In the past, in many Italian and French cafes, on the sales counter, you could find a bowl with a majolica teaspoon full of small green citrus fruits immersed in Maraschino: they were chinotto from Savona, famous and unique for their quality, aroma and excellent reputation as a digestive. The evergreen plant can reach 3 meters in height and develops an incredible amount of fruit and flowers. During the harvest period, between September and November, it is possible to see clusters of small, bright green chinotto fruits among the leaves which, over time, turn orange. The scent they give off is intense and characteristic, a sign of exceptional shelf life, which allows them to be kept for very long periods. It is grown only along the coastal area between Varazze and Pietra Ligure, but it is a plant that is native to China. Around 1500, a navigator from Savona transplanted it to the Ligurian coast and this is where he found an ideal environment for the plant.
The first candying workshop in Liguria dates back to 1877, when Silvestre-Allemand moved to Savona from the city of Apt, in the south-east of France, where it had been actively done since 1780. The reasons for this move to Italy were certainly economically motivated, but also linked to the greater richness and variety of fruit crops found in the Ligurian territory. The variety, acclimatised on the Riviera di Ponente, also proved to be more suitable for processing due to its small size and thicker, more resistant and fragrant skin. It also ripened earlier when compared to other varieties. In a few years, many local establishments were born which, using the techniques introduced by the French, refined the art of candying, laying the foundations for an important tradition of pastries. Towards the end of the 1800s, the “Chinotti Cooperative Society” was founded in Savona which provided for both the cultivation, processing and sale of the fruit. The most intense period of activity of the candied fruit industry occurred between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The good fortune of this product continued until the 1920s, when short-sighted economic policies and an unusual succession of winter frosts marked the beginning of the crisis. A crisis that continues today: only a few chinotto plants are still cultivated in the Savona area and the conservation of the species is entrusted to botanical gardens and nurseries.
Only a few pastry shops still candied chinotto di Savona: these citrus fruits can in fact only be consumed candied – they are too bitter when they are fresh – or they can also be consumed in syrup. Processing begins with an immersion in brine – in the past, sea water was used – which lasts for about three weeks. The citrus fruits are then cleaned by hand to remove the thin layer of peel which contains the most bitter extracts and aromas, and then put back in the brine. After these steps the chinotto are ready to be transformed with successive boiling in sweet syrups of increasing concentrations and finally placed in liqueur, preferably Maraschino, or candied.
Season
Harvested from mid-September to late November, the fruit are also processed for consumption during the year.
Production area
The Riviera area from Varazze to Pietra Ligure, Savona Province
Presidium supported by
Savona Municipality
Presidente:
Marco Abaton
tel. 3473719212
marco@abatonbros.com
Segretario
Luca Ottone
tel. 340 6596754
chinotto1986@hotmail.it
The producers
Marco Abaton
Via Paleocapa, 21/3
Savona
Tel. 0198 335278
Cell. 347 3719212
marco@abatonbros.com
Paolo Berrino
Finale Ligure (Sv)
via Nicotera, 43
tel. 328 7326834
parch-be@libero.it
Maurizio Boggio
Via Brunenghi 74/76
Finale Lugre (Sv)
Tel. 338 3729411
maurizio.boggio@alice.it
Domenico Boiga
Finale Ligure (Sv)
località Chiazzari Perti, 4
tel. 019 687054
Giuseppe Carzolio
Finale Ligure (Sv)
via Don Scarrone, 22
tel. 339 2262373
gcarzolio@virgilio.it
Fabrizio Craviotto
Finale Ligure (Sv)
Via del Municipio, 22/4
tel. 328 7307347
ofacspotorno@gmail.com
Marisa Giribone
Quiliano (Sv)
via XXV Aprile, 34
tel. 339 5094966
Fabrizio Marrone
Finale Ligure (Sv)
località Chiazzari, 24
tel. 348 5290596
fabriziomarrone59@gmail.com
Marco Oliveri
Via Del Bracciale
Loc. Gorra, Finale Ligure (Sv)
tel. 340 5931636
marco.olli@hotmail.it
Vincenzo Olivieri
Finale Ligure (Sv)
Via Aquila, 24
tel. 335 6588086
gildo71@libero.it
Luca Ottone
Pietra Ligure, (Sv)
via Pollupice, 35/a
tel. 340 6596754
chinotto1986@hotmail.it
Gianni Ottonello
Finale Ligure (Sv)
Via Calice, 47
tel. 019 687055 - 347 9750827
gianni.ottonello@pec.agritel.it
Enrico Pamparino
Finale Ligure (Sv)
via Sottoripa, 8
tel. 348 4040557
pampaquila@gmail.com
Giacomo Pamparato
Finale Ligure, (Sv)
frazione Monticello
via della Pineta
tel. 3283780206
info@ilamo.it
Marilisa Parodi
Finale Ligure (Sv)
Via Sottoripa, 10
tel. 347 4075659
info@elementerre.it
Bruno Sacone
Finale Ligure (Sv)
Via delle Ville, 11/17
tel. 348 7903256
bruno.sacone@leonardocompany.com
www.sacone.it
Vincenzo Servodio
Via Vaccioli 3
Savona
tel. 0198 60507 / 392 9505742
vincenzo@besio.it
www.besio.it
Emiliano Stracci
Loc. Olle Superiore (Romana)
Finale Ligure (Sv)
tel. 339 4146383
info@emilianostracci.it
Luigi Taddeo
Finale Ligure (Sv)
Via Aurelia, 29
tel. 347 4412159
taddeoluigi8476@gmail.com
The producer-processors
Pier Paolo Morelli
Borgio Verezzi (Sv)
via Staricco, 14
tel. 019 610166
347 1061404 - 348 3839075
pierpandi70@gmail.com
Produces Savona chinotto oranges preserved in syrup
Alessandro Parodi
Finale Ligure (Sv)
via Aquila II, 15
tel. 019 692441 – 339 1337181 - 339 2665855
parodichinotto@virgilio.it
Produces Savona chinotto oranges preserved in syrup and two types of marmelade
Dalpian Il Sottobosco
di Luca Dalpian
Tiglieto (Ge)
località Acquabuona
via Bolla, 7
tel. 010 929298-347 8481507
info@dalpian.it
Produces Savona chinotto marmelade
Giacomo Parodi
Tel. 339 2665855
parodichinotto@virgilio.it
Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Carlo Brignone
tel. +39 338 4489118
jo52.g@libero.it