7 min read

Hyblaean Mountain Journey

Written By: Angela Gembrin

The following trip report is from one of our Italian staff members, Camilla Previato:

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is an exceptional land that most people love for many reasons: its astonishing beauty, the incredible succession of historical events that have taken place here from the Phoenician age to modern times, the cultural richness of the place with regard to the arts, literature, music, architecture and, last but not least, cuisine! We couldn’t wait to visit Sicily and we have been very well rewarded in spite of the scorching heat and the dusty unnamed roads!

We met with Fabrizio and Paolo at the Cosimo Airport 15 kilometers from Ragusa, the southernmost administrative center of Italy. Fabrizio, a young man from Catania who decided to leave his safe but probably boring family pharmacy business, and Paolo, a tall blonde agronomist who is the living proof of the ancient presence of the Norman in the island, drove us towards the southern coast of Sicily, close to the Natural Reserve of Aleppo pine. The company they founded is located on the gentle slopes of the Hyblaean Mountains, a geographical feature named in honor of the ancient Sicilian king Hyblon.

We were immediately struck by the beauty of the place – a large farmstead restored with taste and an ethnic touch. Paolo explained to us that he had collected most of the furniture, handicraft and rugs from his many travels in Africa (where he lived and worked as an agronomist for a while), Asia, and all over the world. Josh, Lorenzo and I immediately relaxed in the cool main living room of the building trying to restore our energies before visiting the fields under the strong Sicilian sun. We immediately thought how wonderful it was that Fabrizio, with his solid scientific background in pharmacy and chemistry, and Paolo, with his long and vast experience as an agronomist, came to work together in this beautiful land.

While walking in the fields, rigorously organically cultivated, our senses were almost overcome by the colors and, most of all, by the intensity of the scent emanating from Lavender, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, and by many other aromatic plants present on the farm. A group of workers were picking Lavender for distillation, competing with the bees trying to collect the last drop of nectar from the plants. Both pickers and bees seemed too busy doing their own job to worry about each other! When we asked them if they were bothered by the bees, they replied: “They do their job and we do ours. No problem!”

Lavender pickers with their bee friends.

Lavender ready for ditillation.

Lavandin Sumian: This Lavandin is a hybrid of true Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and Lavender Spike (Lavandula latifolia). These two main species were crossed to create different Lavandin cultivars. The most common varieties of Lavandin are L. abrialis, L. super, L. grosso and L. sumian. The Sumian variety has a fresh and camphoraceous note.

Coridothymus capitatus is a typical evergreen, aromatic shrub of the Mediterranean coastal areas. It is widespread in Ragusa where it grows wild in many areas. Its name comes from the ancient Greek word thumos (courage, passion, vigor) or thýmon – to perfume. In ancient Greece it was used as an incense to purify the temples. The word capitatus derives from the Latin word caput, capitis – head. In fact, the plant has purplish terminal flowerheads, as described by Dioscorides (ca 75 AD) in his book Materia Medica in which five different Thymus plants are recognized.

Nowadays the accepted scientific name is Thymbra capitata (L.) with the synonyms Coridothymus capitatus (L.), Satureja capitata L., Thymus capitatus (L.), Thymus cephalatos L., Thymbra cephalota, Origanum cephalotos, Origanum capitatum, and Thymus creticus.

It is generally referred to as Spanish Oregano or Conehead Thyme. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family and well distributed in all the Mediterranean areas including Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Italy.

Coridothymus capitatus gives rise to peculiar aromatic notes so loved and appreciated...

However, it is only on the slopes of the Hyblaean Mountains that the aroma of Coridothymus capitatus gives rise to peculiar aromatic notes so loved and appreciated, even by bees, since ancient times.  It is regarded as a plant in this area that gives one of the best and most peculiar types of honey in the world (the Hyblaean honey). Its aroma has been celebrated by the most famous ancient Greek and Latin writers.[1] Our new Thyme essential oil comes from this unique area……..

[1] Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC), in Le Bucoliche, Eclogues VII, 37-40. During a poetry competiton, the shepherd-poet Corydon describes in this way his beloved: “thymo mihi dulcior Hyblae” – sweeter than Hybla-thyme.

Or Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), in Historia Animalium (The History of Animals, in 10 Books): “It is from the flower of thyme (Coridothymus capitatus) that the bees get the honey and according to the abundance of its flowering the beekeepers can forecast a rich or a poor yield (HP 6.2.3.). Thyme honey is outstanding for its sweetness and consistency and can be distinguished immediately (HA 554a).” From Aristotle and Theophrastus on plant-animal interactions, by Costas A. Thanos, Institute of General Botany, University of Athens, Athens 15784, Greece, in Proceedings of the VI International Conference on Mediterranean Climate Ecosystems, 1992, Athens.

The more we walked, the more we became aware of the huge Lamiaceae family delighting our nose with its aromatic richness. Here is one of the ancient queens of this noble family – sage – shown in full bloom.

Sage shares with Rosemary the adjective officinalisofficinalis for its traditional properties and its extensive use in herbalist laboratories. The Latin name Salvia refers to its various traditional uses. It comes from the word salvere that literally means to feel good, to enjoy or be in good health.

Here is a beautiful picture taken from the book Tacuinum Sanitatis[1] showing a woman cutting sage.

[1] Tacuina Sanitatis is one of a collection of texts of the 14th century. All these books were inspired by an Arabic text written by the physician Ibn Butlan (11th century, Baghdad). The first translation of this text into Latin occurred in the 13th century at the court of King Manfred of Sicily. 

Rosemary is an extremely common plant, but seeing them in their native home (the Mediterranean basin) we are reminded of the past when the plant was called Rosmarinus from the Latin ros – dew, and marinus – marine: the dew of the sea. The name recalls the bluish color of its flowers that is similar to that of the rippling waves. Officinalis comes from the Latin word officina – laboratory. The name indicates the its use in herbal laboratories and perfumery since ancient times.

We ended our brief but intense tour with one of the most characteristic plants of the island:Origanum vulgaris ssp. hirtum, with its archetypal oregano aroma. Its name comes from the Greekóros– mount andgános– splendor, beauty. Looking at these small bushes, we agreed with the ancient Greek: they are like jewels adorning the mountains!