Weâre coming to the end of the olive season, so itâs been a busy time for many of our villa owners. Olive trees are such an intrinsic part of the landscape of the popular areas of Italy, Tuscany, Umbria, Puglia and Sicily for example, and the harvest and processing of olives such an age-old tradition that olive oil producers must number tens of thousands the length and breadth of the peninsula, many of our villa owners amongst them. We invite them to tell us all something about it! Remember the sun has not completely disappeared and there are low-season bargains to be offered to our customers.
ciao a tutti e complimenti
Hi,
I just discovered there’s an interesting event in Tuscia (near Viterbo, northern Lazio) called “Le Feste dell’Olio della Tuscia 2008″. It is a food and cultural festival who’s main protagonist is the olive oil but it’s also an occasion to know the cultural and gastronomic traditions of this beautiful area.
The festival will continue until the 8 of December and for those who want to know more about it the link is http://www.tusciaviterbese.it/feste/Feste%20Olio/festolio.htm
Hello,olive oil lovers…
let me introduce myself, i’m Francesca, a young olive oil
producer of Sabina area. Have you ever been here?…
The Sabina is an area (Lazio) nearby the Umbria region.(15 km)
close to Rome ( 50 km)…I’m the owner of Casale Tullio perched on hilltop it stands whitin a archaeological time capsule.A second century roman villa owned by the most famous roman orator, Cicero ( http://www.dolcevitavillas.com/Marche-Umbria-Villas/0227.htm).In this place I take my extra virgin olive oil P.D.O. “Il Tulliano”….I love this product,I have carried it till Japan, now the people will live longer there!…
Would you like to have any further information about it…spend five minutes to read the following story:
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL “PDO-SABINA”
Olive oil was used as food since the most ancient times.
The Phoenicians imported it into Italy, then the Romans contributed to spread it through the Mediterranean region. The Romans used olive oil not only as dressing, but also as ointment or as fuel for oil lamp. The most ancient olive tree in Europe, dating back to the period of the 4th Roman King, Ancus Marcius, grows in the territory of Canneto, a country ward in the province of Rieti. Since then, olive-growing is one of the main activities in the Sabine area.
Extra virgin Olive Oil
It is the best virgin olive oil: it is characterized by a low rate of acidity (0.8% oleic acid per grams) and – like all kinds of virgin olive oils – by the fact that it is obtained from the olive stone-fruit (drupe) exclusively through mechanical procedures or other physical procedures which don’t imply any risk of oil alteration. Moreover, the olives must be subjected only to the following processes: washing, cleaning, centrifugation and filtration.
PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) Olive Oil
For the purposes of EEC Regulation No. 2081/92 (Art. 2), by Protected Designation of Origin is meant the name of a particular region, a specific place or – in exceptional cases – of a country referring to a determined food or agricultural product originating in that region, specific place or country, whose intrinsic quality or peculiar features are essentially or exclusively due to a particular geographical environment with its inherent natural and/or human components and whose production, transformation and processing take place in said demarcated area.
In substance, the qualification as PDO defines a product closely linked to the area of production, since it guarantees its territory of origin. Anyway, extra virgin olive oils are not all the same: their characteristics, flavour and taste may differ according to the place of origin. The qualification as PDO is an instrument to safeguard these different typical features as well as to protect consumers and favour them in their choices.
Extra virgin Olive Oil “PDO-Sabina”
The Sabina has been the first olive oil producing area in Italy to receive the EU quality mark “PDO” (Protected Designation of Origin).
In the Sabina there are many typical varieties of olive trees, such as for example: frantoio, leccino, pendolino, moraiolo, rosciola, and the rare and much prized carboncella (which can be found only in this area).
One of the characteristics of the Sabina is that in this area oil production takes place in a number of small farms, sometimes even at family business management level: the “Tulliano” represents an example of family farm.
The inclination for olive-growing and oil production in the Sabine area is confirmed by the presence in its territory of an “Olive Oil Museum” (in the municipality of Castelnuovo di Farfa (Rieti); the “Oleoteca” (a place to taste Sabine olive oils) in the nearby of the Farfa Abbey (Rieti); six enogastronomic routes fir tourists, i.e. the so-called “Sabine Olive Oil Road”.
We just finished picking the olives and our extra-virgin olive oil production is over for this year!
We made about 1200 kilos ….. better than the previous year which was not a good one in our area, in the North of Tuscany, between Livorno and Pisa.
The different definitions of the olive oils depend on the acidity, the less….the better!
If a virgin olive oil must have less than 2% acidity, the Extra-virgin olive oil’s acidity must be less than 1-0.8%, it’s reach in vitamins and has a high content of anti-oxidative substances.
If you wish to know more about the Italian production of olive oil the best way is to enjoy your holiday in a farmhouse with pool in Tuscany surrounded by olive trees such as Casale Gobbo!
Please contact Dolce Vita Villas for more information or look at the direct link http://www.dolcevitavillas.com/Tuscany-Villas/0337.htm
Olive oil time is one of the best moments in Tuscany !! The newly pressed oil is so good and there is such a festive mood around. Everyone is very proud of their own production, small as it may be, and brings bottles of this sparkling green delight at any possible occasion to be tasted in a good old fettunta (literally: greasy slice, i.e. of bread).
Actually picking the olives is just as fun and at our estate in Camporsevoli ( http://www.dolcevitavillas.com/Tuscany-Villas/0191.htm) guests at Casa delle Piazze have been known to join in the picking, and certainly in the tasting. Children adore to help out in gathering the olives and it’s so good to see them out there with their rosy cheeks.
Also, don’t miss – if you are around Florence – the yearly event at the Fattoria Malenchini di Lilliano (www.malenchini.it) where they open cellars and organize tastings and events tied to olive oil and wine. It’s on the weekend of November 22nd and 23rd.
Enjoy !
Valentina
Dear olive oil lovers,
We are very pleased to tell you that this was a very special season for extravirgin olive oil! If you are interested in tasting our organic oil, visit us in Lucignano d’Asso or have a look at http://www.dolcevitavillas.com/Tuscany-Villas/0201.htm
If you like also to visit an olive oil fair in the area, come to S. Quirico d’Orcia from December 6 to 8, 2008.
Both villages are located south of Siena, in the middle of the beautiful Orcia valley.
Please feel free to contact Dolce Vita Villas for more information!
To all olive oil lovers: I just found out that there is an olive oil fair in Lucca where you can also do olive oil tastings and try the tuscan coastal olive oil production of 2008. The location is: Lucca at IL DESCO FAIR between 15 November to 14 December 2008 (on week-ends).
On certain dates (Nov 22, Nov 29 and Dicmber 6) free olive-oil tasting classes.
For Info contact: Turist bureau in Lucca: (+39) 0583 919931
IL DESCO fair at the Real Colleggio di Lucca – free entrance