Abruzzo is filled with olive trees and vines, and it isn’t easy to pick where to which farms to visit, but sometimes your first choice is spot on! We’ve waited since last summer to have time to visit the olive oil farm Olio Monaco in the Tortoreto countryside, and finally, this trip it was time!
The drive there is a bit scary, a small gravel road on the side of a hill, but more than anything it gives an amazing view! So amazing in fact, this is the only picture I managed to snap…
The farm has around 1,200 trees and is family run. Mauro and his wife are very friendly, and you can tell they are passionate about olives and olive oil! They also manage to balance the traditions with innovative thinking in an impressive way!
Except for during harvest season (2-3 months in the fall) the small family runs the farm by themselves, and as Mauro put it: “We follow the sun, like birds, in winter we go to bed at 8 PM”.
In return for their chosen profession, the family gets to wake up to – and work with – this view every day! A picture can’t do it justice, but I think you can imagine the feelings a view like this creates.
Within arms reach there are three kinds of rosemary, a pomegranate tree, lavender, olives (of course). A few steps away is the kitchen garden with lemon, basil, thyme and other.
Can you imagine running an olive oil farm like this one?!
If you want to visit on your own, check out their website.
