The History of Olive Oil

The olive tree has ancient roots in the Italian peninsula. Olive leaf fossils were found in the region of Livorno, dating back to the Pliocene era (5 million years ago).

However it wasn't before the eight-century B.C that the olive culture expanded from Greece to southern Italy and actual cultivation did not occur in Tuscany until the mid-seventh century B.C. 

The Etruscans inhabited part of western central Italy, roughly the area of modern Tuscany. They learned much from the Greeks but developed the olive culture further to suit their own needs in the northern regions of Italy. 

Archaeologically, the Etruscans are famous for their tombs, frescoes and pottery, and it is via these vase paintings and frescoes that some interesting glimpses of the Etruscan life emerges, including their agriculture.

Etruscans, young and old, were harvesting olives by beating the tree branches with long sticks to make the fruit fall to the ground, where they were collected by young boys with baskets. Other images found show boys climbing the trees and shaking the olive branches to make the fruit fall. 

However, at that time olive oil was used not so much for food, but rather for lighting, cosmetics and ointments. 

Olive trees were planted in the entire Mediterranean basin under Roman rule. According to the historian Pliny, Italy had "excellent olive oil at reasonable prices" by the first century A.C, "the best in the Mediterranean," he maintained.  Actually, olive oil was the hottest commodity in the ancient world, and advanced ships were built for the sole purpose of transporting it to trading posts around the Mediterranean. 


The mystical glow of olive oil has illuminated history. Homer called it "liquid gold" and the general belief was that it conferred strength and youth. Athletes ritually rubbed it all over their body. It has been seasoning, medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power for the peoples of the Mediterranean. The olive tree has always been a symbol of abundance and peace.

Due to geographic and climatic limitations, though, the region of northern Tuscany seems to have been the inland limit of olive cultivation on the Italian peninsula. Despite the harsh climate, Tuscan olives were still grown in great numbers and even favoured by some because of their distinct taste and character, even though by modern standards (and perhaps in ancient times as well) the yield from northern trees is some 10 times less than in southern Italy. 

Today, we know that the Tuscan olive oil is especially low in acidity when compared with its southern counterpart, and this may help explain why northern olive oil had such a favourable following over the past millennia. 

Due to the Romans and their expanding Empire, the entire known world was introduced to olive cultivation and the benefits derived from the little green fruit. Olive trading routes grew up, and gradually Tuscany's landscape took on its silver-crowned appearance. 

Disregarding certain tragic years where frost devastated crops and trees, up until the early 1980s, 30,000 tons of oil were produced per year, but today the figure is nearer 24,000 tons. 

Only recently have non-Mediterranean consumers begun to appreciate premium quality extra virgin olive oils. Unfortunately, with the growing interest in olive oil come a lot of mythology, hype, and bad information.

As it happened with wine some forty years ago, the increasing awareness and appreciation of the product created a demand for quality wine. Similarly there is a learning curve regarding the olive oils. The majority of oils sold on the non-Mediterranean market are inferior products bearing little resemblance to the rich full flavour oils that are an essential ingredient to fine Mediterranean cuisine. 

Without question, food critics, chefs and connoisseurs tend to agree that some of the most flavourful and highest quality oils come from the region of Tuscany in Italy. 

And today, just as in ancient times, the olives from these incredible trees are harvested here at Villa Stabbia using the same methods - unchanged through Etruscan, Roman, Medieval and into modern times. 

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Agriturismo Villa Stabbia, Via Casorino 3, 51010 Massa e Cozzile, Toscana, Italia
+39 0572 74975       -        info@VillaStabbia.it       -       P.IVA 01483210470