Tuscany is a region with a very varied territory: hills, mountains, rivers, sea ... Where the altitude permits, the olive tree is grown, a millenary crop, already in use at the time of the Etruscans and marketed by the Phoenicians. It is therefore a typically Mediterranean product, widely used in Mediterranean cuisine. A very healthy product, recommended by experts for a healthy life and diet.
Even today, in compliance with tradition, an excellent extra virgin olive oil is produced on the hills around the city of Florence, a city famous throughout the world for its art and beauty.
As there are not the cold winters of past decades any longer, today the olive harvest begins as early as mid-October and can continue until late December.
Collection teams are formed ranging from two, three ... five people, necessary to carry out the various tasks such as:
- Moving the nets that will be spread under the olive trees,
- Using hand tools such as little rakes and electric shakers with long handles,
- Emptying of the nets in special crates
- Transport with motorcars and tractors of the olives creates to an indoor shelter
- Final transport with pick-ups, cars and tractors to the oil mill for pressing.
For the Tuscans, the tradition consists in tasting and consuming the freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil with a yellow-green color and dense pulp at least for the first months after pressing, while the rest of the production will often not only be pressed but also filtered; this will allow to obtain a more delicate and transparent oil that can be preserved for a long time, even a few years.
For those who want to attend and be part of this tradition that is repeated every year, especially between the end of October and November, the ideal is to spend a few days in farms and/or B & B facilities in the area. Florence Villa Violetta is ready to welcome you and make you participate in activities related to oil production. Autumn in Tuscany is tinged with warm and muffled colors and offers pleasant temperatures, also suitable for beautiful walks and trekking that the area is rich in.
