Village you go, oil festival you find

If there is one thing that you can’t miss to appreciate in Tuscany it is extra virgin olive oil.
Together with wine, Tuscan oil is one of the products that best expresses the culture of Tuscan eating, simple and healthy, as well that of the farmers of “mezzadria” time.

Compared to wine, which after the harvest needs time to appreciate it, the oil is immediately ready. You can pick it up with a slice of bread directly at the mill, even in 24 hours from the harvest.
It is true, the production of oil requires a lot of work and also a lot of time, but the results arrive in a few hours, and the effort of the harvest passes immediately with the first bite of “bruschetta”.

There are two quality marks of extra virgin olive oil in Valdichiana Senese: the Tuscan IGP and the Terre di Siena DOP.
Tuscan extra virgin olive oil IGP: from the tree to bottle this oil is 100% Tuscan, guaranteed by the Protection Consortium. A strict disciplinary and chemical and sensory tests ensure an oil with well-defined characteristics, which make it worthy of its name: Toscano IGP.
Extra virgin olive oil Terre di Siena DOP: the territory where the oil Terre di Siena DOP is produced, includes the municipalities of Siena Province, excluding the area of ​​production of Chianti Classico wine (therefore the municipalities are excluded Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, partially Castelnuovo Berardenga and Poggibonsi). Even for the Terre di Siena DOP, the harvest and the press methods are rigorous, but this is what guarantees its quality.

In the coming days of autumn we invite you to take a tour through the oil festivals organized in many villages of Valdichiana Senese. Not only to taste the new oil just squeezed, but above all to understand how important this excellence is in the local tradition and in the culture of the people who live here.
What’s scheduled in the coming weeks? A lot of initiatives: walks through the olive trees, markets of typical products, thematic meetings, shows, entertainments and of course tastings of good oil.
To summarize them all we have created Oliving, the virtual calendar that collects all the events dedicated to extra virgin olive oil in Valdichiana Senese; you can find it (always updated) on  valdichianaliving.it in the “events” section.