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In Bronte' territory, in fact, it is possible to cultivate nearly every
fruit and the brontese people, traditionally, have been mostly
farmers.
Are
still up to date the words of Giuseppe
Cimbali ("Nicola Spedalieri", Città di Castello, 1888):
"Bronte is a town of antithesis and contrasts for its nature
deeply varied. But, strangely enough, is a town eclectic per excellence:
almost unique in Sicily, reassumes all climates and is able to
produce any vegetation species. In fact, can produce what needs
cold and what needs heat, and can produce also what needs a
moderate temperature".
The grounds in the low part of the territory, along the Simeto
river, are cultivated as orchards (pears, peaches, citrus fruits,
etc.) and vegetables.
In the rest of the land there are cultivations of olives,
almonds, prickly pears (a spontaneous variety of which offers a
white fruit with almost no seeds), wheat and cereals of all
kinds, and, further more, vines and pistachio trees.
These last ones represent the most important item (the green
gold of Bronte) and, strangely, they are very comfortable,
just on the lava ground, that is prohibitive for any other type
of cultivation ("i lochi", nearly 3.000 hectares of lava
ground, with a very limited arable layers).
The
pistachio
is the principal economic resource of the territory; more than 30
thousand quintals is picked here and is sold at about 5.00
Euro a kilogram, with the skin, or 12.00 euro without it.
Well known for the superior quality are also the varieties of
fruit, dry or green,
(peaches, pears, apricots, produced along the Simeto fertile
valley, almonds, walnuts), wine and olive oil.
Excel also for their qualitative proprieties the cheese
productions: the cottage cheese (fresh, salted or baked), and all
types of cheese.
The best, for its peculiar characteristics and the ancient and
genuine taste, the sheep cheese with pepper (also fresh or
with chilly, or with pistachio or salami). |
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An organization of brontese fresh fruit producers "Le
Valli dell’Etna", soc. cons. a r.l. ("The Valleys of
Etna", Pty Ltd), born since about a year, with the target of
concentrating and promoting the typical production of the
area (above all, pears and peaches), just for the product high
quality, succeeded in gaining an important role on the market
of the big, national and foreign buyers.
In the territory have been discovered important fields
of methane, rich of liquid components (gasolina),
processed in a large degasifying plant built by Eni at few
kilometers from Bronte.
Finds it hard to take off, however, the principal resource that
the town has: the tourist initiative.
This would allow to change and revitalize the territory, placed between
the Etna and Nebrodi parks and the Simeto valley, the
ancient lava, the centenary woods, and the historic, artistic and
cultural heritage, a pole of tourist attraction.
Is a lost opportunity, as the tourist potentialities of this
territory and of the City of Bronte are remarkable. especially
for elite tourism.
The zone offers landscapes of rare beauty and suggestion,
environments of relevant naturalistic and scientific
interest, a town center rich of millenary history and traditions,
a good artistic and architectonic heritage, interesting
itineraries, religious and folkloristic manifestations, genuine
and spectacular, good cooking, clean, wholesome air and a
proverbial hospitality.
Today seems that something, finally, would start to move:
begins to take form an old project to create, inside the Etna
park, in the extremely beautiful valley of
Rocca Calanna, Dies district, a tourist pole,
comprising receptive and sports structures.
A small hotel-restaurant, in fact, is being built already in the
area. Our hope is that it shall not remain an isolated event,
fortuitous and not part of a program.
Ecological agriculture, farm holidays, quality control of
local and typical products and the promotion (above all of
pistachio and dry fruit), conservation and rehabilitation
of the territory, are the key elements for the requalification
and enhancement of the brontese heritage.
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The vine cultivation has developed a lot
in the past, particularly in the second half of the 18th century
when, in the area of Gollia and Bolo, all the fruit trees were cut down
and substituted with vineyards.
This choice, unfortunately, turned out
to be a disaster, as, few decades later, the Filossera arrival
completely destroyed the vineyards.
In that period the Nelson Duchy
establishments used to produce about 2.000 hectolitres of wine per year
(and also a very good Cognac), which was exported all over Europe. |
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