Last updated on August 8th, 2024
There are certain ‘rules’ to Italian eating etiquette – and one of the top rules is eating with the seasons. You will never see an Italian eating a strawberry in August or a peach in January.
So, which fruits do Italians eat and when?
Italians don’t pick their produce based on what they are craving or based on a recipe they want to make. It’s all about what month it is, what is growing in Italy at that moment, and how good it will taste. To their point, why would you ever eat a mediocre strawberry in the summer when you can enjoy the best strawberries in the spring?
If you are coming to Italy and hoping to taste some of the best flavors of a particular time of year than read on to learn all about Italian fruits including:
- the most popular fruits in Italy
- how Italians eat fruit
- how Italian fruit is sold and where to buy it
- Italian fruits by season
- candied Italian fruits
Curious to know more about Italy’s seasonal foods, dishes, and produce? Check out
Foods to Eat in Italy in January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December.
Italian Fruits and Vegetables in Season in January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December.
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Eating With The Seasons in Italy
Italian cuisine is based on what is seasonal and grown locally. This means that winter dishes incorporate lots of leafy greens, root vegetables and squash – items that can withstand the winter months in a cellar or can be grown in colder temperatures (kale, swiss chard, turnip greens, etc.) while summer recipes are full of flavor and color.
Traditional Italian dishes were developed over time to reflect what grows well in a particular area of Italy, which is why we see so much regional variation from north to south across the Italian peninsula.
The best way to sample Italian cuisine is through its seasons. Eating based on what is readily available means eating the most flavorful and local foods.
Learn More: For a complete guide to eating seasonally in Italy, read Why Italians Eat Seasonally.
Learn More: Read 85+ Facts About Italian Food Culture!
Frutta vs Frutta Secca
Frutta or fruit in Italian is any kind of fruit as we know as fresh produce. Frutta secca, meaning dried fruit, isn’t actually what in English we refer to as dried fruit but rather, nuts and seeds including hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, etc.
How Italians Eat Fruit
Italians eat fruit primarily as a dessert after a meal or as a snack. For children, Italian fruit is a popular after school snack, especially in the afternoon. Most Italians like to end their meal with something that represents closure even if it’s just a couple of slices of pear, some grapes or even frutta secca.
Italians eat fruit typically whole by removing the peel with a knife and cutting it into bite size pieces. It’s not common at all for Italians to eat the skin of fruit or just bite into an apple. If they are not eating it whole, fruit in Italy will be served as a fruit salad known as macedonia or enjoyed for breakfast or mid-morning snack as a spremuta (freshly squeezed, usually orange juice).
How Is Fruit Sold in Italy
Fruit in Italy is sold by the weight, specifically in kilos or grams. You might also ask for fruit in quantities such as 6 apples.
If you are buying fruit at an Italian supermarket, you will need to choose it by picking it out with a plastic glove they provide, put it in a bag, weigh it on the scale and print out the barcode to be scanned when you check out.
When you buy Italian fruit from a market, you must specify what kind of fruit you are looking for. Do you want it ripe and ready to eat now? Are you hoping it will last a couple of days? Do you need it to be firm for a specific recipe? Are you hoping for a specific kind of apple? Be specific when ordering Italian fruits, using these helpful terms:
Helpful terms for buying Italian Fruit
| Italian Word | Pronunciation | English Translation |
| Vorrei… | vohr-reh | I would like… |
| un chili | oon kee-loh | one kilo |
| due chili | doo-eh kee-lee | two kilos |
| maturo | mah-too-roh | ripe |
| più maturo | pew mah-too-roh | more ripe |
| meno maturo | meh-noh mah-too-roh | less ripe |
| marcio | mahr-choh | rotten |
| frutta di stagione | froot-tah dee stah-joh-neh | seasonal fruit |
| frutta biologica | froot-tah bee-oh-loh-jee-kah | organic fruit |
| uno | oo-noh | one |
| due | doo-eh | two |
| tre | treh | three |
| quattro | kwaht-troh | four |
| cinque | cheen-kweh | five |
Where To Buy Fruit in Italy
The best place to buy fruit in Italy is at open air markets. Vendors will always be stocked up with the best seasonal and local Italian fruits and are super helpful in advising you on what tastes best at that time of year. To learn more about the best food markets in Italy, read
5 Food Markets In Florence, Italy – A Local’s Favorite Things To Eat And Buy
Top Markets In Tuscany
Incredible Food Markets In Italy – The Best Way To Eat On A Dime In Italy
If you can’t make it to an open air market, small mom and pop grocers or produce stores known as fruttivendoli will usually work with local farmers, ultimately selling the best produce.
And of course, supermarkets are always going to have fruits and vegetables (typically grown in Italy but not always). By law, stores have to tell you where the produce comes from so only buy Italian fruits to ensure the best quality.
Tip: Keep your eyes out the word nostrali written on signs which means the fruit was grown by the actual seller. It’s an indication of freshness and the most local possible choice.
Popular Italian Fruits To Try
Here is a short list of all the most interesting and popular Italian fruits to try while visiting (and also the most beloved fruits that Italians eat). Some grow in other parts of the world but others grow only here!
Arancia Rossa di Sicilia
This blood red orange grown in the winter months in Italy, sometimes labeled as the arancia Tarocco, Moro or Sanguinello, is the most famous orange grown around Mount Etna in Sicily. The flavor is not all too different from a regular orange but the color is deep red. It’s particularly popular among Italians to make spremuta, freshly squeezed orange juice in the winter when it comes into season.
Fico d’India
Fico d’India is a prickly pear fruit that grows wildly throughout central and southern Italy (but best from Sicily where it’s the warmest). The cactus fruit is quite sweet with an exotic taste.
Apricots
Apricots grow particularly well in Italy throughout the summer. In particular, the albicocca di Valleggia from Piedmont is worth trying, if you can get your hands on them. Other local varieties are the Vesuvian and Imola apricots.
Fico Bianco
The white fig from Cilento (il fico bianco del Cilento) grows exclusively in Cilento in Campania. You can find the fresh variety throughout the summer and dried DOP versions throughout the year.
Vignola Cherry
The IGP Vignola cherry is a cherry from Emilia Romagna, grown only in that designated area of Italy in the spring.
Fact: IGP and DOP produce and products are certifications that indicate a specific geographical location of foods, meaning they cannot be grown or produced in other areas.
Amarena Cherry
The Amarena cherry (found in the spring) is a sour black cherry that is used most commonly as a baking ingredient in classic Italian desserts or gelato flavors. It’s also used to make a sweet syrup which can be used for non-alcoholic beverages and cocktails.
Bergamot
The Italian bergamotto is a large bitter citrus fruit grown in the winter in Calabria used to make syrups, drinks and Italian candied fruit.
Dro Plum
The susina di Dro is an oblong egg-shaped purple plum from Trentino that grows in the summer. Its flavor is perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, ideal for eating raw and used to make jams and other preserves.
The Snuffbox Peach (Saucer Peach)
Known as the pesca tabacchiera in Italian, this flat, saucer shaped peach grows well in Sicily during the summer months. Although best from the south, it’s grown throughout all of Italy as well. This white peach is particularly sweet and crisp, ideal for eating raw as a snack or merenda.
Strawberry Grape
The strawberry grape (uva fragola) is one of the few grape varieties grown in Italy as fruit, instead of for making wine grown in the fall. When I eat this variety of grape, it brings me back to childhood drinking red grape juice, reminding me of that specific grape flavor.
Fragolina
Fragoline are a true treat if you can find them. They are baby strawberries, about the size of a blueberry (or smaller), which grow wild in Italy for a short window in the late spring or early summer (May or June), depending on the year. They are quite expensive but worth seeking out at a market if you have never tried them.
Good To Know: Vivoli gelateria in Florence is world famous for their fragolina flavored gelato made only when it’s in season. It’s a must try for gelato lovers in Florence!
Sorrento And Amalfi Lemons
Also known as Etna lemons, these Sorrento and Amalfi lemons are specific varieties of lemons cultivated in Southern Italy. These lemons, sweet enough to enjoy raw, are famous for growing on beautiful hillsides, dotting the Southern Italian coastlines. Although they are originally a winter Italian fruit, you can find them year round.
Italian lemons are used in numerous Italian desserts, sorbet and gelato as well as many fish dishes and even to make limoncello, one of Italy’s most beloved digestifs.
Citron
The citron, known as a cedro in Italian, is an enormous lemon, sometimes growing as big as a small kid’s basketball, typically found from December through March in Italy. Its flavor is more mild and sweet when compared to a lemon, making it ideal for cocktails and mocktails.
To read more about what to make with citron, check out A Quick Look at the Cedro + 9 Ways We Use it in Italy.
Persimmon
Persimmons or cachi are one of the more unique Italian fruits characterized by a bright orange skin and jammy, soft inside best enjoyed for dessert with a spoon.
Persimmons in Italy come in two varieties, one that can be sliced and eaten like an apple and the other, soft and used more commonly in desserts.
Loquats (Medlars)
Nespole in Italian are loquats or medlars, a unique fruit resembling an apricot but with a bitter flavor best described as a hybrid between an apple and apricot. It has a couple large pits inside, which should be tossed. Look for nespole in the spring in Italy.
Elderberry
Sambuco or elderberries grow wild in the mountains of northern Italy. They can be enjoyed raw or used to make liquors, jams, desserts and even teas. Elderberries are small black berries, similar looking to red currents in size and shape.
Keep In Mind: Elderberries can be confused with other poisonous berries so before eating what you have found on your hike, be sure they are actually Elderberries, not an imitation.
Mela Cotogna
The quince fruit (mela cotogna) is a true treat, should you find it in Italy. Over the years of living here, I find it less and less common as time goes on with prices skyrocketing. It’s a hard, sour apple-like fruit best made into a jam or other preserve to be enjoyed with cheese.
Corbezzolo
The strawberry tree is something I only learned about until I moved to Italy back in 2012. It’s a fruit bearing tree that produces small round red berries with a rough texture in the winter. It kind of tastes like a pear but is a bit bitter with a grainy texture. You most likely won’t see corbezzoli in supermarkets or for sale but rather, growing on the side of the road or in your hotel’s garden as a decorative tree.
Chinotto
Chinotto is a curious citrus fruit grown in the winter characterized by its bitter and slightly spicy taste. It’s rather strange and not particularly good on its own. Instead, it’s used to make a type of soft drink known as chinotto.
Seasonal Fruit in Italy By Season
If you are visiting Italy in a certain season, it’s helpful to have a general idea of what Italian fruit will be best to try during your visit. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines that may be determined by a specific year’s weather, rainfall and crop output.
Winter
Winter is when some of Italy’s most abundant fruit crops produce, starting with citrus, apples and pears in December. Look for apples, pear, clementines, oranges, grapefruit, lemon, citron, pomegranate, kiwi and the corbezzolo
Spring
Spring is a transition period for Italian fruits meaning you will still get a bit of citrus in March but then strawberries will start to crop up followed by cherries and medlars in May.
Summer
Summer is Italy’s most prolific time of year for Italian fruits. From June through September you can be sure to find a wide variety of any of the following fruits: berries of all kinds (blackberries, wild berries, currents, gooseberries, etc.), nectarines, apricots, peaches, plums, cantaloupe & other melon varieties, watermelon and some figs.
Good To Know: In Italian, nectarines and peaches are both called pesche.
Fall
From September through November, look for all different varieties of grapes (green, black and red), some varieties of apples, persimmons, figs in September and quince.
Nuts: Many nuts are harvested in the fall too such as chestnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Look for all kinds of nuts in their shells from late fall through the New Year.
Candied Italian Fruits
Because Italy has so many amazing fresh fruits and a 12 month growing season, it’s also natural that they have come up with hundreds of ways to preserve their fruit as well in jams, liquors, condiments, dried versions and even as candy!
Citrus is by far the most popular fruit used to make candied Italian fruits. The hearty and sturdy peel holds up well with sugar to long periods of storage. They are also used in some of Italy’s most beloved treats such as holiday chocolates, gelato, panettone and the Easter cake, the colomba.
Italian Recipes Made With Fruit
Italy loves fruit so much that it’s also a common ingredient in many of their most beloved desserts. If you are a dessert lover, be sure to try some of these while in Italy, should it be the correct season to try it in.
Tiramisù
Tiramsiù is a popular Italian dessert originally made from lady fingers, mascarpone cheese and coffee but there are several seasonal varieties made with fresh Italian fruit such as mixed berry and persimmons.
Try It: Trattoria Cammillo in Florence is famous for their persimmon tiramisù made in early winter.
Panettone
Panettone is a traditional Italian Christmas cake made from a sweet brioche dough dotted with Italian candied fruit and raisins.
Learn More: Check out
Pandoro Vs Panettone – An Italian Christmas Cake Showdown
How To Cut Panettone Correctly – Traditions From An Italian Family In Tuscany
Crostata
A crostata is an Italian tart filled with seasonal fruit preserves. The best are made from fruit that is stewed into a thick jam but commercially produced crostate may be made from conventional preserves.
Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is a popular Italian dessert made from cream that is cooked into a custard and sometimes served with mixed berries
Macedonia
Macedonia is Italy’s version of fruit salad served 12 months out of the year made from whatever Italian fruit is seasonal.
Torta di Mela
Apple cake is a popular everyday cake made in Italy and enjoyed as a snack or for breakfast. Look for it at bakeries and pastry shops or learn to make it at home with Italian Apple Cake Recipe – Italy’s Favorite Breakfast & Snacking Cake.
Sfogliatelle
Sfogliatelle are a Neapolitan pastry filled with a ricotta cheese cream, sometimes dotted with candied fruit.
Cassata Siciliana
Cassata Siciliana is a sponge cake from Sicily topped with a thin layer of marzipan and decorated with a green ring of frosting and candied citrus fruit.
Gelato
Some of the best gelato flavors are made with Italian fruits. Check out seasonal or daily gelato flavors highlighting the seasons harvest at any gelateria.
For my top gelaterie in Italy read Best Gelato In Florence – From A Local and Best Gelato In Venice – My Italian Family’s 10 Favorite Gelaterie In Venice.
Sorbet and Cremolata
Cremolata is a vegan Italian cold dessert made from both the juice and pulp of seasonal fruit. To learn more about cremolata and how it compares to sorbet, check out What Is Sorbetto? All About Italy’s Non-Dairy, Vegan Sorbet.
Italian Fruits FAQ
Frutti di mare is seafood, translating to ‘fruit of the sea”. It should not be confused with frutti di bosco, which are mixed berries.
