the oil very finely.

(ARSC, Prefettura, Atti generali inv. 14 b. 62 fasc. 268)

CONSORZIO DI BERGGAMOTTO REGGIO CALABRIA (1936.)

At the beginning of the 1930s, bergamot oil from Reggio Calabria was used by perfume companies worldwide to make precious perfumes.

In 1936, both large and small oil producers in Reggio formed consortia to protect oil production and sales and guarantee a high standard of quality for all companies.

The strong relationships between the Bergamot consortiums in Reggio and the perfume capital cities showed the importance of a unique, irreplaceable element for the perfume and makeup industry.

(ASCB, Archivio Storico Consorzio dell Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria, Sez 1.3.2 Raportti con Ditte)