Albanella

Albanella is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located 51 kilometers from the city of Salerno.

The town slogan is La terra degli ulivi, which translates to "the land of the olive trees" in English. Olive oil is one of the principal products of the town.

Geography

The town is located halfway between Monti Alburni and the Gulf of Salerno, on a hill commanding the plain of the Sele River. The rest of the municipal area is either flat or, between the Sele and Calore Lucano rivers to the north and Monte Soprano (1,082 m) to the south, hilly.

History

Lying on hills rich with olive trees, Albanella was founded in the 11th century by refugees from Paestum, seeking for a site which would be safe from Saracen raids. The most ancient settlement is in fact on the hill's side which is hidden from the sea.

Several archaeological findings are now in the National Archaeological Museum in Paestum and in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Albanella (grape)

Albanella is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Marche region where it is a primary component in the white Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines of Colli Pesaresi. The grape is often confused with the similarly named Sicilian wine grape Albanello and was long thought to be identical to the Tuscan wine grape Trebbiano but has established through DNA analysis to be its own distinct variety.

History and relationship to other grapes

While long thought to be a clone of Trebbiano, Albanella has also been confused with the southern Italian grape Greco bianco and the Sicilian grape Albanello. In recent years, DNA testing has determined that Albanella is its own distinct variety with possible close genetic relationship to the Sardinian wine grape Albaranzeuli bianco and the German wine grape Elbling.

Wine regions

While once widely planted throughout the Marche, today Albanella is almost exclusively grown in the province of Pesaro where it is the main component in the white wines of the Colli Pesaresi DOC. Here the grape can be blended with Trebbiano, Verdicchio, Biancame, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling Italico, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot blanc.