The terraced village where L'Aquila saffron is grown
On the slope of a hill overlooking the Navelli plateau, south-east of L'Aquila, the village of Navelli rises in terraces of stone houses up to the Palazzo Santucci, a noble palace that crowns the top, in one of the most harmonious medieval villages in Abruzzo, one of the "Borghi più belli d'Italia". The plateau below is famous for a precious crop: saffron, the "Zafferano dell'Aquila DOP", considered one of the best in the world for its intense colour, its aroma and its high content of active substances. According to tradition, saffron was introduced here in the thirteenth century by a Dominican monk of the Santucci family, who brought the bulbs from Spain, and in the following centuries it became a source of wealth, exported to Venice, Milan and the markets of northern Europe.
The cultivation of saffron is still done entirely by hand, as in the past: the bulbs of the crocus (Crocus sativus) are planted in summer, and in October and November the purple flowers bloom, which must be picked at dawn, before they open fully. Then, in the houses, the families separate the three red stigmas from each flower, a patient work called "sfioratura", and dry them over the embers. About 150,000–200,000 flowers are needed to produce a single kilo of saffron, which explains its high price. In autumn, the village celebrates saffron with a festival, and in the restaurants it is used to flavour risottos, pasta and even desserts. Near Navelli, the small village of Civitaretenga also preserves an interesting historical centre.
Tip: come in late October to see the purple flowering of the plateau; buy saffron in stigmas directly from the producers.
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