The “lemon gardens (“giardini di limoni”), in the southern Italian Sorrentino-Amalfitana peninsula, are an outstanding example of how an agricultural landscape is characterising a whole 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 16th 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.