Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio

Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio PDO designates small tomatoes of five named ecotypes — 'Fiaschella', 'Lampadina', 'Patanara', 'Principe Borghese' and 'Re Umberto' — grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Hybrids are prohibited. The designation covers fruit sold fresh, stored on traditional hanging 'piennolo' bunches, or preserved, all packaged within the production area.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO on 28 November 2006 under file number PDO-IT-0576 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013651), Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio PDO is produced and stored within a defined area of Naples Province comprising eighteen named municipalities and a delimited part of the municipality of Nola. The applicant body is the Consorzio di Tutela del Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP. The specification restricts production to five ecotypes known by the folk names 'Fiaschella', 'Lampadina', 'Patanara', 'Principe Borghese' and 'Re Umberto'. Hybrids may not be used. Fresh fruit must weigh no greater than 25 g, display a ratio between the largest and smallest diameters of between 1,2 and 1,3, and achieve a minimum refractive index of 6,5 °Bx. For the 'piennolo' storage format, harvested natural bunches ('schiocche') are intertwined on plant fibre twine and formed into a single large bunch weighing between 1 kg and 5 kg at the end of storage. These bunches must be hung above ground in a dry, ventilated place. No chemical treatment is permitted during storage; only physical systems such as insect nets and ultrasound devices may be used. Packaging must take place on the production holdings or in their immediate vicinity within the production area. Labels must carry the wording 'Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio', the designation 'Protected Designation of Origin' in characters larger than any other element, the Community logo, and the PDO's own identifying logo, which depicts the silhouette of the tomato with a stalk extending to form the profile of Mount Vesuvius.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 28 November 2006 under file number PDO-IT-0576, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013651.
• Only five named ecotypes — 'Fiaschella', 'Lampadina', 'Patanara', 'Principe Borghese' and 'Re Umberto' — are permitted; hybrids may not be used.
• Fresh fruit must achieve a minimum refractive index of 6,5 °Bx and weigh no greater than 25 g.
• 'Piennolo' storage bunches must weigh between 1 kg and 5 kg and may undergo no chemical treatment during storage.

Tasting notes

Campanian small cherry tomato from Vesuvius slopes, traditional "piennolo" hanging-bunch storage. Small bright-red tomato with thick skin, intensely concentrated sweet-tart-savory flavor with characteristic mineral-volcanic notes, exceptional storage (months).

HoReCa use

The specification notes that the product has traditionally been used to garnish pizzas and pasta dishes requiring intense flavour and aromas, and that the 'piennolo' storage method allows consumption of whole, unprocessed tomatoes throughout the winter following harvest.

Packaging

• fresh-bunch-piennolo-500g
• fresh-bunch-piennolo-1kg
• glass-jar-conserva-500g
• glass-jar-conserva-1kg

Seasonality