The walnuts of the Sorrento Peninsula have long been prized for their sensory qualities. Of medium size, oval in shape with a rounded base and a slightly pointed tip, the thin, cinnamon-colored shell protects a pale, plump, crisp-tender kernel with a delicious, delicate flavor.
Historically in this area walnuts were grown symbiotically with olives and grapes in the hill terraces and intercropped with citrus in the lowlands. The nuts have a long connection with the area, and Sorrento walnuts were already being grown and appreciated by the Romans. Remains of fossilized walnuts and carbonized trees have been discovered at Herculaneum, and paintings of walnut trees have been found at the Villa dei Misteri in Pompeii. These days, the names of places and streets testify to the ancient link: The town of Piano di Sorrento, for example, is also known as Caruotto, from the Greek charouon, meaning walnut.
The walnuts are harvested between September and late October, depending on the area, by being knocked down with long chestnutwood rods, or by climbing the trees. The nuts are sold fresh, or dried on racks set out in the open air.
Many typical coastal recipes use the nuts: sauces, spaghetti with walnuts, confectionery (biscuits, nougat, semifreddo) and the famous liqueur known as nocino or nocillo. Sorrento walnuts are particularly appreciated by bakers and pastry chefs not only for their sensory qualities, but also because the kernel is particularly easy to extract whole from the shell.
Season
The walnuts are harvested between September and October
Back to the archive >Increasingly the fruits are left on the trees, which are not replanted when they dry out. It is a complex crop, grown in small marginal plots, often terraced, where it is not easy to harvest the nuts. Compared to the cultivation costs, the yield is not high and the walnuts do not fetch a fair price on the market, due to their size, which is often smaller than market standards.
The Presidium has been started in order to reactivate the local microeconomy and prevent the complete disappearance of walnuts from the area, which would have negative impacts for the local environment, landscape and identity.
Production area
Vico Equense, Meta, Piano di Sorrento, Sant’Agnello, Sorrento, Massa Lubrense, Capri and Anacapri, Castellammare di Stabia (on the Monte Faito slopes), Agerola and Pimonte municipalities, Naples province, Campania region
Presidium supported by
Region of Campania
Antico Casale Colli di San Pietro
di Mario Persico
Via Cermenna, 45
Piano di Sorrento (Na)
Tel. +39 333 7422518
info@ilcasaleantico.com
Giulio Dubbioso
Via Casini, 3
Vico Equense (Sa)
Tel. +39 347 9836968
agricoladubbioso@gmail.com
O’ Professore
di Luigi Maresca
Corso Italia, 236
Piano di Sorrento (Na)
Tel. +39 346 7615205
info@oprofessore1912.com
Maria Luisa Starace
Via Raspolo, 29
Località Massaquano
Vico Equense (Na)
Tel. +39 331 4295423
az_agr_miniero@libero.it
Le Terre Alte di Sorrento
di Vincenzo Astarita
Via Rivezzoli, 10
Sorrento (Na)
Tel. +39 368 7677393
leterrealtedisorrento@gmail.com
www.leterrealtedisorrento.it
Francesco Volpe
Via Cirigliano, 78
Moiano
Vico Equense (Na)
Tel. +39 334 3893484
ninoenza13@gmail.com
Ombretta Ferretto
via Belvedere, 8
Vico Equense (Na)
Tel. 3492149643
ombretta.ferretto@libero.it
Elena De Marco
Tel. +39 333 3308614
demarcoelena@virgilio.it
Presidium producers’ coordinator
Ombretta Ferretto
Tel. 3492149643
ombretta.ferretto@libero.it