HERA NEI CAMPI
Hera is the mistress and mother of the universe.
Primitive, archaic, feminine strength she is the mirror of nature creative vitality. Hera is the Goddess of the vegetative year (spring, summer and autumn) and she is the Goddess who guides and promises to bring her devotees to greatness.
Hera was the main deity venerated in ancient Poseidonia, as attested by the Heraion at the mouth of the Sele river, the large extra-urban sanctuary entirely dedicated to the Goddess, whose construction began parallel to the foundation of the city. Legend has it that it was the Argonauts who built and dedicated the temple to Hera. A sanctuary that for millennia has protected sailors and ensured the prosperity of nature and men.
Hera gives the Oryza
seed to ensure that her devotees never suffer from hunger.
She descends among men, wanders in the fields,
Her gaze watches over the harvest.
Historically, the Sele Plain was already devoted to the cultivation of rice. In fact, the philosopher Simone Porta (1495-1525) tells of a first rice settlement in Campania, near Salerno – evidence also attested by the existence of ‘Via Terre Risaie’.
From Salerno to the Sibari Plain, there is a single territory rich in swampy areas. The union between the waters, the soil and the mild climate gave rise to the rice of the 15th century. A rice of excellent quality, that captured the attention of writers, philosophers, poets and chefs who mentioned ‘Salerno rice’ at court banquets. There are numerous testimonies from poets, gastronomes, philosophers and chefs who mention ‘Salerno rice’.
Unfortunately, the rice fields of the time caused enormous damage to the environment and the quality of life. The health of the farmers who worked in the Principality of Salerno was put at risk due to unhealthy air and malaria. Thus, in 1820 the rice fields of the Salerno plains were reclaimed, undergoing a process of environmental transformation that put an end to southern rice cultivation.
The climate and temperature of the cultivation area influence the growth of rice plants and the size of the grains of the ears. If the current Italian rice cultivations constitute the northernmost area in the world where rice is grown, it goes without saying that with more favorable weather conditions, the same varieties have a different yield, the most evident difference is the size of the grains.
Growing rice as a rotation crop allows to absorb excess nitrates present in the soil.
This is how rice cultivation fits in perfect harmony with the crops already present.
Ellebi s.a.s. di Bifulco Michele & C.
Via Tommaso Vitale 79, 80030 – San Paolo Belsito (NA) Italia
