The art of growing lemons on Lake Garda

Who

Fabio Gandossi - Limonaia La Malora

Where
Via Libertà,  2 – Gargnano (BS)
When
48 hour notice. Every day.
Duration
1.5 hrs
Participants
Min 6 - Max 12
Language
Italian, English
Price
€ 25 per person, children € 15

A lemon syrup like no other in the world

The experience

La Malora lemon garden is a journey back in time, an image that evokes sounds and smells from the past. The turbulent Malora creek and the mill wheels turning in the water accompany the Franciscan monks singing psalms while they tend to their lemons. We are in 1500 and this is the reality back then: a flourishing industry on the western shore of Lake Garda. At the time, the shore of the lake was sprinkled with citrus groves that were rigorously cultivated by hand. The lemons, rich in citric acid, were mainly sold to northern Europe.
Today, Giuseppe and Fabio follow the same methods and ancient wisdom to yield 20,000 lemons per year, which they sell and use to produce jams, citrus-based liquors, and lemon syrup.
The ancient lemon garden will provide an exclusive experience: a narrated tour of the location and the cultivation techniques, lemon harvest, and production. We will be in charge of pressing the madernina lemons – the ancient local variety – and collect the juice that will be pasteurized at 70-75 degrees, and after adding sugar will become syrup ready for bottling.
The seeds remaining after the pressing operation will be planted in small pots with soil and will produce new plants, to preserve this old tradition and the quality of this production.

Aimed at

Families with children, travellers curious about and fascinated by Lake Garda and its unique features. People who are passionate about nature and traditional, healthy cultivations.

What you bring home

Fabio’s passion in leading you through the lemon garden, where he explains what he learns about this tradition and his life choice. The knowledge of the ancient art of growing lemons on Lake Garda. The bottle of concentrated syrup pressed with our own hands.

Also visit

San Francesco church, with the cloister and capitols engraved with citrus grove motifs, a testimony of this ancient cultivation.
Lemon garden route along the typical alleys of Gargnano.

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