Free Guided Tours:
Discover how we make
our famous limoncello

Sorrento Lemons

To produce our Limoncello di Capri, we only use certified "ovale di Sorrento" local heirloom lemons. This variety of lemon is large, shaped like an oval, has an bright yellow peel, and is particularly aromatic. The fruit is prized for its juicy, acidic quality.

The trees that produce this variety of lemon are wrapped in plastic or cotton sheeting to protect the fruit from cold temperatures and rain, allowing it to mature later in the season for a more intense flavor. There is a small grove of this variety of lemon tree next to the workshop where visitors can see how the fruit grows from up close.

The Lemon Harvest

Certified IGP Sorrento lemons used for our Limoncello di Capri are sourced directly from local citrus farmers on the Sorrentine Peninsula and Island of Capri registered as IGP producers. Lemons are harvested from February until October.

All citrus farms that are part of the Sorrento Lemon IGP consortium are required to cultivate their groves according to traditional farming techniques, and we endeavor to source organic fruit that has not undergone chemical treatments for our Limoncello di Capri.

Peeling the Fruit

Only the peel of the lemon is used to produce limoncello, and we use mechanized peeling equipment that imitates hand-peeling, taking just the first 1 mm-layer of yellow zest from the fruit while leaving the bitter white inner pith behind.

The zest is where the fruit's limonene is located, a pungent essential oil that give limoncello its bright scent.

Infusing the Peels

The lemon zest is left to macerate in pure 95% alcohol for about a week, after which the infusion is filtered and the zest, which has in the meantime lost all its aroma, is discarded.

Mixing the liqueur

The infusion is mixed with cold purified water, and a sugar solution is added. After this final step, which takes about an hour, the limoncello is ready. We do not add any additional coloring or preservatives to our limoncello.

Bottling the final product

Before bottling, each batch of limoncello passes through our rigorous quality control, and only those that pass the test will be bottled at our workshop in Sorrento before going out into the world!