My wife is going to Sicily mid May to paint landscape and I told her to be looking out for me a fig tree cutting.  She'll be about an hour/1/2 from Palermo (Bagni?).  What stage are figs in there now? any nurseries or orchards ? any restrictions from bringing a couple of cuttings back?
Thanks, Hilliard Lawler, Indianola, MS

well read my post about USDA rolling up to my house and taking a mango seed and sumaki cuttings from overseas.    Don't know if the sniff hounds will detect but they took an apple I was eating when I tried to board a plane coming back from Mexico some years back.   

You will be fine bringing back a few,cuttings. Look at all the ponte tresa cuttings for example. Cut back the green wood take leaves off. And bring a couple for me. Lol. Would be cool to have a fig tree with a good memeries to go with it while it grows in your yard. 5 to 10 little cutting in your suitcase. Good to go.

She will not have to look too far to find fig trees as they grow wild in most of Italy.
There has been much written here about bringing in cuttings from out of the country. Use the search function and you will come across loads of info on this very heated subject.
It is a controversial issue and from what I've digested from all is this, it is a huge risk.
Proceed with caution.

Trees probably in everyones collection has been brought here from other countries. Dont know why it upsets people. Confusing to me. When someone brings cuttings back and shows a beautiful fig everyone wants it. If someone talks about doing it it is frowned apon.

Richie,
I understand your confusion on this topic. Many of us  have plants that came from cuttings that were brought over in someones suitcase at some point in time. Things are different now. Dr Bud seems new around here and I don't want him to think that it is no big deal to throw some cuttings in his wife's suitcase. He should know that it is a risk and and if caught could be an issue. I don't think its worth it for a twig that is easily obtained legally here in the USA.

Yes there,is,you go the the usda department and get a phyto/ certificate. Its about 50 dollers a cutting. They inspect it then ship it.

I called the usda to ask them directly. Its expensive because them have to check each cutting for disease or fungus etc. So cost is high. You need one leaving the country and entering the new country so two inspection on one cutting 50 to 80 dollers per inspection. So yeah. This is why no one gets cuttings inspected. Its all about the money. Lol

Hi,
Netherland is in Europe.
So you find someone in the Netherlands (Holland). You send from Italy to Holland, and then from H to you ... Law is sometimes like Swiss cheese.
As for the wife, well, do you want to put that risk on her ? That is the only question.
If not, then, just buy near you, and you'll be safer.
Taking cuttings in the wild, she may as well bring you some caprifigs ... or very late season strains ... Are you willing to spend 3 or 5 years to toss them finally ?
I myself did that some 20 years ago, to just toss the trees. I have here two neighbors (at least) that walked the same rocky way. One tree is dirt level pruned,
the other is trunk shaved .

Hi drbud,
I am just now getting into figs and just received 5 cuttings of Sal G's Mt Edna from EBay in 2 weeks 3 already have leaves. I wanted a Fig tree from Sicily since I am the first generation born in the USA.
I had a idea - what if you were to mail some cuttings to yourself on the address label mark it as toys - and try to bring them back in your suitcase also and double your chances of some of them getting through. I have ordered live plants for a Aquarium from Malaysia and the package was labeled Toys and I received them just fine. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish I was getting some cutting directly from Sicily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let us know if you succeed in getting your cuttings. 

Hi,

My mom is from Sicily and when she comes to visit me from New Jersey she says that the weather in Sicily is just like Florida where I live.

Regarding Ebay    They tell the USDA   EVERY time you win a cutting from non approved countries    Two different times the USDA has come to my house   They are extremely nice  but they will issue you a warning letter and take your stuff.   Dont think that they are too busy because getting illegal stuff into the US is serious business to them because of the danger of  contamination of the crops here.  Plus the fact they do random suitcase searches for the fun of it at the airport from foreign countries.  Besides the embarassment of having your undies sifted thru and your belongings eyeballed, I have no idea what they do to you if they find something.    Now go figure out how some dude in Tampa got weed mailed to him for years to sell and didnt get caught until some friend of his ratted him out.   It was being sent to his apartment.   LOL     Plus they come pretty quickly after being notified  my stuff was still in the package.    AND.......they read these forums.

Cost 50 dollers,a cutting anyway you slice it going the legal route two or three cuttings for yourself in your suitcase is fine. Suitcase full then your playing with fire. Having your wife do it well thats a matter of a personal decision. If your both going no problem. ( Seen the show locked up abroad ) just kidding lol.

Maznah should be glad you have changed your moral compass Richie. I would not have even asked for anything since someone who sends me bogus cuttings will just do it again and waste more of my time.

If you are going with her you should go visit the Orchard that covers one square mile, in Palermo. really something to see. Look for some Eggplant seeds there, they have some super Eggplants. There is one small one that is a favorite there, do not remember the name, fantastic tasting! Have fun!