With olive cultivation spread across more than 85% of its territory,
Basilicata ranks among Italy's leading olive-oil-producing regions. Its soil, predominantly of volcanic origin, supports the growth of the olive tree, giving its fruit unique and distinctive organoleptic properties.
The Soil of Basilicata
An ordinary-statute region of southern Italy with Potenza as its capital, Basilicata is home to Italy's oldest olive groves and boasts around
27 native olive varieties, with an average annual production of 13,000 tonnes of oil (equal to 2.5% of national production).The particular
mineralogical composition of the Basilicata soil (predominantly of volcanic origin) gives the olive fruit unique organoleptic characteristics. From the Basilicata olive tree, cultivated since the time of Magna Graecia, comes a truly distinctive oil that is rarely sold outside the region, but produced mainly for personal consumption.
The Main Production Areas and Basilicata Olive Varieties
The main production areas for Basilicata olive oil are:
Vulture, the Lower Agri Valley and the Lower Materano Hills.The most famous olive-growing centres in Vulture are: Melfi, Rionero in Vulture, Barile, Rapolla, Acerenza, Lavello and Venosa. The most common olive variety in Vulture is the "ogliarola".The most common olive variety in the Lower Materano Hills and the Lower Agri Valley, on the other hand, is the "maiatica di Ferrandina".
Basilicata Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the "Olivarum" Award
Basilicata extra virgin olive oil, filtered and unfiltered, obtained from the very first cold, mechanical pressing of the olives, is the base of every Basilicata dish. Basilicata's extra virgin olive oil production boasts excellent oils with protected designation of origin, such as the
I.G.P. Lucano.The
regional "Olivarum" award, now in its 15th edition, saw the participation of as many as 57 extra virgin olive oils from Basilicata.
