It’s apple season!

Harvest season in South Tyrol, the land of apples

Juicy, sweet, crunchy … did apples immediately spring to mind when you read that? Here are some fascinating facts about this beloved South Tyrolean fruit.

Apples are without a doubt the favourite fruit of South Tyroleans – and that’s no surprise, as with some 7,000 apple farmers, South Tyrol is the ultimate land of apples! The apple orchards in South Tyrol cover an area of almost 18,000 hectares – that’s as big as 25,000 football fields! Every year, almost a million tonnes of apples are harvested in South Tyrol. It’s hard to imagine such a vast quantity, isn’t it? September is the best time to harvest apples, as that’s when they’re lovely and red and juicy. If you choose to come to South Tyrol for your holidays during this time, you can see the apples shining in the apple orchards on your walks. By the way: Apples originally come from Kazakhstan and were brought to Europe via the silk road – to Ancient Rome, to be precise. Back then, though, the fruit was small and dry – not like the sweet, healthy snack that is cultivated and enjoyed today.

Gustav Thöni
Familienhotel Bella Vista ****

back to overview