Here in Calabria, when you hear the word “liquirizia” (Italian word for licorice), the first name that comes to mind is Amarelli. Not only is it the yummiest, it’s also a long-standing name when it comes to licorice production!
Amarelli is a family-owned company in Rossano Calabro, a territory known for its high quality licorice plants in the world, many say they are the best in world! The Amarelli family have been working with licorice plants for a long time, we’re talking since the 1500s, but it was in 1731 that the family began extracting the bittersweet juice from the roots of the licorice plant to make a wide array of healthy and natural treats. Today, they create everything from raw licorice to liquors, beer, chocolate and more which can be found throughout Europe, North America and Australia.
You can visit the Giorgio Amarelli Licorice Museum located within the family’s old 15th century residence. The museum opens its doors to 40,000 visitors a year, allowing them to experience the rich history of the family’s business through well-preserved documents, equipment and costumes. Next to the museum is a lovely shop where you can pick and choose from a large selection of licorice products. We suggest picking up one of their beautiful vintage looking tin boxes with pure licorice inside; it makes for a great keepsake or souvenir!
We visit the museum and tour the factory on many of our hosted tours and can arrange visits for travelers passing through the area. Contact us about including Amarelli in your Calabria vacation!
Image Credits: happy_serendipity
