The Monticello Pea

Among the typical products, it is important to mention a crop that has unfortunately almost completely disappeared: the Monticello pea (the Bianchetto), a unique small variety cultivated and harvested by a few families on the hills of Lonigo.

The cultivation of the dwarf pea “Colli di Lonigo,” better known in the area as the Monticello pea or the Bianchetto di Monticello, took root in the hillside hamlet of Monticello di Lonigo in the immediate post-war period.

Initially, the production was sold locally in Lonigo or at nearby markets in Villa del Ferro and Alonte, until December 3, 1962, when the ACLI cooperative was established, giving rise to the Monticello market. The peak of production was reached in the decade from 1963 to 1973, when during the height of the season, 50 to 70 quintals of product were sold daily.

The varieties cultivated at that time, in order of maturation, were the Biancheti, the Verdoni, and the Asto. The income obtained from pea cultivation contributed significantly to the Monticello area by curbing the rampant emigration of the local population, which until then had been bound to the meager income from hillside farms.

Over the years, with improved economic conditions, the cultivation of the dwarf pea decreased more and more, to the point that today very few producers remain, and it now finds space only in family gardens.