The Orange “Piattello” from Alezio

(Citrus sinensis)

The orange “piattello” is is spherical in shape, slightly flattened at the poles. The color of the peel and the pulp becomes red with the advance of maturation. The harvest takes place from January to May and it is a very productive plant, so that a single tree can produce up to 100 kg of oranges.

The tradition of this cultivation is attested by some studies in “Terra d 'Otranto” in the 1880s, but also by the presence of specimens of ultra-secular trees kept in some private gardens.

Francesca Casaluci