"The White Gold" of Cervia
The Salina di Cervia is the northernmost in Italy, one third of the entire extension of its municipality, is made up of more than 50 basins, surrounded by a 16-kilometer canal that allows water from the Adriatic Sea to enter and go out.
The method by which the salt is extracted is called "cervese", because it is practiced only in Cervia, which is why it is called the city of salt.
The sea water is brought in from the tributary canal in Milano Marittima, passes into the canals that run through the entire area of the territory, where it is made to flow with the wind, evaporate and concentrate with the sun.
The cavadura is the salt harvest, which takes place once a year (in August).
The collected salt is wet and very heavy.
SWEET SALT OF CERVIA is an integral marine salt:
marine, because its origin is sea water,
integral because once harvested it is exclusively washed with mother water and then left to dry in the heaps of salt that can be seen arriving in Cervia. Furthermore, the choice not to artificially dry or chemically whiten the salt leaves it whole and highly soluble. Thanks to this meticulous workmanship and its natural humidity, it preserves all the trace elements present in sea water.
It is defined as "sweet" because it contains a limited quantity of magnesium chloride and calcium sulphate, so-called "bitter" salts; the salt obtained from it is made up of very pure sodium chloride. Its typical color: pink, derives from the presence, in the salt basins, of the dunaliella algae, rich in lycopene and beta-carotene.
In the past, salt was a rare and expensive commodity defined as: white gold, used as a currency of exchange because it was the only way to preserve food.
Every year in September you can attend the historical re-enactment of the Armesa de Sel (Salt store), which concluded the salt harvest: which was transported with flat-bottomed boats to special warehouses, which were located along the Canal Port of Cervia who guaranteed its conservation.
Giving salt is considered a good luck gesture, therefore during this historical re-enactment, a boat glides slowly along the canal with a load of 100 quintals to be given to visitors along the banks.
For a complete and correct diet and to best enhance the taste of the dishes, the sweet salt of Cervia is also used in the kitchen of our IL GUSTO restaurant.
A unique experience is to visit the Cervia Salt Pans
The Center offers various activities; you can choose: the Walk in the Salt Pans, with a guide to discover the naturalistic treasures of the area and the excursion in the salt pans by electric boat, available from June to September, last about a couple of hours and booking is mandatory.
“There must be something sacred in salt…we find it in our tears and in the sea. “
Khalil Gibran
The method by which the salt is extracted is called "cervese", because it is practiced only in Cervia, which is why it is called the city of salt.
The sea water is brought in from the tributary canal in Milano Marittima, passes into the canals that run through the entire area of the territory, where it is made to flow with the wind, evaporate and concentrate with the sun.
The cavadura is the salt harvest, which takes place once a year (in August).
The collected salt is wet and very heavy.
SWEET SALT OF CERVIA is an integral marine salt:
marine, because its origin is sea water,
integral because once harvested it is exclusively washed with mother water and then left to dry in the heaps of salt that can be seen arriving in Cervia. Furthermore, the choice not to artificially dry or chemically whiten the salt leaves it whole and highly soluble. Thanks to this meticulous workmanship and its natural humidity, it preserves all the trace elements present in sea water.
It is defined as "sweet" because it contains a limited quantity of magnesium chloride and calcium sulphate, so-called "bitter" salts; the salt obtained from it is made up of very pure sodium chloride. Its typical color: pink, derives from the presence, in the salt basins, of the dunaliella algae, rich in lycopene and beta-carotene.
In the past, salt was a rare and expensive commodity defined as: white gold, used as a currency of exchange because it was the only way to preserve food.
Every year in September you can attend the historical re-enactment of the Armesa de Sel (Salt store), which concluded the salt harvest: which was transported with flat-bottomed boats to special warehouses, which were located along the Canal Port of Cervia who guaranteed its conservation.
Giving salt is considered a good luck gesture, therefore during this historical re-enactment, a boat glides slowly along the canal with a load of 100 quintals to be given to visitors along the banks.
For a complete and correct diet and to best enhance the taste of the dishes, the sweet salt of Cervia is also used in the kitchen of our IL GUSTO restaurant.
A unique experience is to visit the Cervia Salt Pans
The Center offers various activities; you can choose: the Walk in the Salt Pans, with a guide to discover the naturalistic treasures of the area and the excursion in the salt pans by electric boat, available from June to September, last about a couple of hours and booking is mandatory.
“There must be something sacred in salt…we find it in our tears and in the sea. “
Khalil Gibran