Eating a plate of onions doesn't usually top anyone's food cravings or dreams there's one succulent, niche Italian variety that might make even die-hard no-onion eaters change their minds. Each week Francesco Calabro drives his lorry from Calabria to Rome to sell premium red onions that grow along the coast around Tropea, a clifftop town on Italy's southern tip.

His Roman clients go mad for these bulbs: crunchy, exceptionally sweet and delicate. Most importantly, they don't make you cry as much as ordinary onions when you slice them. In Tropea, the onions are dubbed "Calabria's red gold" and are said to have more health benefits than regular onions.