Parco delle Alpi Marittime

History and tradition of «isòp» harvesting in Alpi Marittime

The history of lavender in Valle Gesso is the topic of the first volume of the series "Quaderni delle Marittime".
The book edited by Valter Cesana reconstructs for the first time the local history of lavender, called in langue d'oc isòp, a beautiful and very scented flower with an intense blue color tending to violet which used to grow, and still grows, in Alpi Marittime. In this way, we discover that one century ago the slopes of Valle Gesso were covered with blue lavender, and that the harvesting and trade of this small plant represented for the century between the half of the 19th and the half of 20th century an important economic and social activity for the families and the mountain communities of this area.

• Series: Quaderni delle Marittime / 1
• Edited by: Walter Cesana
• Publisher: Blu Edizioni
• ISBN: 978-88-7904-086-0
• Pages: 194
• Size: 20.5x20.5cm
• Year: 2009
• Price: 15.00 €