You are right that depending on where you are, it could be either. The English language Wikipedia article for 'loquat'[1] suggests that Southern Italy uses 'ne

You are right that depending on where you are, it could be either. The English language Wikipedia article for 'loquat'[1] suggests that Southern Italy uses 'nespolo' for 'loquat', while Northern uses it for 'medlar'. But if it's tasty and light orange colored when you eat it ripe directly from the tree, it's definitely a loquat. While if it's at all appealing after it's been stored for a few months and turned brown and mushy, it's a medlar. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loquat