The landscape of Abruzzo is really quite varied, due to the close proximity of the beach and 3000 meter high mountains, all within a half hours drive. There are also great, wide areas of national parks. As a consequence, the flora is diverse and abundant. The weather is also mild, with plenty of rivers and streams from the mountains, and very little frost and snow. These factors come together to create a rich, green, varied and protected environment , perfect for the production of bees and honey.
The Area of Abruzzzo and in particular the district of Lanciano/Vasto is a big honey producer, it includes the village of Tornareccio, famous for their honey and honey products. Lanciano hosts the Ass. Regionale Produttori Miele Abruzzo, which is a small business association for honey producers.
There are many types of honey from Abruzzo. Some are produced all over, others closer to the beach and others into the mountains. Each honey boasts unique properties which is useful to combat certain ailments. The honey changes consistency and taste depending on how mountains the area or proximity to the beach.
Millefiori, sulla and Acacia honey is produced throughout the area. Closer to the beach there is orange and Clementine honeys. Through the hills other types of honey do better, like sunflower, eucalyptus, rosemary, savory honeys. Chestnut, savory and forest honey are produced higher up in the mountains.
Each of the honeys offers different properties that benefit the consumer's health in different ways.
Millefiori Honey
The colour varies depending on the flowering area and season, the taste can be sweet but in Autumn also bitter. It is a honey which has a very rich pollen content and is beneficial to diseases of the digestive system and respiratory system.
Orange Honey
Light-coloured, fragrant flavor, delicate and velvety, antispasmodic, sedative, suitable for anxious people and for cases of insomnia. It also has healing power (indicated in ulcers)
Sunflower Honey
Intense yellow colour, it has attributed diuretic, stimulant, exudative, febrifugal (especially for children) properties.
Eucalyptus Honey
Light brown, shiny, aromatic smell, strong flavor but pleasant. Anti-asthma, anti-catarrh, antispasmodic, emollient, sedative for coughs. Antiseptic for lungs, urinary and intestines.
Chestnut Honey
More or less dark brown colour, intense scent and very strong flavor, tending to bitter. Rich in iron, stimulates blood circulation.
Acacia Honey
Light color, transparent and odorless, tastes sweet and soft, suitable for babies and small children, Detoxifying the liver and suitable for people with diabetes due to its very rich fructose content.
Sulla Honey
Ivory, diuretic, tonic, depurative. Suitable for external use against acne and pimples.
Rosemary Honey
Pale subtle smell, delicate flavor. A type of honey more suited for those suffering from liver disease , also excellent for the stomach and intestines.
Forest Honey
The colour is very dark, almost black, the smell is something special, vegetable, fruity and caramel, definitely lacking in the flavor aromas that characterize most other honeys. Appreciated by those who say they do not like honey , rich in minerals. It is tasty on bread or as a table honey (complemented with cheese for example)
Savory Honey
Honey typical of Abruzzo mountains, light amber colour with green reflections, persistent odor and taste, pleasing and characteristic. Offers antidiarrheal properties, stimulates the mind and it is a gastrointestinal disinfectant.
Clementine Honey
This honey is produced in the Piana di Sibari, one of the largest plains of Italy from the point of view of agriculture, and one of the most fertile and productive areas of the entire region of Calabria, an especially suitable area for the recognized PDO-clementine production. Light-coloured, with an intense smell between floral and fruity.
Royal Jelly
Royal jelly, also known as gelee, is a thick gelatinous milky white substance secreted from glands near the head of nurse worker bees. It is composed primarily of proteins (48%), amino acids, vitamins (group B) and fatty acids. It has been found to have antibacterial or antimicrobial properties. It also contains vitamins, minerals and other phytosterols like Neopterin , believed to play a role in our immune system.
According to PDR Health, 'Royal jelly may have hypolipidemic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities. There is very preliminary evidence that it may also have some antibiotic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and anti-cancer effects.'
The Pollen
Comes in the form of small granules located in the stamens of the flower. Each granular is a biological entity that encompasses all that is necessary for life; proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, enzymes, trace elements, vitamins. Its consumption has beneficial effects on physical activity and sport.
Propolis
It is used within the hive without substantial treatment to fix the parts to be repaired and strengthened. Propolis is essentially an antibiotic, anesthetic, healing and anti-inflammatory that is used in the pharmacopoeia.
Promotion and Marketing of Honey by CPA
CPA strives to develop Abruzzo throughout Europe in terms of its products, services and people. As honey is such a strong product locally, we have recognized the importance of incorporating it into our promotional activities, and this includes the health benefits of the honey and by-products. This has occurred through commercialization of the product, education of its benefits and uses and honey tours. Commercialisation has occurred through the Ass. Regionale Produttori Miele Abruzzo which co-markets honey throughout Italy. Educating people in the benfits and uses of honey is also important to sustain growth. Although many people understand that honey has health benefits, they are amazed at the science behind identifying which ailment can be eased by the consumption of a particular type of honey. By educating and promoting these features, honey becomes a more valuable resource and this in turn promotes sustainability of the farms. Once people are convinced in the benefits of honey, we need to encourage the wider use of honey to the same people. This education process also includes the application of honey in food and recipes and pairing it with cheese for example. Our guided trips allow tourists to see all aspects of the honey making process finishing up with tasting. They buy selections of the honey to take back with them, and understand much more regarding the specific benefits. Health based trips and environmentally sustainable tourism is an important future to green Abruzzo.
