The “lemon gardens (“giardini di limoni”), in the Italian southern peninsula sorrentina-amalfitana, are an outstanding example of how an agricultural landscape is characterising a complete geographical area. Lemon pergolas, chestnut windbreaks, "pagliarelle” (terraces incorporated in containment walls) and narrow footpaths have been built, and preserved, over centuries to guarantee the conservation of local lemon varieties (Citrus limonum ssp.).

Lemon varieties were exchanged for gold on Mediterranean ships in the sixteenth century, when their healing properties against scurvy were discovered. Being so profitable on the market the inhabitants of the peninsula invented ways to cultivate them in spite of the difficult terrain and environmental constraints. Adapted ecotypes of lemon have been cultivated mostly on small farms. By occupying even the steepest slopes, their presence has protected the territory and contributed to preserve the soil from hydro-geological instability. In addition, it has created a beautiful coastal landscape admired by voyagers of any time.