The Prà de la Fam lemon house
Never have I seen an ecomuseum so alive: plants grown as they once were and fruits turned into gourmet products.
Where is
What it is and where it is
In size and location, the Prà de la Fam lemon house is one of the most spectacular citrus growing facilities on Lake Garda: a large terraced farm, open-air for three-quarters of the year, covered and glazed when the temperature drops, endangering the plants grown there in the open ground. A sui generis greenhouse, held up by thin stone pillars and covered with a simple yet ingenious system of planking and glazed panels. An old-fashioned system, of course, but one that amazes not only with its efficiency but also with its balance with its surroundings.
Why it's special
Dimensions aside, the lemon house is unique because of its location in one of the most spectacular stretches of the lake. One need only walk down onto the small beach to exclude the asphalt strip of the Gardesana from view. Thus, beyond the structures of the lemon grove, the gaze rises dizzyingly along the cliff dotted with laurel bushes and daring cypress trees. Then an iridescent reflection springs from the waters of a torrent rushing into the void. And with a setting like that, it is easy to imagine the epic of the gardeners who landed at Prà de la Fam to guard its treasure.
Not to be missed
Today, the lemon grove is considered more of an ecomuseum, a witness to an economic activity that has completely disappeared, but that does not detract from the fact that its organically grown plants produce quintals of citrus every year. What to do with them? Of course, gourmet souvenirs! Starting with zero-kilometer lemon marmalade, that is, processed by a historic company in the area, the Latteria Turnaria di Tignale. And then lemon syrup and liqueur, as per the most immediate expectation, but also curious products: citrusy olive oil, mostarda, salted peels...
A bit of history
Lemon cultivation was introduced to Garda by the Franciscans of Gargnano in the 14th century. Cedars and lemons at first were apothecary products, panacea for stomach and intestinal ailments. Lemons later became the main source of citric acid, a substance of varied uses, and their cultivation became an 'industrial' activity, so to speak. Then, in the second half of the nineteenth century, the progress of synthetic chemistry and transportation from the southern regions decreed the crisis of the Garda citrus industry, and in the last postwar period even the Prà de la Fam lemon house closed its doors.
Trivia
'Prà de la fam,' what a strange name! And there are several hypotheses regarding the characteristics of the place to deserve the appellation 'hunger meadow'. The most fictional one refers to its total isolation, before the opening of the road of course: woe betide being surprised by bad weather on this beach, as one risked being left for days on end without supplies before being able to get back out to sea. More likely, it was an unprofitable patch of land in terms of hay, and those who cultivated it would starve. Then someone saw fit to plant a lemon grove on it....
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