AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow?
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0:00 - 0:03♪ (music) ♪
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0:03 - 0:05(Nicole) On Italy's Amalfi Coast
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0:05 - 0:08there's a food farmed
nowhere else on Earth. -
0:08 - 0:11Caring for it requires fearlessness,
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0:11 - 0:12breathtaking agility,
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0:12 - 0:14and a deep connection to the land.
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0:14 - 0:17This is a young man's trade
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0:17 - 0:21but it's done almost entirely by old men,
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0:21 - 0:23and I've come here to meet
one of the greatest. -
0:24 - 0:25♪ (music) ♪
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0:42 - 0:44(Nicole) Gigino just turned 83,
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0:44 - 0:48he's spent his whole life
tending a very special kind of lemon. -
0:48 - 0:50here on the hillsides of Amalfi.
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1:07 - 1:10(Nicole) Gigino and his son
Salvatore have invited me -
1:10 - 1:13to harvest the fable Amalfi Coast lemon,
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1:13 - 1:15sfusato amalfitano
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1:15 - 1:19a variety that's celebrated
for its sweetness and aroma. -
1:20 - 1:21But first, café!
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1:21 - 1:23(Nicole) Saluti!
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1:23 - 1:25(Nicole) With a twist of lemon, of course.
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1:27 - 1:30That's really good!
(Laughter) -
1:31 - 1:33(Nicole) I'm ready to go now. Let's go!
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1:33 - 1:34(Salvatore) Now you're ready.
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1:35 - 1:36♪ (music) ♪
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1:36 - 1:40(Nicole) The name, sfusato, comes
from the lemon's taper end, -
1:40 - 1:42like a spindle or fuso, in Italian.
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1:45 - 1:47This is sfusato amalfitano.
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1:47 - 1:48The original!
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1:48 - 1:52(Nicole) Only sfusato grown along
the 20 miles coastal strip -
1:52 - 1:54between Vietri and Positano
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1:54 - 1:58can legally be sold
as Amalfi Coast lemons. -
1:58 - 2:02This is the preferred habitat
of the sfusato amalfitano, -
2:02 - 2:07and attempts to commercially grow it
outside of Italy have failed. -
2:38 - 2:41♪ (music) ♪
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2:41 - 2:45(Nicole) Gigino often works in the most
precarious place possible... -
2:46 - 2:50atop the mountainside pergolas
that support the trees. -
2:50 - 2:51♪ (music) ♪
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2:57 - 3:01(Nicole) This breathtaking aerial act
has earned Gigino and his cohorts -
3:01 - 3:02a nickname:
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3:03 - 3:04the Flying Farmers.
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3:05 - 3:06♪ (music) ♪
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3:13 - 3:15(Nicole) It's easy
to drive along the coast -
3:15 - 3:19and think the cascading lemon terraces
are entirely ornamental, -
3:19 - 3:21they are just postcard perfect.
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3:21 - 3:24But that's what this coast does to people,
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3:24 - 3:26it gives us delusion of grandeur,
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3:26 - 3:30that all of this is here purely
to fulfill our fantasy of paradise. -
3:30 - 3:33But in reality,
the lemons play a vital role, -
3:33 - 3:36not only in the livelihood
of farmers like Gigino, -
3:36 - 3:39but in the very survival
of the Amalfi Coast, -
3:39 - 3:41literally, the survival.
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3:41 - 3:45The roots of these trees are anchoring
the soil to this sheer coastline. -
3:45 - 3:47Now, the farmers are aging,
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3:47 - 3:51and there's not exactly a line of people
clamoring to take up this work. -
3:51 - 3:55As more farms have been abandoned,
the mudslides have increased. -
3:55 - 3:57♪ (music) ♪
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3:59 - 4:03(Nicole) Gigino's farmland
includes an ancient terrace grove -
4:03 - 4:05that overlooks the heart
of Amalfi and the sea. -
4:05 - 4:07Up here feels worlds away
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4:07 - 4:11but it's staringly close
to the bustling streetlife below -
4:11 - 4:15where you can hear
children playing as Gigino works. -
4:15 - 4:18It's terrifying to think of
what would happen -
4:18 - 4:19if these terraces crumble.
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5:15 - 5:19(Nicole) It was only recently
that Gigino's eldest son Sal -
5:19 - 5:20quit his cushy accounting job
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5:20 - 5:23to become his father's apprentice.
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5:23 - 5:25He knew that if he didn't act now
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5:25 - 5:30then a legacy of over two centuries
and five generations would die with him. -
5:31 - 5:33(Salvatore) He teaches me
day by day and I'm learning. -
5:33 - 5:35It's difficult because
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5:35 - 5:41it's difficult to learn
80 years of experience. -
5:44 - 5:48(Nicole) Gigino tends two seasons
worth of lemons at the same time. -
5:48 - 5:51The ones he'll harvest this year
from February to September, -
5:51 - 5:54and the babies
that will be next year's crop. -
5:54 - 5:56Gigino's lemons are organic
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5:56 - 5:59not because he's trying to conform
to any modern day standard, -
5:59 - 6:01but rather the opposite,
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6:01 - 6:04because he's farming the way
his family has farmed for generations. -
6:06 - 6:09(Nicole) The spring is such
a special time to be here. -
6:09 - 6:12The trees are uncloaked from the netting
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6:12 - 6:15that protects the fruit
against wind and hail. -
6:15 - 6:19The trees bloom perfuming the air
and luring bees to pollinate. -
6:19 - 6:23The Aceto keeps their own hives
and harvests the honey too. -
6:23 - 6:27The fertilized flowers grow into fruits
which start up as green as limes. -
6:27 - 6:30A third of Gigino's lemons
are used to make limoncello -
6:30 - 6:32in their own small factory.
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6:32 - 6:36The rest goes to ice cream
and other limoncello factories -
6:36 - 6:37and a few to fresh markets.
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6:38 - 6:40- (Nicole) Can I try?
- (Gigino) Yes. -
6:42 - 6:47All right, these are real deal shears.
(Laughter) -
6:47 - 6:48Ok.
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6:55 - 6:57All right, we want leaves on these.
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6:57 - 7:01The branches and the leaves
also indicate that is really fresh, -
7:01 - 7:05that is coming straight from the farm.
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7:08 - 7:10(Nicole) I've got this one.
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7:10 - 7:12(Gigino speaking Italian)
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7:12 - 7:15(Nicole) It's not for me --
(Gigino speaking Italian) -
7:15 - 7:16(Nicole) He'll do it!
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7:17 - 7:19I can get this one, though...
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7:19 - 7:21It's heavy enough!
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7:22 - 7:25♪ (music) ♪
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7:26 - 7:28- Saluti!
- Saluti! -
7:34 - 7:37(Nicole) I've seen
a lot of tough farm work -
7:37 - 7:40but I really can't think of
a more challenging terrain than this. -
7:40 - 7:45Heavy loads have to be hauled
up and down narrow craggy steps -
7:45 - 7:46from terrace
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7:46 - 7:47to terrace
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7:47 - 7:48to terrace...
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7:49 - 7:52But Gigino also claims a unique advantage.
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7:52 - 7:57He's got one of the most technologically
advanced poling systems on the coast. -
7:57 - 8:00- I'm serious, this little cable car!
- (Dog barking) -
8:06 - 8:08(Nicole) Cable car aside,
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8:08 - 8:12watching Gigino's farm is
stepping back in time 200 years. -
8:12 - 8:17He crafts each pergola himself
from the chestnut trees in his forests -
8:17 - 8:20and then, he uses pliable willow branches
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8:20 - 8:23to tie the pergola to
the limbs of the lemon trees -
8:23 - 8:25to lift them up to the sun
which sweetens the fruit. -
8:26 - 8:29Preparing the willow ties
is an ancient practice. -
8:30 - 8:33Watching him do this fills me
with a deep sense of privilege. -
8:34 - 8:36It's like, I'm seeing
a tradition so fragile -
8:36 - 8:40that if I blink, it may cease to exist.
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8:56 - 8:58(Nicole) It's Sunday
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8:58 - 9:02and three generations of Aceto
are gathered under the pergolas for lunch. -
9:02 - 9:04There's pasta, sausages and flank steak
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9:04 - 9:07and, of course, lemon cake.
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9:08 - 9:13You know, in its heyday Amalfi was
an incredible, powerful maritime republic, -
9:13 - 9:16and a gateway to the continent
for Arab traders. -
9:16 - 9:19They are the ones who first
brought citrus to this coast -
9:19 - 9:21in the 10th century.
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9:21 - 9:24Ever since, wealthy visitors
from near and far, -
9:24 - 9:27have volleyed
for the keys to this kingdom. -
9:27 - 9:30Most of the aristocrats that
lorded over this land are long gone, -
9:30 - 9:34but the local people they hired
to care for these orchards, -
9:34 - 9:37their lineage remains and for now,
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9:37 - 9:42for as long as the roots of their trees
can hold this place together, -
9:42 - 9:44this land belongs to them.
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9:45 - 9:48♪ (music) ♪
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11:00 - 11:04(Nicole) My time with the Aceto is over
but our adventure is just getting started. -
11:04 - 11:10I'm heading to nearby Naples to discover
how lemons have inspired Italian cooking. -
11:10 - 11:12Join me to learn from this dashing lad.
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11:12 - 11:13- Ciao!
- (Laughter) -
11:13 - 11:16a delicious lemony pasta that's so easy,
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11:16 - 11:18you can master it at home.
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11:18 - 11:21So, stay tune for Part 2 of
our Southern Italy special. -
11:21 - 11:23English subtitles by
Jenny Lam-Chowdhury
- Title:
- AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow?
- Description:
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Meet the “flying farmer” whose unique lemons (sfusato amalfitano) are farmed nowhere else on earth — AND discover why his lemon trees are literally saving the Amalfi Coast from ecological disaster.
(DISCLAIMER: I don't own this video and I'm not monetizing it. This is a copy only used with the purpose of adding subtitles and making it accessible to more people around the world.)
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- Eating With My Five Senses
- Project:
- TRUE FOOD TV: How Does It Grow?
- Duration:
- 11:23
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? | ||
Jenny Lam edited English subtitles for AMALFI COAST LEMON | How Does it Grow? |