Olive oil in Tuscany: history and production

The olive oil in Tuscany and its productions is dated back to ancient times, since it was attested since Etruscan times, with a great increase during the medieval times. Olive oil is the main element of the Mediterranean diet, both healthy and delicious, especially when used raw. From the olive to the mill, up to bottling, the olive oil of Tuscany is strictly produced within the territorial limits of the region, according to law. This model of production was exported during the 80s and 90s throughout Italy as a model for efficiency. It is produced in Tuscany, from Mugello to the Etruscan Coast, from Chianti to the Val d'Elsa and Val d'Orcia. Olive oil is still today harvested by hand: farmers using combs, scales and networks, make the separation of the olive fruit from the tree.

The Tuscan oil: the green gold of Tuscany, gift of the earth and result of an ancient tradition

The crushing and the grinding of the olives create a smooth paste is traditionally performed with larges granite stones that turning creating a continuous pressure over the olives. Olive oil in Tuscany is also produced with modern methods such “cone crushers” and “disc crushers" that allow to produce olive oil in a shorter time. Today is possible to visit Tuscan mills, both ancient and modern mills. Some of those are still alive, after more than five hundred years, and one of the oldest is the “Old Mill Ravagni” in Anghiari, near Arezzo, but almost all the farmhouses in Tuscany offer tours for tourist among olive mills, as well olive oil tastings. Obtained the olive paste, it is placed on a plant tissue disc that, when pressed, block all the wastes and left the olive oil pass. It is thus collected in the containers underneath. Modern systems, indeed, use automatic decanters. Olive oil in Tuscany is then stored in special containers, in ancient time called "jars" or "pots", but now replaced by steel containers in which the temperature is maintained constant.

The certification of Olive oil in Tuscany is called IGP, or "Protected Geographical Indication", defined by the European Union for the olive oil production of Tuscany.

Olive oil in Tuscany: the streets of the oil

For the promotion of olive oil in Tuscany were created some routes, called oil trails, including the Trails of the Pisan Mountains and the Trails of the Montalbano. These trails are a way to promote the culture of Tuscany and its agricultural best production, as the olive oil in Tuscany. Along these roads you can taste and enjoy olive oil, Tuscany beauties as churches, villages, churches, breathtaking landscapes, monuments, and attend locals festivals and fairs. Between October and November in fact take place in the entire Tuscany, and especially in the Val d'Orcia, on Chianti and on the Monti Pisani, the “Festival of the new oil” to taste the latest production of olive oil in Tuscany, from the savour so fresh and pungent. In addition, the olive oil in Tuscany, as well as being a delight for the palate also brings relief to human body and, in fact, exist many beauty treatments and cures based on extra virgin olive oil to clean, moisturize and nourish skin, erasing wrinkles and fighting the aging.