Our Olive Grove

Our olive grove is located 420 m above sea level, which is close to the highest suitable altitude for olive production. Since it faces south the grove is exposed to the sun all day. The large part of the terraces and trees date back some 70 years. We have five different olive varieties, from the "canino" that comes from a village of the same name, which is not far away, to the "leccio" that has its origins in Puglia in southern Italy.

A full description of olive production during the course of the year and the extraction of the oil would fill many pages. You will find detailed information and a sample of our oil in the house. A relatively short description is available online. In brief, the main jobs - carried out mostly with the help of neighbours and friends - consist of pruning the trees in spring, followed by the application of fertilizer, cutting the grass in the olive grove during the summer, harvesting the olives in December and extracting the oil using the traditional method of cold pressing ("spremitura a freddo"), and, finally, separating the oil from the fruit liquids in the centrifuge. This is an exciting moment - the own oil flows into our own drums. Still in the mill we roast bread in the fireplace, add garlic, salt and the new oil, and enjoy "bruschetta al olio". Bliss! The oil ("olio extravergine di oliva") is stored in stainless steel drums in one of our caves. Just before shipment to the consumer the oil is filled into dark green bottles, in order to continue to protect it from sunlight.

Buon appetito!

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