Piennolo Tomato from the Vesuvius National Park PDO

The Piennolo tomato from the Vesuvius National Park PDO (Lycopersicon esculentum) is one of the most typical agricultural products of Campania, so much so that it even appears in the traditional Neapolitan nativity scene.
It benefits from the volcanic soil and the generous sun: it is said that even its “burning” colour is the work of the volcano, for legend has it that its roots feed on the lava of Vesuvius.

The Piennolo tomato from the Vesuvius National Park PDO is grown using a traditional method in which wooden stakes and iron wires are used: they prevent the berries from touching the ground and ensure that they receive the sunlight evenly.weigh around 25–30 grams, are round and have a small tip on the underside. The skin is leathery and the flesh firm and compact. Characteristic is the sweet-and-sour aftertaste, caused by the concentration of sugars and minerals.

This variety is also called “Piennolo” because the traditional preservation technique is based on the formation of “Piennoli”: these are pendulums – whole bunches harvested between July and August, strung on a hemp thread tied in a loop and joined into a single large strand that stays hanging in dry, airy places. This system favours slow ripening and makes it possible to have “fresh red gold” until the spring of the year following the harvest.

Over the months the tomato – though it loses firmness – takes on a unique, delicious flavour and becomes a fundamental ingredient of many typical Neapolitan dishes: it gives pizza, bruschetta, spaghetti, sauces, fish stock and many other recipes an unmistakable note.

The Piennolo tomato of Vesuvius is appreciated on the market both fresh and in the typical “al Piennolo” preservation – or preserved in jars according to an old family recipe of the area, called “Pacchetella”. The typical growing and preservation area of the Piennolo tomato coincides with the area of the Vesuvius National Park.

The tomato is rich in vitamins A and C, whose cancer-preventive effect is well known, in mineral salts such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium, essential for the proper functioning of the heart and muscles, and in lycopene, which has an antioxidant effect by stimulating the production of enzymes that block the cancer-causing action of free radicals.