San Giuseppe Orange

The orange denomination of San Giuseppe identifies the specific Belladonna and Biondo tardivo di San Giuseppe varieties, cultivated and spread in the municipal area of Reggio Calabria, between the valleys of the Gallico and Catona rivers and, in particular, in the hamlet of Villa San Giuseppe, from which the name of the citrus fruit derives.
The fruit, orange in colour, has an oval shape, sometimes subovoid, apyrenous or with very few seeds from 1 to 3, weighing approximately 220 grams. The peel appears with a medium papillated surface. St. Joseph’s orange possesses a sweet and persistent flavor due to a high sugar concentration that tends to increase from March to May. Juice yield declines towards May-June, as does acidity. It is a late cultivar: the first fruits are appreciated between February and March and reach full ripeness between April and May, but can remain on the plant without damage until the end of June. The tree has a medium vigor and expanded canopy, rounded in shape, not very dense, the leaves are elliptical in shape, deep green in color, with a slightly rounded apex. The trunk and branches over three years old are equipped with bud cones, while the young shoots have short internodes.

The blonde oranges of St. Giuseppe are referred to as “the tsar’s oranges”, since, starting from the second half of the nineteenth century, in the spring-summer period, the Russian court and nobles moved to residences in the Crimea, on the Black Sea; during parties and receptions the tables were laid with the apples of St. Joseph, appreciated for their sweetness and lack of seeds. The “October Revolution” disrupted trade by sea between the Mediterranean and the East.
In February 2011, the municipal council of Reggio Calabria approved the De.Co. specification and regulations for the orange of San Giuseppe, in which it also provides for cultivation in “buffer areas” traditionally affected by this cultivation in the small neighboring municipalities, for about 6 kilometers from the coast and generally up to 350 meters above sea level.