Did you know that the boulevards and avenues of Monaco are home to more than 1,000 citrus trees? Among them are 580 untreated bitter orange trees or oranges amères that are harvested for their crop by the municipal gardeners of the Principality each winter.  

These trees are spread across the Condamine, Moneghetti and Monte-Carlo districts, and their fruit, known as bigarades, are a distinctive feature of the local landscape. 

HARVEST AND DISTRIBUTION DATES 

Though the schedule of the harvest depends on the weather conditions and the maturity of the crop, the Monegasque government has released a preliminary timeline for the collection and distribution of the several tonnes of bitter oranges that are expected this season.  

In the Condamine neighbourhood, the harvesting will take place on Rue Princesse Caroline from 29th January to 10th February and on Rue Grimaldi from 15th to 26th February. Over in the Moneghetti neighbourhood, the Boulevard de Belgique will see harvest activities from 15th to 26th January.

Meanwhile, the Monte-Carlo neighbourhood will have its harvest on Avenue de Grande Bretagne from 8th to 19th January, on Boulevard de Suisse from 22nd to 26th January, and on Boulevard d’Italie from 29th January to 2nd February. 

Residents interested in obtaining a share of these bitter oranges during the harvest can do so by simply asking the gardeners on-site.

In 2023, just over two tonnes of the total eight-tonne harvest were distributed free of charge to locals and to the Lycée Rainier III, where the bigarades were transformed into delicious jams and jellies by the school’s culinary students. 

For more information, call +377 98 98 22 77. 

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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali / Monaco Communications Department