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The product
What the Cupello artichoke is
A local spineless artichoke ecotype.
The Cupello artichoke is a local ecotype derived from «Campagnano», a Roman variety: a round, spineless artichoke with green bracts tinged with purple and a tender heart.
Intensive growing began in the late 1950s and early 1960s as an alternative to cereals. In 1961 the first cooperative to market it, San Rocco, was founded in Cupello and is still active today.
Territory
Where it comes from
It is grown mainly in Cupello, where most of the fields are, and in San Salvo, with small plots also in Vasto, Monteodorisio and Lentella: hills near the sea, in the southern part of the province of Chieti.
- Cupello
- San Salvo
- Vasto
- Monteodorisio
- Lentella
From field to table
How it is made
- In summer the offshoots (carducci) taken from the mother plants are planted.
- With the late-summer rains the plants start growing again; they are irrigated when needed.
- From late winter the heads appear: the first and largest is the «mamma».
- They are picked by hand, with a piece of stem, from February to May.
- They are sold fresh in bunches, or preserved in oil.
In the kitchen
How to use it
In Vasto cooking artichokes are prepared in a thousand ways, from the pan to the grill.
- Stuffed artichokes with bread, eggs and cheese, cooked in a pan
- Grilled, with garlic, parsley and Colline Teatine olive oil
- Fried in batter, or in an omelette
- With lamb at Easter, and in oil all year round
Tips
How to choose and store it
- Choose firm, heavy artichokes with tightly closed leaves and a fresh stem.
- While cleaning them, put them in water and lemon so they do not darken.
- The peeled stem is as good as the heart: do not throw it away.
- Keep them in the fridge with the stem in a little water and use them within a few days.
Good to know: fresh artichokes are only available between late winter and spring; the rest of the year there are artichokes in oil.
Ordering
Where to buy it and whom to contact
Contacts checked on the official websites in October 2026: check availability and prices before ordering.
Cooperativa San Rocco di Cupello
The cooperative founded in 1961 to market the Cupello artichoke, a reference point for hundreds of member farmers. We could not find verified contact details: in spring the easiest way to buy it is the Cupello Artichoke Festival, between late April and early May, or the markets and growers between Cupello and San Salvo.
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Photo 1: cooked artichokes served at the Cupello Artichoke Festival (2018); photo 2: the festival menu. Credits: Giorgio Pietrocola (CC BY-SA 4.0); Giorgio Pietrocola (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized; the menu icon is also made from photo 1.
Tradition
History and trivia
After the war, Cupello’s farmers began growing artichokes instead of wheat: the crop spread within a few years, and in 1961 the San Rocco cooperative was founded to sell them in the markets of central and northern Italy.
The first artichoke festival was held in 1965; after a few years’ break it resumed in 1990 and is now the Artichoke Festival, with dedicated dishes and menus.
Did you know? the Cupello artichoke derives from «Campagnano», the same family as the Roman artichoke.