Mantua and Cremona are the provinces with the most hectares - almost 396 and 92 respectively. They are followed by Pavia with 136, Brescia with 40, Lodi with 16, Milan with 15, Varese with almost 3 and Bergamo and Como with 2 each. Over the last three years, Cremona tripled its crops, while Mantua and Pavia have more than doubled them.
"35% of the domestic production is harvested in Lombardy, but pumpkins are cultivated also in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Campania, Lazio, Liguria, Sicily and Tuscany. Harvesting is carried out between mid-August and mid-September depending on the variety." The most popular varieties are Delica (small and green), Bertina (grey and larger), Americana (yellow, rather round and with evident ribs) and Violina (oblong). There are also many ornamental varieties of all shapes and sizes.
Prices hover between €1 and €2 per kg, while producers get paid between 30 and 60 eurocents per kg.