Let's Plant the Future Together!
The Forest of Forgotten Fruits
In a world that moves too fast, we have chosen to slow down, to look around us, and to give something precious back to the Earth: time, memory, nature.
This is how Scopelliti 1887’s project “The Forest of Forgotten Fruits” was born — a tree-planting initiative focused on native species, designed to enhance the environment, preserve history, and promote biodiversity in the extraordinary beauty of the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and Calabria — one of the most enchanting places in the world.
An International Recognition
At the presentation of the project, we had the honor of meeting His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, President of the Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. His enthusiasm for our vision gave us new energy to continue on this important journey.
In the photo: Alessandro Isola Scopelliti, owner of Scopelliti 1887, alongside Prince Albert II of Monaco.
A Shared Ecological Vision
We’ve planted hundreds of native fruit trees that are on the brink of extinction — plants that tell the story of our land, our history, and our culture. These trees have been planted in public spaces because we believe nature is a common good, accessible to all.
Each tree is a message, each fruit a rediscovered memory. And every step taken among these trees is an invitation to reflect on the future we want to build together. We estimate that our forest will help absorb over 5,000 kg of CO2 every year.
“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.”
A Project Managed Directly, Without Intermediaries
Unlike many reforestation initiatives, The Forest of Forgotten Fruits is a project we take full responsibility for, at every stage. From selecting native species to planting, from ongoing maintenance to the enhancement of the site, everything is managed directly by Scopelliti 1887. We do not rely on external platforms or environmental organizations because we believe true commitment comes through direct responsibility. This is our tangible contribution to the fight against climate change.
A 130-Year History
We are a company with a long tradition. Since 1887, we have worked with passion, innovation, and respect for our land.
The Forest of Forgotten Fruits is our way of giving back value to the earth, cultivating the future, and passing on moral values to the next generation.
Visit Our Forest!
If you find yourself in Reggio Calabria, come walk among our trees. Discover the scents, colors, and stories that time has not been able to erase.
1. The Manna Ash Tree (Fraxinus ornus)
The manna ash is an extraordinary tree, rich in history and biblical significance. When its bark is incised, it releases a sap that solidifies upon contact with air, forming the famous manna. According to the Bible, God made manna rain from the sky to feed the Israelites fleeing Egypt during their journey across the Sinai desert.
Calabria and Sicily were the world’s leading producers of manna, exporting it abroad, where it was valued as a natural sweetener due to its low glucose and fructose content.
2. The Sorb Tree (Sorbus domestica)
The sorb tree is a hardy tree that requires little care and boasts remarkable longevity. In Calabria, between the 19th and 20th centuries, when farmhouses were the most vibrant and frequented centers of rural life, the service tree was a dominant crop. Farmers would harvest the fruits, known as sorbs, in October and then allow them to ripen further by placing them in straw or hanging them in clusters. Once fully ripe, the sorbs would turn a characteristic dark brown, ready to be eaten.
The ancient Romans particularly valued this fruit, and it was rarely absent from their tables. According to the ancient Greeks, the service tree was believed to ward off witches and evil spirits from homes, a popular belief that contributed to its widespread presence in the past.
3. The White Mulberry (Morus alba)
The leaves of this tree are the sole food source for the silkworm, a lepidopteran that, during its feeding process, creates the renowned raw cocoon, which is later spun into silk on looms.
This tree is an exceptional anti-pollutant. In addition to the leaves, the roots of the mulberry tree are also capable of performing miracles in purification, absorbing pollutants present in the soil.
4. The Quince (Cydonia oblonga)
The quince is a small tree that has been cultivated by humans for at least 4,000 years. Widespread throughout the Mediterranean, this plant was certainly grown by the Babylonians, as well as in Ancient Greece and the territories of the ancient Romans.
In ancient times, quinces were sacred to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and in later centuries, they have always been associated with fertility, often used as a symbol of good fortune during weddings.
Until the 1950s, the quince tree was very common in Calabria and Sicily, often used as a rootstock for grafting other trees. It also boasts a truly legendary past, as it was believed to bring good luck to farmers who owned even a single specimen.
5. The Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
These extraordinary fruits are renowned not only for their sweet and delicious taste but also for their nutritional and therapeutic properties, being rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Remarkably, they contain up to 20 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits.
Since ancient times, jujubes have been used to create alcoholic beverages in many Mediterranean civilizations, including the Egyptians and Phoenicians. Herodotus, for instance, mentioned jujubes whose fermented pulp produced a highly intoxicating liquid. Homer also referred to the state of intoxication caused by jujube liquor in the ninth book of the Odyssey, in the context of the Lotus-Eaters’ enchantment.
6. The White Olive Tree – Leucolea
Leucolea or Madonna’s Olive, is an ancient variety that nearly faced extinction. However, a few wild trees were miraculously rediscovered near an ancient Basilian monastery in the province of Reggio Calabria. This wild olive tree has a rich and sacred history: since antiquity, it has been used to extract Chrism oil, a holy oil traditionally employed in sacraments such as baptism, confirmation, and anointing of the sick.
The olives are unique because, when they ripen, they turn ivory white due to the loss of chlorophyll. The oil extracted from these olives was renowned for its purity: it is white and transparent, making it ideal for ancient sacred rites and also used for lamps in churches, as it burns without producing smoke.
7. The Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua)
This imposing evergreen tree, known for its slow growth and extraordinary longevity, can live up to 500 years. Its majestic canopy and long life have inspired numerous legends and popular beliefs in Calabria, such as the story of hidden treasures, or “truvature,” beneath its branches.
In the past, carob seeds were used as a unit of measurement for gold and gemstones due to their uniform size and weight, approximately 1/5 of a gram. This is where the term “carat” originates, derived from the Arabic word “khirat,” meaning carob seed.
Carobs, with their cocoa-like flavor, are notable for their nutritional properties and low-calorie content. This fruit is also known as “St. John’s Bread,” as legend has it that St. John the Baptist survived almost exclusively on carobs during his time in the desert.
8. The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)
This evergreen tree blooms in late autumn, producing clusters of white flowers that bear fruit the following year. It has been mentioned by many, including the Latin poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses and Virgil in the Aeneid. Due to its colors, it became the symbolic plant of Italy.
The fruits of the strawberry tree contain an alkaloid that, if ingested in large quantities, can cause a sense of intoxication and dizziness. This characteristic was already known in antiquity; in fact, Pliny the Elder named the plant unedo (meaning “I eat only one”).
Among the many virtues of the strawberry tree, the most remarkable is undoubtedly its ability to adapt to fires. It is one of the Mediterranean species best suited to recovering from fire, vigorously sprouting new shoots after being exposed to flames.
9. The Azarole Tree (Crataegus azarolus)
The azarole is a rare and fascinating fruit, a true wonder of nature now on the verge of disappearing. Once widespread, this fruit plant was particularly cultivated in countries with a warm climate along the Mediterranean, with a notable concentration in Calabria.
The azarole is a member of the Rosaceae family, producing small fruits similar to apples, with a maximum diameter of 5 cm. Its flavor is unique, balancing acidic and sweetish notes, which makes it appreciated both for fresh consumption and in the preparation of preserves and jams.
Today, the azarole has almost disappeared from tables due to changes in the agri-food sector. Large-scale distribution has favored more resistant and easily preservable fruits, to the detriment of more delicate varieties like the azarole, which deteriorates quickly and requires special care.
10. The Common Medlar (Mespilus germanica)
In the past, the common medlar was widespread throughout Italy, cultivated since ancient times. Its fruits, rich in vitamin C, are edible but should not be confused with those of the Japanese medlar, which was introduced into the Mediterranean in the mid-19th century and is now very common.
Medlars are harvested in the autumn, but initially, they are unripe due to their high tannin content. To make them edible, they must undergo a ripening process in a dry, ventilated environment for about two months.
Even in ancient times, this plant was considered to have great symbolic value. The Greeks consecrated it to Cronos, while the Romans associated it with Saturn, believing it to be an amulet against the negative influences of witchcraft.
The famous “Casa del Nespolo” in Aci Trezza, Sicily, made famous by Giovanni Verga’s 1881 novel I Malavoglia, takes its name from a majestic medlar tree that once stood in its courtyard.
11. The Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas)
Cornelian cherry fruits are drupes, similar in size to olives, characterized by a bright red color that darkens as they ripen. This plant is notable for its extraordinary resistance to parasites and diseases. Its fruits can be eaten fresh or transformed into delicious jams.
Cornelian cherry wood, known for its exceptional hardness, has historically been used in the construction of mill gears. The ancient Romans used it to make the shafts of javelins for soldiers in the phalanx. It is said that Cornelian cherry wood was also used to build the Trojan Horse.
Today, the Cornelian cherry is a rarity that deserves to be rediscovered and promoted, both for its unique flavor and its fascinating history. Preserving and cultivating this plant means keeping an ancient tradition alive and safeguarding a natural heritage that risks disappearing. Preserving this ancient plant helps safeguard a precious heritage of flavors and aromas, ensuring that future generations can rediscover its qualities.
12. The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
The hawthorn is a thorny, long-lived shrub, capable of surviving up to 500 years. Once a symbol of hope and fertility, its flowers were used to decorate brides and wedding altars, as did the Greeks and Romans, who also associated it with fairies. The small red fruits, ripe between November and December, are edible and much appreciated by birds and wildlife.
Celebrated by Giovanni Pascoli, “Oh! Valentino dressed again, like the jugs of hawthorns!” the hawthorn once played a key role in Italian rural tradition. In Calabria and other regions, it was used to create hedges between farms—impenetrable natural barriers thanks to its thorns and intertwined branches. However, these hedges have almost disappeared today, as modern agricultural vehicles require open passages.
The hawthorn has regained some notoriety thanks to the Harry Potter saga, where it is mentioned as the wood chosen for the manufacture of magic wands.
13. The Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana)
Once widespread in Southern Italy, the Quercia Castagnara is now an endangered species, almost impossible to find.
It owes its name to its sweet acorns, low in tannins, which make it similar to the chestnut. Its main habitat was the Ionian side of the Reggio area, particularly between the Amendolea River and Bova.
The acorns were a valuable food resource during times of famine, especially after field fires caused by Islamic pirate raids. During the great famine of 1763-64, they were the only sustenance for many Calabrians. Dried and ground, the acorns were mixed with wheat or barley flour, and during the Fascist period, a coffee substitute was also made from them.
In the area of the Amendolea Castle, a vast forest of chestnut oaks once covered state-owned land. However, in 1863, after the unification of Italy, the trees were cut down for timber, leaving the landscape bare and vulnerable to landslides.
14. The Winter Pear Tree
This variety of pear played an essential role in the subsistence economy of Calabrian peasant families. Each cultivated field or vineyard typically hosted at least one specimen of Lisciandruni pear, a plant widespread along the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts of the province of Reggio Calabria.
The fruit was harvested according to a long-established tradition: farmers picked them a few days after the grape harvest. The pears, initially hard and inedible, were carefully arranged in the basements of homes, known as catoi, placed on reeds away from the light to encourage ripening. The right moment to eat them was recognized when the pulp yielded easily to the touch of a finger. At that point, the pears had taken on a deep yellow hue.
The name of this variety is also curious. Lisciandru is a Calabrian variant of the name Alessandro, while Lisciandruni could mean “the big” or “the fat Alessandro,” perhaps referring to an individual who once owned many of these pear trees.
15. The Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus)
The sour cherry is a hardy and resilient plant, closely related to the sweet cherry tree, though smaller in size. It adapts easily to a variety of climates and soils, tolerates the cold well, and is also appreciated for its beautiful spring bloom—a cloud of white flowers signaling the arrival of the warmer season.
Its fruits, medium to small in size, are characterized by their dark red color and soft, juicy, and pleasantly tart flesh. They are rich in B vitamins and vitamin C, and are commonly used to make artisanal jams, syrups, and liqueurs with a strong flavor.
Despite the tree’s robustness, the fruit of the sour cherry is surprisingly delicate. It should be consumed fresh, as it begins to lose its freshness soon after harvesting.
16. The Black Pomegranate Tree (Punica Granatum nero)
The black pomegranate is a rare and fascinating variety, offering a spectacular flowering in May, followed by the formation of pomegranates weighing on average between 100 grams. The skin, of an intense purple color, encloses seeds (arils) that are a very dark red almost black when fully ripe.
The flavor is bold: sweet and sour, slightly acidic, with an astringent note that makes it truly unique. Precisely because of its resilience and the ability to produce fruit during a season when nature offers little, the black pomegranate was once commonly found in the gardens of Calabrian homes. It still survives today in the gardens and historic courtyards of some buildings in the province of Reggio Calabria, especially in the municipality of Palizzi, where it remains an integral part of the local landscape and memory. A rare fruit that combines beauty, resilience, and tradition.
