National Geographic Traveller (UK) - Food
Olives, Southern Europe
If you want to get involved with a harvest, head south for a hands-on olive experience, anywhere from a Sicilian farm to a Greek luxury resort
Great swathes of Europe have, in one way or another, been shaped by the olive. From Portugal in the west to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, cultivation of the fruit continues to have a major impact on everything from local economies to the arts, medicine and folklore.
Spain is Europe’s biggest producer. Vast farms carpet Andalucia, while the International Olive Council is headquartered in Madrid. For diversity, Italy is the leader, both in olive varieties — it produces more than 600 types — and the range of microclimates they grow in.
The nation’s olive trees are deeply rooted in its physical and psychological identity, standing stoic for centuries over terroir that takes in pre-alpine lakes, Mediterranean shores and mountains. Likewise, olive cultivation is at the heart of Greek culture, both ancient and modern. After all, it’s where, legend has it, the goddess Athena offered an olive tree to Athenians as a symbol of wisdom and peace. Today, the country consumes more olive oil per person than any other.
In Europe, olive harvests take place between September and December. A rule of thumb: the further south you travel the later the harvest will be. Wherever you go, it will be an all-hands-on-deck event. Speed and skill are of the essence when getting the fruit from tree to press before it oxidises, and while select farms offer visitors the chance to get properly involved, numerous villas, agriturismo properties and resorts offer special tours, tastings, events and festivals during harvest season.
GETTING STARTED: Chase the sun south to Sicily, where harvest season starts in October. At Fattoria Mosè (fattoriamose.com), an organic farm and agriturismo near Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples, guests can experience the harvest hands-on, and take part in tastings and cooking classes and experience menus focused on seasonal dishes. Owner Simonetta Agnello Hornby and her sister Chiara are authors of Un Filo D’olio (‘A Little Bit of Oil’), a recipe book centred on olive-focused regional dishes.
In Greece, head south west to the Peloponnese peninsula. Here, around the southern coastal city of Kalamáta, where the eponymous olive is king, farm stays often encourage guests to get involved in the November harvest. Lately, the vast Costa Navarino resort (costanavarino.com) has also got in on the act, offering various ‘olive experiences’, which include olive oil tastings, where guests follow the olives’ journey from tree to bottle. Visitors to any of the resort’s hotels can also take part in the olive harvest, where they’ll lean about local varieties and visit an olive press. There are also cookery courses and olive-focused spa treatments.