Verdino del Nord Fig | Comprehensive Variety Review

There are 1000s of fig varieties in existence, but fig varieties like Verdino del Nord are worth learning about. Check out the other comprehensive variety reviews I’ve created on other fig varieties on the variety directory page found here:

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Varietal Characteristics

• Origin: Unknown

• Categorization: Bifera

• Similar varieties: Figoin, Secalino, Figalino, Zigalino

• Taste grouping: Complex Berry

• Texture: Jammy

• Size: Small

• Ripening period: Early to Midseason

• Vigor: Dwarf

• Rain resistance: High

• Shape: Spherical

• Hang time: Below Average

• Split resistance: Below Average

• Climate preference: Well adapted

• Hardiness: High

• Taste rating: 4.9/5

• Light requirements: Below Average

• Productivity: Very High

• Does it need pollination? No

• Fruit color: Green skin with a red pulp

• Soil pH level: 6.0-7.5

Origin and History: 

Verdino del Nord's widespread popularity and multiple synonyms across the world are a testament to its quality. Also known as Figoin, Zigalino, Secalino, and many other names, this variety's broad distribution indicates its historical and contemporary value across Northern Italy.

During my 2023 visit to Tuscany, my friend and commercial fig grower Siro Petracchi, mentioned that at one time, every home in Italy had a Verdino tree. In the United States, many growers know it as Adriatic or White Adriatic. It's a special fig worldwide due to its commercial success, great taste, high production, easy drying, and hardiness.

If you know Italian, Verdino simply means green, and del Nord means from the north.

So, think of Verdino del Nord as Verdino's smaller, more rain-resistant, and equally tasty cousin that’s beloved starting at 100-150 miles north of Florence. Both have green skin, ruby red interiors, and a robust berry flavor.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Verdino del Nord is particularly suited for humid climates. It's an early to mid-season variety with exceptional productivity and an impressive berry flavor. Although small in size, the figs from this variety tend to grow larger as the tree ages and have the highly beneficial characteristic of drying easily on the tree. Not only that, but its short hang time allows for an almost perfectly ripened fig just about every time. Even through difficult rainy periods.

Like Celeste and Smith, it has an incredible skin quality that helps it resist water absorption into its skin preventing fermentation and mold. Its high brix (sugar content) further enhances its resistance to negative elements, making it one of the best fig varieties you can grow during these periods.

The flavor of Verdino del Nord is among the best. It has an intense raspberry berry flavor that rivals some of the best-tasting figs like Smith and Coll de Dama. The variety is known for its dark red, ruby-like appearance, jammy texture, and dense berry flavor, making it an exceptional eating experience. Its small size is considered an advantage in humid climates as it’s easier for water to evaporate out of the fig and the flavor to concentrate.

One of the tree's unique characteristics is its high density of figs that form close together. The tree produces many smaller leaves leading to more nodes and more fruits. It even has a strange ability to produce two or three leaves at a location that would be one single leaf on other fig varieties.

I want to stress that it does take a few years before this fig matures. It only gets better with age year after year and in the beginning, it can be poor in quality. The establishment is a bit more time-consuming because of this tree’s natural dwarf habit.

The Other Verdino del Nord:

If you're thinking of growing this variety, it's important to know there's another fig named Verdino del Nord, but it's a different variety more appropriately named Verdino Toscano. You can distinguish them by where they come from and their features.

So, what is Verdino Toscano?

In Italy (especially in Tuscany), Verdino Toscano is simply called Verdino, and depending on where in Italy you’re from, your green fig may also be called Verdino, but that doesn’t mean it’s the true Verdino or Verdino Toscano. Remember, Verdino simply means green and there are a lot of green figs. In the US, Verdino is called White Adriatic which has over 25 names. See the confusion?

Read up on the Adriatic & Verdino figs in this variety review.

What you need to know is that the real Verdino is the one from Tuscany, as my friend Siro describes. That's what the other Verdino del Nord is—a Tuscan strain with a long neck but a shorter stem. The genuine Verdino del Nord has a round shape, a small neck, a long stem, and a much smaller fruit. If you’re ever confused, you can easily tell them apart with those descriptors.

The true Verdino del Nord comes from Vladimiro Rocco or VR for short. The Verdino del Nord from Tuscany is sourced from a grower named Tatiana.

Check out the video below for comparison purposes.