Olive Harvest in the Sabine Hills, near Rome, Italy

What a great time of year to visit the Roman countryside and especially the Sabine Hills. The Sabina region, just 40 kms north of Rome is famous for it's extra virgin olive oil and with over 2,5000,000 trees squeezed into hilly terrain you can understand why it is so important. The olive farmers make sure that the quality of the olive oil is at its best by picking the olives just as they are turning from green to black in colour. This is when the anti-oxidants are at their highest. The olive producers really concentrate on quality, not quantity and the Sabine Hills are now 'alive with the sound of music' of olive pickers. It is an exciting time to visit.

Olive picking with crates of olives already picked

We, at Convivio Rome, run Half Day Olive Tours all year round, but if you happen to be in the area in late October to early December, this is the time where olives are picked. You can understand how labour intensive olive picking is, when seeing it in action.

Olive harvest in progress takes teamwork

The olives need to be picked and taken to the local 'frantoio' olive mill, within 24 hours to ensure the quality of the extra virgin olive oil remains high.

Being an eighth generation Roman, means that even as a child I was taught by my parents and grandparents the importance of the Sabine Hills for it's D.O.P. extra virgin olive oil. I remember travelling with my family through the Sabine Hills to renew our supply of the famous Sabina extra virgin olive oil, and other local produce, to take back home to Rome. 

The olive trees are full with olives ready to be picked

We operate Rome Olive tours all year round, to discover more:

http://www.conviviorome.com/olive-tour.html

Or contact me, Guido, at Convivio Rome on info@conviviorome.com

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Extra virgin olive oil- Healing remedies of the Sabine Hills

We had to climb a mountain to get some rutin (ruta) leaves so we could make a healing lotion using our local extra virgin olive oil. It was absolutely worth it!

View over the Sabine Hills from Monte San Martino

The first time Sally and I tried to climb Monte San Martino, starting at the '4 winds' 'i quattro venti' crossing, we came across a huge herd of what seemed like giant goats. We called out for the shepherd and our only response came from two large sheepdogs, who definitely did not want us to pass.....so understanding the message, we retreated to safer ground. 

The next time we climbed this mountain to visit the ruined monastery perched on it's peak, we organised a group of 20 friends to come along for a picnic ( and as potential goat protectors) and of course did not see one fierce goat on the whole trail! 

Meeting some of the curious locals ( luckily only sheep this time!)

View from the top over the medieval village of Fara Sabina

Ruined monastery walls where the rutin plant grows

We have returned several times and have always enjoyed the spectacular views from the top. It is really magical. On our second trip with friends, we also learnt all about this 'magical' plant called Rutin that is said to have amazing healing properties. The rutin, ruta plant grows in abundance near the ruined monastery and we were given a local recipe on how to make this healing lotion: "place a couple of small branches of Rutin, (found next to the ruined monastery on a local hilltop) in a sealed container and cover with extra virgin olive oil, for 6 weeks. Then take out the plant and the lotion is ready". Extra virgin olive oil has the ability to absorb the healing properties (and smell) of the rutin plant ( as with other plants or herbs). Rutin is said to be great for circulation and also used as an anti-inflammatory ( only to be rubbed into the skin).
The smell of this plant so bad ( I agree, it really stinks) that it is said to have been used in medieval times, to keep witches away!

Author's note: This information about the healing properties of Rutin was given to me by one of our local ladies, Signora Lina, and not to be taken as a medical fact. As with all topical lotions using natural herbs and plants, please use with great caution. Rutin maybe good for your circulation but it can also irritate the skin.

Come along and visit this area, the Sabine Hills, with Sally and I, on a Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holiday or a One Day Cooking Class, or Half Day Olive Tour or Wine Tour. There is so much to show you in this undiscovered land.

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Immersed in Olives and Sabina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The lives of my family and I are intertwined with the local Sabina extra virgin olive oil. We are not only surrounded by olive trees, we grow, harvest, take the olives to press to make our own extra virgin olive oil and make local cures using our own herbs mixed in olive oil...we also cure and eat our olives whole. Extra virgin olive oil is an essential ingredient in all my Italian cooking classes and Italian Culinary Holidays. In other words, we are immersed in olives and olive oil, inside and out!  Our local Sabina extra virgin olive oil often referred to as 'liquid gold' as it is recognised to have many healing properties. The olive itself is a symbol of peace and longevity, and it has often been used as a base for medicines because of its healing powers.

Visiting the 'L'Olivone', the Largest Olive Tree in Europe, is the first stop on your Rome Olive Tour

When in Rome.....come for a visit to the Sabine Hills with us to find out more about this amazing fruit, that has a long long history and is entwined with the local culture, here in the Roman countryside. I run Rome Olive Tours all year round. Rome Olive Tours with Convivio Rome

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The Olive Harvest Experience: picking our own olives

It all started one cool and sunny November day. Our small team of olive pickers joined us early in the morning, to help us harvest this year's olives. With nets, crates, and olive picking equipment ready, the work began.

Traditionally there would be 4 olive pickers working one tree at a time. Large nets would be arranged around the base of the olive tree, with two of the workers on wooden ladders working from the top of the tree down, gently 'raking' each olive branch to drop the olives onto the nets below. Those working on the ground would gather the olives in the net and place them into the crates. As each tree was completed and each crate filled with olives, they would move the nets to the next tree.
The olive picking process is much the same today, however to make the process more efficient, air compressed silicon hands , called 'la manina'  or 'the little hand'  are used to gently shake the olives off the tree onto the nets below.

We have a 'family sized' olive grove of 52 olive trees, with mainly 'carboncella' and 'leccino' olives (two of the main varieties of olives grown in the Sabine Hills).  Not all of our olive trees produced olives this year, but those that have, have produced in abundance. With a lot of help, we were able to harvest all our olives in just one day.

As the sun set, we took our crates of olives straight to a nearby 'frantoio', olive mill, to have our olives pressed immediately. To get the highest quality extra virgin olive oil, the olives need to be pressed with 24 hours of picking.

This year we harvested 200 kgs of olives which, once pressed, produced 46 litres of some of the best Sabina extra virgin olive oil I have ever tasted!

When you next come to visit us, you too, will be able to taste some of the wonderful Sabina extra virgin olive oil.
Learn more about our Half Day Rome Olive Tour at Convivio Rome.

We operation Rome Olive tours all year round, to discover more:
http://www.conviviorome.com/olive-tour.html
 email us on  info@conviviorome.com

www.conviviorome.com

www.winetoursrome.com

The Olive Harvest has already begun in the Sabine Hills, near Rome

The Sabine Hills, just north of Rome is famous for it's excellent DOP extra virgin olive oil, and this year promises to be a 'bumper crop' for the local olive farmers.

The trees are heavy with 1,000s of olives and the farmers have cut the herbs and grass between the trees and laid down the nets in preparation for the forthcoming harvest.

In fact, we can see, from our home windows, that the olive harvest has already begun in the olive groves on some of the nearby olive farms.

Partial view from our Convivio Rome Italian Cooking School, home terrace over olive groves below. 

They began the olive harvest today!

Olives are picked just once a year and usually around October or November. Due to a long, very hot and dry summer, the conditions have been perfect for olive production this year. The farmers in the Sabine Hills have had a hard time in the past 2 years in 2015 and 2016, so they definitely deserve a good harvest for this year. 

We will let you know how the olive harvest goes!

Come and taste the New 2017 Sabina D.O.P. Extra Virgin Olive Oil #EVVO with us during your 3 or 5 night Italian Cooking Holiday or during your Half Day Rome Olive Tour with Maestro Guido. 

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The Olive Oil Farmers are jumping for joy in the Sabine Hills

We have had a few very cold days in #January, and the local #oliveoil farmers are jumping for joy! 'They say', just a few days of frost will help kill potential dangerous bugs/insects living in the #olivetrees.....so it looks like we have a great beginning for the production of #Sabina #EVVO extra virgin olive oil in this area for 2017! Viva Italia!

'Behind the scenes' in the Olive grove: Now is the time for trimming the olive trees. 

Cutting the extra branches off the olive tree, helps the tree to receive more light, heat and air, therefore optimum conditions for producing more fruit... Although the olive groves seem tranquil at this time of year, the farmers are still working, preparing the olive trees to produce their best! 

So 'fingers crossed' for the 2017 Sabina D.O.P. extra virgin Olive Oil.

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Rome Day Tours- Half Day Rome Olive Oil Tour with Convivio Rome.

Traditional Italian food- Why it's so good?

What makes traditional Italian food taste so good?
From my experience it all comes down to the quality ingredients, the balance of flavours, plus the love that comes with those recipes handed down from generation-to-generation......

The good news is that Italian food doesn't only taste delicious, it can also be an economical way to eat.

Take a moment to read this article, called 'The Mediterranean Diet on a Budget' written by Sam Urq,  for 'Olive Oil Times'.

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