The Spadona pear

The Spadona Pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a summer pear variety with Italian origins which ripens up until late autumn.
 
 
This variety of pear has been well-known since Roman times, to such an extent that it even features in a fresco in Herculaneum!
 
The main characteristic of this particular variety of pear is its elongated and irregular shape, with its swollen lower half. The skin is light green, even when the pear is ripe, with red markings on the side exposed to the sun only.
 
Its pulp, which is whitish-yellow in color, is not very firm, but extremely sweet and juicy, with a slightly sour aftertaste. With an excellent shelf-life, this pear is best consumed fresh or used to prepare the traditional products and dishes of the area.
 
Its production is very widespread throughout the territory of the Roman town of Castel Madama and, from July 12 to 15, this fruit has a historical festival dedicated to it. So do not miss the chance to taste this delicacy of Roman agriculture in the town where it is most popular!
 
Castel Madama is a beautiful place in the province of Rome, perched on a hill, with narrow streets which wend their way up to the Castello Orsini, which dominates the town and the rooms of which were graced with the presence of Margaret of Austria, daughter of Emperor Charles V and bride of Ottavio Farnese, the feudal lord of Castrum Sancti Angeli, as the town was then known: it was, in fact, in honor of this noblewoman that the town changed its name to Castel Madama. To celebrate her arrival in the town each year a fifteenth century commemoration is held, an event well worth seeing!
 

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