The Olive Harvest in Tuscany

Late October into early November is olive season in Tuscany. Throughout the countryside, fields are dotted with olives trees, some in neatly trimmed rows and others standing alone, gnarled and ancient looking. They shimmer with green, purple, and nearly black fruit and the promise that they will soon yield the spicy, flavorful, wonderfully scented liquid that makes Italian olive oil so prized.

I recently had the opportunity to experience the harvest at one of my favorite places - the Agriturismo Cretaiole near Pienza, Italy. Cretaiole is a working fattoria (farm) with many olive trees. It is run by the Moricciani family who also operate a family farm (Podere San Gregorio) and large olive groves, all just beyond the city walls in Pienza. In all, they have nearly 3000 olive trees. They produce a superb organic olive oil under the supervision of family patriarch Luciano and son Carlo (who is also a professional olive oil tester for the province of Siena). This makes Cretaiole the perfect place to get a close up view of the olive harvest and also provides the perfect excuse to spend a week in southern Tuscany.

My goal was to learn about the harvest and to take lots of photos. I quickly found that it was impossible to just watch! Pitching in is part of the fun and doing so provided the chance to speak with Luciano, who has been harvesting the olives in this area since he was a child in the years after World War II.

Luciano Moricciani has spent a lifetime cultivating and harvesting olives. His Cretaiole olive oil is fantastic!

The first thing I learned is that olive harvesting is hard work! First the olives must be picked from the tall, dense trees. This can be done by hand, climbing up a ladder to reach high into the trees and dropping the olives into a basket. Luciano recounted the dangers of this - including the many falls and broken bones which were common in his youth. These days it is more common, especially in the larger groves, to use a power tool - a sort of vibrating rake - to shake the olives from the tree. The olives then fall into nets that have been spread out on the ground around the trees. This is the process used at Cretaiole, with 2 men performing this job over the course of a week or more (they have a lot of olive trees!).

Shaking the olives from the trees and into the collecting nets

As the colorful olives pile up in the nets, the many twigs that also fall from the trees must be separated from the olives by hand. The olives are then scooped into containers and, within a day, they are taken to the frantoio (olive press) where they will be separated from their leaves, washed, ground, and coaxed into giving up their precious oil.

Separating the twigs from the olives

A few days after taking the above photos, I was able to visit with Luciano and his wife Liliana at their farm, Podere San Gregorio in Pienza. In the farm’s cantina, the newly pressed oil is stored in large vats and the oil is put into bottles and tins for sale under the Cretaiole labe

Together we tasted the new oil on slices of bread alongside some of the other products from the farm (delicious prosciutto and salami), a local pecorino cheese, and glasses of red wine produced from Cretaiole’s vines. The new oil was a beautiful green color, fragrant, and very, very tasty.

This was a wonderful opportunity to talk to the Moricciani’s about their lives, their land, the business of the agriturismo, and the area around Pienza.

It is always a treat to be able to buy a new season olive oil straight from the farm, but it is even better when you’ve had the chance to participate in the harvest, although truth be told I did more watching and photographing than working. Still - I think there must be at least one or two of “my” olives in the big bottle of oil that I took home with me.

I will enjoy the bold flavor of Cretaiole olive oil drizzled atop a bowl of minestrone or over toasted bread throughout the coming winter. If you’d like to taste this wonderful organic extra virgin olive oil, Cretaiole ships 1 and 5 liter cans.

A huge thanks to Luciano, Liliana, and Carlo Moricciani for inviting me to learn about the olive harvest and for being such warm and generous hosts.

Contact information for Cretaiole website: cretaiole.it email: info@cretaiole.it

Agriturismo Cretaiole, or My Imagined Life as an Italian Farmer

I am by nature a city girl. I may grow some herbs and a few tomatoes, but more serious gardening is beyond me. I remember my Italian grandfather's vegetable garden in New York, and the taste of his fresh tomatoes and wax beans, but I figure that's why Mother Nature invented grower's markets - to give me the flavor without all the work. But a week on an agriturismo in southern Tuscany had me reconsidering - perhaps I had a bit of farm girl in me after all. I actually caught myself humming the theme song to "Green Acres" at one point, and that must mean something. 

Agriturismi (that would be the plural of the Italian word agriturismo) sprang up in the 1980s as the Italian government began subsidizing farmers who worked their land and hosted visitors on their property. The goal was to encourage farmers to continue agricultural work while developing an additional source of income. One of the first agriturismi in the Val d'Orcia was Agriturismo Cretaiole. The vision of its owner, Luciano Moricciani, was revolutionary at the time when locals (and even his own father) questioned if any tourist would really want to stay on a farm. But Luciano persisted, turning a run-down farmhouse into a place with charm and tons of local character. Today, Cretaiole is a magical spot, part working farm and part vacation destination. 

View over the valley toward Pienza from the kitchen window at Cretaiole

What makes Cretaiole so special? To start, it’s the Moricciani family – Luciano, son Carlo and daughter-in-law Isabella, along with their "right-hand woman," Carlotta. They are warm and welcoming, eager to share the history of their land, along with their knowledge of local customs and cuisine. Isabella expertly guides visitors to the special places of southern Tuscany - hill towns, restaurants, wineries, scenic drives - and also teaches the making of pici, the local pasta specialty. Carlo runs the vineyard, supervises the olive harvest and shares his considerable expertise about olive oil. Then there is Luciano, the padrone of the family. Luciano runs the family farm in Pienza, works with the grapes and olives, and finds time to visit with guests in the evening, arriving with wine, limoncello, grappa and music. Dancing with Luciano late into a warm Italian evening makes you feel like you really, truly belong to Italy. Essential to the team is the magic of Carlotta, who manages the day-to day needs of the visitors; whatever you need, Carlotta smiles and makes it happen. This is a hands-on family operation and that's a big part of what makes it special.

As an agriturismo, the heart of Cretaiole is the beautiful stone farm complex, which has been converted to apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. There are courtyards and open spaces with views over the Val d’Orcia and of Pienza a short distance away. The large lawn is dotted with swings, lounge chairs, and comfy spots for reading, daydreaming, mingling, or just gazing at the surrounding beauty. The apartments are rustic Italian style (our front door opened with a big skeleton key) but with all the modern conveniences, including fully equipped kitchens, great bathrooms, and comfortable beds with lovely linens. Our kitchen was stocked with local products, including meats, cheeses, fruit, a bottle of wine (all part of the “dolce vita” package) along with other kitchen basics (coffee, olive oil, sugar, etc). The garden was planted with tomatoes, lettuce, fennel, zucchini, cucumbers, and onions - feel free to pick what you need! We cooked a memorable dinner with fresh pasta purchased in Pienza, a sauce made of onions and fennel and a salad made from garden ingredients. How do you say YUM in Italian? Che buono! It isn’t just about guest quarters though. The property is also a place of work with a vineyard and olive trees.  If you are lucky enough to be there during the vendemmia (grape harvest) in October, or the olive harvest in November, be sure to lend a hand!  

Entrance to apartment Il Granaio at Cretiaole

The location of Cretaiole, about 10 minutes outside of Pienza, makes it an ideal spot for exploring the many hill towns of southern Tuscany. Pienza itself is a delight. It’s a short drive from Cretaiole to Montepulciano, Montalcino, Monticchielo, and San Querico d’Orcia.  A car is a necessity, but the driving is easy, the scenery spectacular, and Isabella provides great driving directions. Should you get lost, just call Carlotta on the cell phone provided to guests.

If I close my eyes I can still picture it: a cozy fire in the big open fireplace warming a chilly morning, windows open to stunning views of the Tuscan countryside, the scent of good Italian coffee brewing in a Moka on the stove, grapes ripening in the fall sun, and a garden just waiting for me to pick plump ripe tomatoes for the night’s meal. Cretaiole really was my perfect Tuscan farm home, if only for one week.        - post by JMB

The kitchen / sitting area fireplace in my Cretaiole apartment

Contact:   www.cretaiole.it

Not to be missed:  a visit to the nearby La Foce gardens, hiking down to the Etruscan ruins on the Moricciani property, a massage under the olive trees, pici making with Isabella, tasting Cretaiole’s olive oil, wine and prosciutto along with a local pecorino cheese, sharing a limoncello with Luciano, a visit to Monticchielo with lunch at La Porta, tasting Brunello wines in Montalcino.