The fields around Paceco, near Trapani, begin to fill with yellow melons from the month of June onwards. Early-ripening and very productive, they compete at the start of the season with melons from Mantua and the Sibari Plain, but by the end of July the price has fallen because of a glut on the market. The melons are no longer worth harvesting and they are left in the fields to feed flocks of sheep and goats.
The most commonly grown variety is Helios, which ousted the local heritage varieties in the early 1990s. One of the traditional varieties is the Paceco Cartucciaru, a heritage melon with an elongated shape with a rounded end. Its skin is smooth and yellow and the flesh white and juicy. The flavor is excellent.
Season
The Cartucciaru melons are harvested from June to August
Back to the archive >Today about 18 hectares are cultivated in dry land. The objective is to make this production rightly profitable.
Production area
Paceco Municipality and part of Trapani Municipality, Province of Trapani
Presidium supported by
Sicilian Region
Gaspare Fazio
Frazione Fulgatore
Via Rizzo, 264
Paceco (Tp)
Tel. +39 320 6558343
gaspare1927@libero.it
Salvatore Fazio
Frazione Fulgatore
Via Rizzo, 40
Paceco (Tp)
Tel. +39 389 141808
Francesca Simonte
Via I Maggio, 27
Dattilo (Tp)
Tel. +39 329 836797662
mimmo@tiscali.it
Francesca Simonte
Tel. +39 339 6210890
info@specialitadisicilia.com
Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Giuseppe Raineri
Tel. +39 335 6679150
slowfoodtp@gmail.com
