Aromatics International rang in 2008 with a trip to Italy in search of Bergamot! Happily for all of us, we were able to find a wonderful producer of bergamot in the “toe” of Italy, in the region of Calabria. After an enchanting 2 days in Rome, we flew to Calabria, and continued by car along the Mediterranean sea on a beautiful, twisting road through small towns and sweeping inland landscapes of Southern Italy.
We found Giuseppe or rather Giuseppe found us, huddled in our chilly hotel room (the south of Italy is COLD in early January!). He and his sister took us to their farm, where we were greeted by the family pig and acres of lush bergamot orchards. With much body language and laughter (little English spoken here, and no Italian from us…) we were able to learn about the process of abrasion and centrifugal extraction of bergamot oil. As each drop of the essential oil came out of the pipes, we grew more and more appreciative of the work and dedication Giuseppe and all of the small farmers/producers of essential oil maintain each day to provide the world with the beauty of these oils. We now carry Giuseppe’s oils on Aromatics International.
Winter is the perfect time for bergamot and indeed, all of the citrus oils as they uplift our spirits, seeming to carry the scent of the sun with them! We have been filling our diffuser with bergamot and grapefruit frequently these days, and filling our senses with the joy of their aromas.
Suggested blends to bring a little more sunshine into your day:
For the diffuser:
Mix 5 drops each of bergamot, grapefruit, and orange.
See more Bergamot pictures from Italy
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Andrea-
Your story and images take me directly to Italy, a country which is rich in human spirit, culture and agriculture. I can just image that your experience was amazing. I look forward to more travels with Aromatics International!
Thanks for sharing your adventure and is there an image of the family pig?
Best regards,
Lucy
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for the great email! I added the picture of the family pig to our flicker photos on Italy for you! Click on “See more Bergamot pictures from Italy” at the end of the blog on Italy and it will take you right to the picture!
Kind Regards,
Andrea
Oh Andrea! The next time you plan a trip to Italy, PLEASE let me know! I’m fluent in Italian! I adore Bergamot and the idea of returning to my beloved Italy to see how this amazing oil is produced has me dreaming this morning…Heavy Sigh…
PS I did a blog post on Bergamot here: http://thefragrantmuse.blogspot.com/2009/05/fragrant-friday-bergamot.html
Thanks so much for this. This might sound weird, but I spent the first couple of years of my teenage lifein Naples, then travelled around the world. Now I’m living in Australia, with my Chinese wife, and son we had whilst in Japan! Truly internationalized, eh? Anyway, I’ve been trying to rediscover the smells and tastes of my youth with some authentic Italian recipes like these, best I’ve found so far! Thanks again, I’ll see if I can add the feed to my google reader tonight, though my son usually does that for me!