The cultivation of basil and best of the season in Genoa originates in the area immediately behind the coast of Prà, on the rare “plains” or – more frequently – on the terraced hills close to the sea: this area has an ancient agricultural vocation that today finds in the the cultivation of basil is its most important expression.
In Prà, in 1919, the Unione Agricola Genovese (Genoese Agricultural Union), a Cooperative Society was established on the spontaneous initiative of local farmers. Over the decades, the agricultural excellence path in the area has seen the Unione Agricola Genovese (Genoese Agricultural Union) as a protagonist, a true historical-agronomic local institution, renewed with the recognition of the PDO at regional level.
Today it was decided to set up a promotional and commercial project of excellence with the “Genovese Storico” label, which will take place in parallel with the protection and enhancement function of the PDO Genovese Basil.
The project is carried out in collaboration with the Consortium for the Protection of PDO Genovese Basil and Rossi 1947 SRL and sees the three main agricultural companies in the area as protagonists, determined to guarantee the future of this historically flourishing production fabric, making use of the protection of the PDO and developing a structured identity on the market, in the name of certified quality.
“Genovese Storico” brings together the most important entities of Prà area, which over the years have welcomed visitors from all over the world, who flocked to learn about the ancient method of production of Genovese basil, emblem of the tradition originating in Genoa on which the PDO is based, which has become then even more famous thanks to the contribution of Roberto Panizza, director of the Rossi 1947 company and true world ambassador of the pesto sauce culture.