Albicocca, Armelline

Apricots were brought to Italy from China by the Arabs. It is a fruit with many varieties, including Cafona and Reale d’lmola. It ripens over the three months between June and September, depending on the variety. The velvety orangey-yellow-skinned and large-stoned fruit has a juiciness and flavour rivalled only by the peach. Italy produces about 200,000 tonnes of apricots every year, making it one of the largest producers in the world. It is grown in the warm sunny regions of Campania and Emilia-Romagna, two of the most fertile regions of Italy, as well as in Piedmont, Basilicata and Sicily.