On May 9th at 4 pm, in the Turin Book Fair, the historian Prof. Pasquale Amato will present his essay on “History of the Bergamot of Reggio Calabria”in the space of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Oval Pavilion) together with Antonella Cuzzocrea (Città del Sole Edizioni).
Pasquale Amato has reconstructed the fascinating history of the precious native citrus fruit of which the city of Reggio Calabria and the coastal strip of its province from Scilla to Monasterace have held world exclusivity for centuries. The historical path that emerged is that of the events of an entire community, involved in the fate of its richest deposit; events set in the scenario of both the Strait Area and the entire South, elements which are co-protagonists because their destinies coincided with those of the bergamot, influencing their successes and downfalls; events which, at least since the second half of the seventeenth century, have been intertwined with the history of Europe and the world, a direct consequence of the first European and then global projection in which the uniqueness and exceptional qualities of the Prince of Citrus fruits have dragged society and the local economy.
The past, the legend and many iconic episodes
The result is a fascinating fresco that goes from the mysterious origin shrouded in legend to the grand debut in the Court of the Sun King in Versailles; from Café Procope to the conquest of lounges, cafes and shops of the Enlightenment century; from the establishment of Eau de Cologne in 1704 to the first plantation in 1750; from the “bergamot bourgeoisie” to the “City of Bergamot”; from the last golden phase after unity to the first crisis, to the sophistication and attack of the synthetic; from the analysis of the reasons for the unfinished production cycle and the “business of others” to the signs of recovery at the dawn of the 20th century up to the watershed of the catastrophic earthquake of 1908.
The last decade
Finally, Amato wanted to outline the picture of the last decade, which represented the resumption of the centrality of bergamot. A recovery that has had flashes of light such as the relaunch of food use, the recognition of the DOP brand by the European Union, two national and regional protection laws, the launch of the Higher Institute of Perfumery up to the prospect of the Bergamot District . A project that would complete, in an eco-development logic, that economic cycle which, for the most varied reasons identified and described by the author, has never come to fruition.
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