Balestrate, a small town in Sicily, has become the Italian capital for mango production, and the island itself has turned into Europe’s primary garden for tropical fruits. This shift can be seen as a response to climate change, which, while challenging, has also created new opportunities.

Sicily’s warm temperatures, once seen as a problem, have now made it ideal for growing exotic fruits. For example, the first coffee plantation in the northern hemisphere was recently established in the hills near Palermo, with a remarkable doubling of production within just a year.