Cinque Terre - Limoncino

Lemon and Limoncino

I have always loved lemon. It is not only delicious but healthy, fragrant and nice-looking as well. I like it in any form: ice cream, lemonade, cake or tea. In the villages of the Cinque Terre, I have taken several photos of lemons in colourful baskets or locally made ceramic bowls. The yellow of lemon and the blue of the Ligurian sea match so nicely…

Lemon trees are all over the place, almost everyone has one in the garden. There is even a lemon festival in Monterosso, see details under Festivals.

Gastronomy - Limoncino

Italian lemon and Limoncello are famous not only around Sorrento and in Sicily but in the Cinque Terre as well, thanks to the sunny climate. The tasty liqueur is called Limoncino here.

Local restaurants often offer you Limoncino at the end of the meal. If you visit a family, they will probably serve you their homemade liqueur. If you would like to take home this real mediterranean drink, you can buy it in any shop in the Cinque Terre. Of course, you can also make your own Limoncino.

Gastronomy - Limoncino

Recipe for limoncino

  • 5 big lemons
  • 1 L 90% pure alcohol
  • 1-1.5 L water
  • 800 g sugar

Peel the lemon. Mix the yellow of the lemon zest with alcohol in a closed container and leave it to ferment for 4-5 days.

Dissolve sugar in water. Add less water if you would like a stronger liqueur. Add the water/sugar mixture to the container with lemon and let it ferment for another 5 days. At the end, filter well, fill it in bottles and put it into the freezer. Serve it in chilled glasses!

If you would like to find out more about limoncino, watch this short video with Cesare, the owner of the "BURASCA" store in Manarola.
Italian gastrotrip: how to make limoncino?