produttori — Reggio Emilia · Emilia-Romagna
In the hills around Reggio Emilia, where walnut trees have taken root in cool, rich soil since Roman times, a story born in the 1920s turned a fruit and a family legend into a liqueur that still carries the name of its founder, Zeno.
In Fosdondo, in the countryside west of Reggio Emilia, soil that is slightly acidic, rich in organic matter and well supplied with water has favoured walnut cultivation for centuries — a vocation documented as far back as Roman times. It is these monumental trees, rooted in that precise and recognisable land, that supply the walnuts from which every bottle of nocino is made.
In the 1920s, young Zeno used to follow his father Aderito Masoni — a G.D. motorcycle racer and a pioneering figure of Emilian motorcycling — carrying a walnut with him as a good-luck charm. After every victory, he would plant it near the Pieve di Fosdondo (the parish church of Fosdondo). From these repeated gestures the trees were born, and from the trees, the recipe: a precise passage from a superstitious ritual to a family tradition.
The recipe, unchanged since 1920, remained secret for over a century. Its quality was recognised by the Royal House: twelve bottles were sent to the Court, and His Majesty the King had a personal letter of thanks delivered to Aderito Masoni. A document that still testifies today to the historical weight of this artisan liqueur from Reggio Emilia.
A liqueur that is also an act of collective memory: discover the full story, the family recipe and where to buy it on the dedicated page.
