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ROSARIO DI LORENZO

The Viticulture of Lampedusa, a heritage which is disappearing before being known.

  • Autori: Di Lorenzo, R; Carimi, F; La Mantia, T
  • Anno di pubblicazione: 2010
  • Tipologia: eedings
  • Parole Chiave: grapevine, variety, small Island, Sicily, landscape
  • OA Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10447/54896

Abstract

The study is focused on the viticulture of the island of Lampedusa, located in the strait of Sicily 113 km from the African coast and 205 km from the Sicilian coasts. It is a study that has no previous recorded documentations. The research was conducted on the island to a various number of vineyard farmers in order to describe cultivation techniques and the grape germplasm utilized. Viticulture is present on several tens of hectares but in recent years is vanishing quickly and currently survives thanks to a small number of old farmers who still practice agriculture. Moreover, the strong competition for land use strongly linked to tourism, makes the survival of farming in general even more precarious. Ungrafted vines were cultivated in a difficult environment because of severe drought and within valleys that typically characterize the island and plants are usually protected by stone walls that divide the parcels. The product was typically grown for wine but also for the production of fresh and sun-dried grape or preserved in alcohol. The trades made by the inhabitants of Lampedusa, who were fishermen and farmers, with other Mediterranean areas such as Tunisia, Malta, and Southern Italy promoted the introduction of new grape germplasm. In fact, several cultivar names of grape lead us to suspect that grape germplasm might be introduced in Lampedusa from Italy and Tunisia. Because of the small size of farmland and their fragmentation, agriculture can not be supported by the European Community. However, special systems of assistance should be considered in order to maintain the conservation of viticulture in the island.