Top of the World
The figs of Pisterzo are one of the main typical products of the province of Latina that are consumed particularly in summer and produced precisely in the town of Pisterzo. They have an opaque green colour, fleshy pulp and an extremely delicious flavour. Pisterzo figs are one of the typical products that should not be missing from the tables of Pontine summers. The figs of Pisterzo have always represented a small part of the economy of the country, in fact, along with the cultivation of oil and sheep farming was the only source of livelihood of the families of the small village Pontine. Each inhabitant had, and some continue to have, their own flat figs to eat them jealously at home with friends and relatives. The figs of Pisterzo, especially before the two world wars, were collected by the women of the village who went to the countryside with their wicker baskets to sell them in the nearby villages, especially in Priverno. This activity was for many families the only source of livelihood and many of them, given the low profitability of the work and the two world wars, were forced to emigrate largely to Canada. Different varieties of figs are cultivated in Pisterzo, but the most famous are the San Pietro, one of the tastiest varieties, grown in the hamlet of San Pietro. Moreover, their name derives from the fact that this variety ripens in the last week of June in conjunction with the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The festival of the figs of Pisterzo is certainly one of the most important events of the Pontine town and the province, established in 1982 takes place on the first Sunday of July. During the evening are distributed figs, there are musical performances, typical products and local wines.
