In the province of Syracuse, and more precisely in the municipality of Solarino, halfway between the hills and the sea, the Oliva agricultural company is located. Historic reality of south-eastern Sicily, active for almost seventy years in the sector, combines the production of extra virgin olive oil with the production of PGI certified lemons, potatoes and wheat. I’m driving it Francesca and Michele Oliva, protagonists of a project which focuses on the valorisation of the biodiversity of this corner of the island through the marketing of their products and the organization of tourist itineraries to discover the company oil mill, the lemon grove and an olive grove spread across the area. Twenty hectares, distributed among the nearby municipalities of Solarino, Floridia, Buccheri and Siracusa which are home to ten thousand lemon trees and five thousand olive trees, some of which are centuries-old, of the Moresca, Nocellara Etnea, Cerasuola and Tonda Iblea varieties. A heritage from which three thousand liters of extra virgin olive oil are produced every year and distributed in Italy and Europe, but also in the United States and Australia, through the company’s e-commerce, on the horeca channel or through specialized retailers.
The range of Oliva extra virgin olive oils is made up of two lines: “Fable” And “Synesthesia”. The first is made up of four monocultivars (one for each variety present in the olive groves) and a blend; the second, however, which was created in a limited edition for the 2023 olive oil campaign, is designed for the Horeca market and brings together three monovarietals respectively obtained from the Zaituna trees in the Solarino area, from the Tonda Iblea of Buccheri and from Cerasuola. A new line available exclusively in the 0.25 liter format which matches the “Synesthesia Tour”, an oil tourism and tasting project which aims to make the company a space for disseminating and promoting the culture of extra virgin olive oil through tastings, walks in the countryside and visits to the oil mill. All Oliva extra virgin olive oils are the result of a process with attention to the smallest details, from cultivation to processing up to bottling. The fruits are harvested in the first days of October, at early veraison, and transported to the company oil mill within twelve hours; followed by tasting to verify its organoleptic characteristics and conservation in steel silos under nitrogen, before packaging.
Among the oils in the range this year we tasted the new “Synesthesia from Tonda Iblea”, unfiltered single variety and bottled in an elegant transparent format that reveals its brilliant golden color. Medium intense fruity (5/10), it is characterized by subtle herbaceous and floral notes and hints of artichoke and tomato leaf. On the palate it is characterized by harmony and pleasantness, thanks to an interesting balance between a light bitterness (3/10) and a strong spiciness (7/10) and capable of giving sprint and personality to the tasting. Due to its characteristics it is an oil that can enhance the taste of many delicately flavored dishes; it goes well with crustaceans and molluscs, cooked and raw fish, fresh cheeses. Also worth trying in combination with risottos and traditional Mediterranean first courses. He expresses the best of himself raw.
Oliva agricultural company
Contrada Finaiti – Solarino (SR)
T. 0931 340277
[email protected]
www.agricolaoliva.it
