n d a v o c a d o
Un unexpected encounter between Sicily and the tropics: citrus, a traditional produce of the Catania plain, is now combined with avocado which, thanks to the fertile lava soils and the fresh sea breeze, grows and matures well in this part of eastern Sicily.
Citrus groves traditionally represent, together with viticulture, Tenute Mannino di Plachi’s core business. Grown over an area of approx. sixty hectares, they produce – all year round – many of Sicily’s best known and sought-after varieties of lemons, clementines and oranges. Tarocco oranges (Scire, Gallo) with their typical red coloured flesh, the Ciaculli mandarin, and many fragrant varieties of lemon, citron and grapefruit. The orange trees blossom in April and are harvested with the arrival of the first winter cold, which is very unusual. Each tree is placed at a distance of seven meters from the one facing it and five meters away from its neighbour in the same row, as this allows optimal management of the orchard. Tenute Mannino also grows avocadoes, which thrive here on the slopes of the Volcano, between Viagrande and Tenuta del Gelso. Harvest time varies from November to January for the Bacon cultivar while, for the Hass variety, it goes from December to late spring.