Our Olive Oil: Restoring Olive Groves in the Cortona Countryside
Olive trees have always been an essential part of the landscape around Cortona. Together with vineyards, woodlands and historic farmhouses, they shape the rolling hills and tell the story of a deep connection with the land that has defined this part of Tuscany for centuries. This is where our extra virgin olive oil in Cortona comes from: olive groves that we look after ourselves throughout the year.
In recent years, we decided to restore around four hectares of olive groves in the Cortona countryside, many of which had been abandoned for a long time.
The project began with clearing the land, pruning the trees and gradually bringing the olive groves back to life. We personally take care of this work throughout the year, following the natural cycle of the trees. Above all, the project grew from our desire to give new life to these olive groves and, through them, to preserve a small but meaningful part of the Tuscan countryside around Cortona.
Restoring Olive Groves Means Caring for the Land
When an olive grove is abandoned for years, wild vegetation gradually takes over and the trees lose much of their ability to produce olives.
Bringing an old olive grove back into production takes time. We cleared the land, restored access to the groves and pruned the olive trees, working gradually and respecting the natural rhythm of the plants.
Today, seeing those same trees producing olives again is probably the greatest satisfaction of all.
Restoring an olive grove, however, is about much more than producing olive oil. It also means preserving an agricultural landscape that is part of Cortona’s identity, keeping alive land and trees that would otherwise become inaccessible and gradually be forgotten.
Our Organic Tuscan PGI Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Today, our olive groves produce a small quantity of certified organic extra virgin olive oil, officially recognised as Tuscan PGI (Toscano IGP) olive oil.
We follow organic farming methods, without chemical treatments, and we also harvest the olives ourselves.
Our production is intentionally limited. Our aim is not to turn this project into large-scale olive oil production, but to continue personally caring for the groves and respecting their natural cycle.
Part of our organic Tuscan extra virgin olive oil is used in the kitchen at Monastero San Silvestro, while the rest is available for purchase, subject to availability each year.
From the Olive Grove to the Table
For us, using olive oil from our own trees in our kitchen is the most natural conclusion to this journey.
We know these olive trees. We prune them, watch them change through the seasons and harvest their fruit. When the olive oil reaches the table, we know exactly where it comes from.
This is also something we would like to share with guests staying at Monastero San Silvestro: not simply a traditional Tuscan product, but something that genuinely belongs to the place they are visiting.
A slice of bread, a drizzle of freshly pressed olive oil, and little else.
Sometimes the simplest things are the best way to tell the story of a place.
Autumn and the Olive Harvest in Cortona
The olive harvest in Cortona is one of our favourite moments of the year.
With the arrival of autumn, after months of work in the groves, the olives are harvested and taken to the mill. This is when we finally discover the results of the season and taste the freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil for the first time.
It is an ancient rhythm, still guided by nature: pruning, flowering, the growth and ripening of the olives, and finally the harvest.
Today, those four hectares of restored olive groves allow us to produce our own organic Tuscan PGI extra virgin olive oil, both for our kitchen and for guests who would like to take home a small taste of the Cortona countryside.
