The World of Apples

Apples of Italy

32 varieties in the atlas came from Italy. The oldest is Decio, dated about 450 AD.

Map of where the apple varieties in the atlas came from A map of the world on the Equal Earth projection, with a dot for each variety at its place of origin.

Harvest

Italy grew 2,398,540 tonnes of apples in 2024, 2.5% of the world's harvest; it ranked sixth among the world's producers.1

1961 2024
The figures
YearTonnes
2024 2,398,540
2023 2,267,750
2022 2,256,240
2021 2,211,740
2020 2,462,440
2019 2,303,690
2018 2,466,990
2017 1,921,272
2016 2,455,616
2015 2,473,608
2014 2,473,608
2013 2,216,963
2012 1,991,312
2011 2,411,201
2010 2,204,972
2009 2,325,653
2008 2,210,100
2007 2,230,191
2006 2,130,980
2005 2,192,000
2004 2,136,226
2003 1,953,752
2002 2,199,219
2001 2,299,100
2000 2,232,100
1999 2,343,800
1998 2,143,300
1997 1,966,470
1996 2,071,261
1995 1,940,007
1994 2,232,853
1993 2,143,540
1992 2,394,131
1991 1,830,170
1990 2,050,070
1989 1,924,240
1988 2,331,690
1987 2,235,950
1986 2,019,530
1985 2,014,100
1984 2,210,400
1983 2,032,200
1982 2,602,700
1981 1,741,600
1980 1,936,700
1979 1,991,900
1978 1,846,800
1977 1,790,600
1976 2,143,000
1975 2,127,000
1974 1,886,100
1973 2,050,000
1972 1,884,100
1971 1,697,300
1970 2,062,000
1969 2,010,000
1968 1,932,000
1967 1,932,000
1966 2,288,600
1965 2,185,000
1964 2,381,000
1963 2,336,000
1962 2,182,000
1961 2,167,000

Growing regions

  • South Tyrol Europe's largest contiguous apple-growing area, in Alpine valleys between 200 and 1,100 m
  • Val di Non An Alpine plateau of orchards that keeps part of its crop 300 m underground, in a dolomite mine

Varieties from Italy, oldest first

  • Photograph of Limoncella apples at the National Fruit Collection, Brogdale, on the tree.

    Limoncella

    A small, yellow, firm-fleshed apple of southern Italy, first described in 1831 and now in danger of disappearing

    Italy, by 1831

  • Photograph of Annurca apples at the National Fruit Collection, Brogdale, one cut across.

    Annurca

    Campania's "queen of apples", picked before it is fully red and then coloured on beds laid out on the ground

    Italy, by 1876

  • Civni

    Bred near Ferrara from a 1988 cross of Gala and Elstar; a late-summer apple run by its breeder, CIV, as a club variety

    Italy, 1988

  • Fubrax

    A dark-red, striped sport of Fuji found in an orchard at Girlan, South Tyrol, and first observed in 2002

    Italy, 2002

And 28 more in the catalogue, A to Z

Sources

  1. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Updated 31 December 2025. Supports: each country's apple harvest by year (item 515, apples, in tonnes, 1961 to 2024), the shares of the world's harvest and the ranks worked out from them, and which figures FAOSTAT estimated or imputed.