Goethe wrote two centuries ago about southern Italy: “Do you know the country where the lemon blooms?”.
Later on, the futurist poet Cangiulo defines the Amalfi Coast as “the region of large oranges of gold, balls of orange wool, for sorcerers of love “.
The specificity of this land, formed by terraces that embrace the entire coast, its conformation (which could be considered as an island), its ancient history, that made it a protagonist with the Ancient Maritime Republic of Amalfi, and its biodiversity, make this land ideal for a real Mab Unesco Reserve. For this purpose is that the Associazione Costiera Amalfitana Riserva Biosfera (ACARBIO) was born in 2009. Since then, between the alternation of the various managers of regional and provincial bodies, it is developing various projects, with themes concerning environmental sustainability, the defense of the territory, and protection of biodiversity.
In front of our eyes we can observe how the terraced “gardens” for the cultivation of citrus fruits constitute the unparalleled feature of the site and that the “custodians” farmers of this land must be helped.
The lemons that hang down from the trees of the Amalfi Coast, in terraced systems, are mostly of a quality so sweet and taste, that is called “bread”, as it can be enjoyed sliced. The story tells that it was with a large basket of lemons from the Amalfi Coast and other citrus fruits with what the inhabitants of Minori convinced the Pope to return the lost bishopric to their cities. With the Mab Unesco candidacy, new prospects for sustainable development can be opened up. For everyone.