Vesuvius cherry tomato in sauce "The Prince"

TRADITION

An area inhabited since prehistoric times, the Agro Sarnese Nocerino played host to many peoples throughout history. Virgil and Silio Italico identify among the first inhabitants of the plain "Sarrasti", a tribe considered descended from the mythical Pelasgians that around 1600 BC came from Greece and colonized the South of Italy. Other authors, including the philosopher Aristotle and historians Polybius and Antiochus of Syracuse attest instead the presence of Opici in this area since the beginning, then overwhelmed and assimilated by the tribe of strain Osco-Umbrian, as precisely Oscans.

The plane then saw alternation of Etruscans, Samnites and Romans, all contending for the fertile land that still produce food of unparalleled excellence. Many of the historical cities were important centers, rich in history and traditions. Just look at Nocera, the ancient Nuvkrinum Alafaternum then known as Nuceria Alfaterna, center pivot of Agro then as now.

In the centuries after Christ there was a strong Byzantine presence in the area, who was succeeded by the Lombard principality of Salerno and the Norman. The residential areas of the centers of Angri, Scafati, Roccapiemonte etc. were formed next to the oldest Nocera and Sarno.

The agricultural vocation of the flat has been maintained over the centuries and now is the subject of strong appreciation by the institutions. Among the excellences there are Vesuvius cherry tomatoes, grown in the homonymous National Park at an altitude between 150 and 450 meters above sea level. The deep red colour, the tough skin that retains all the nutrients in the long term, the fresh and acrid taste, make this cherry tomatoes unique in the world and impossible to grow elsewhere. A local legend says even that the red colour is due to tiny drops of lava of Vesuvius that nourish the vegetable, giving it life and strength.

#History #Tradition #Gooty