Azienda Agricola e Frantoio Battaglini - Via Cassia, Km 111,700 - 01023 BOLSENA - VT - Italia

 Tel.e Fax: +39 0761 79.88.47 - e-mail: oliodibolsena@frantoiobattaglini.it

The Olive

The olive is a Mediterranean tree with a warped trunk, silvery foliage and small white flowers from which the fruit develops.

The olive tree belongs to the Oleaceae species and its botanical name, “European Olea” is derived from the Greek term “elaia”.

The olive tree is a typical European plant, indigenous within a wide area which extends from the Southern Causasus to the Cyclades Islands. It was mentioned for the first time in 1582 B.C. when Cecrope, the legendary founder of Athens, carried the plant to Greece. The olive was originally imported to Italy by the Phoenicians and then dispersed by the Romans to their conquered territories.

The olive leaves are persistent, simple, lanceolate, 4cm-8cm long with a silvery under side and a dark green upper side. The small white flowers form clusters of bouquets and blossom in June. The olive fruits range in size between 1cm-3cm. Initially they are green in colour but change to a bluish-black after ripening. The average height of the olive tree is between 10m to 15m with very slow growth. The plant however has considerable longevity, exceeding 1000 years in age.

Olive Cultivation in Bolsena

In Bolsena the olive is cultivated close to the slopes of the Volsinii Hills, which are of volcanic origin. The hill front is West/South-West oriented and the proximity of the lake makes the climate of the whole area very mild. In the vicinity of the lake some groves are cultivated at the foot of the hills, but the majority of the groves extend up the hills at a height ranging from 380m to 500m above sea level. This ensures a truly natural protective barrier against the pests of the olives, especially against the Bactrocera Olea, the olive fruit fly for which no economical intervention has yet been found. A variety of programs run in the past few years have shown that treatment for this pest is required at least once a year. This is an important aspect for health and qualitative measures which is a growing concern to our consumers. The olive cultivation has an important historical role in preserving the landscape and soil in the region of Bolsena, as it follows the traditional methods of production and harvesting. The most widely used form of cultivation is the method known as “polyconical vase”. This defines a conical shape of the tree with a central trunk and three or four lateral branches, 80% of the olives are hand picked and the rest are collected using a raking technique, which is a contributing factor to the high price of the product. The oil is mainly traded locally, with a small quantity reserved for national and foreign markets.  In the past few years modern cultivation methods are making is possible to meet the increasing demands of the Battaglini Extra-Virgin Olive Oil of Bolsena.

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