The Best Places to Experience the Olive Harvest Season in Italy
Frantoi harvest photo credit @PPMETELLI
What kind of year will it be for Italian olive oil? In recent decades, the harvest has started earlier, from winter to early fall, due to quality goals and changing weather patterns. As harvest time approaches in 2026, hope and uncertainty mix. This summer was especially dry and hot, with some areas also hit by floods and severe storms. Last year, Italy produced about 300,000 to 325,000 tons of olive oil, a recovery after some difficult years. However, much of that oil is still in storage, and many producers now worry they may not have enough empty tanks for the new harvest.
Nevertheless, the harvesting season is much awaited by growers, millers, and extra virgin olive oil enthusiasts alike, for whom it also represents an excellent opportunity to take a closer look at this world and what lies behind such a precious product. All over Italy, olive harvesting means hard work and commitment, but also the revival of ancient traditions, convivial moments amidst the countryside and olive mills, and unique experiences. It is a ritual that almost always culminates in tasting the "new oil"—freshly pressed—on a slice of warm bread: a simple yet unforgettable bite.
How to make the most of this special time of year in Italy
Attend events and sagre (country festivals)
Visit olive groves and mills
Take part in the olive harvest, and share tastings and unforgettable moments with olive growers and fellow enthusiasts
Olive picking and green rituals at Cascioni Eco Retreat
Sardinia
Cascioni Eco Retreat
At Cascioni Eco Retreat, a luxury retreat nested in the Sardinian countryside between Arzachena and Porto Cervo, autumn marks the olive harvest – involving over 3,000 trees of the local Pizz’e Carroga, Tonda di Cagliari and Bosana varieties, plus Nocellara Etnea from Sicily. Starting on September 14th, 2026, the harvest invites guests to get involved; they learn how to care for the trees and gather the olives using traditional wooden rakes onto sheets spread around the trunks, before witnessing the first pressing at the mill. A dinner under the stars will celebrate the conclusion of the harvest, just as it used to be, even though the menu will probably be a bit more sumptuous, and guests will receive a special souvenir to bring home: a bottle of oil from their own production. For those taking part in this special experience (available until the closing day of the retreat, planned for October 25th), olive oil will play a starring role throughout the stay, from aperitifs – featuring a cocktail made with the estate’s own extra virgin oil – to treatments at the Mediterranea Spa, such as the rebalancing and anti-aging "Oro Verde” (green gold) Ritual.
"The olive harvest isn't just an activity organized for guests; it is real work that we would be doing regardless. During those days, the atmosphere at the estate shifts – we are all busy among the olive trees, and guests staying at Cascioni are welcome to join in. It is a part of our lives that can only be truly experienced by visiting at this time of year," Bonaria and Luca Filigheddu, owners of Cascioni Eco Retreat, explain. For more information, email info@cascioni.com
Women In Olive Oil gathering at Fratoni Family’s oil mill in Ascoli Piceno
Marche
Frantoni olive oil in the grove
Founded by Jill Myers, an EVOO Sommelier and internationally recognized expert, educator, and advocate, Women In Olive Oil aims to contribute to the individual and societal advancement of women through the common link of olive oil, and to spread the culture of this precious product.
On Friday, October 2, 2026, WIOO’s members, as well as others from across the olive oil industry and olive oil enthusiasts, are invited to the Fratoni family’s olive mill in Ascoli Piceno, in the Marche region. A member of Women In Olive Oil, Chiara Fratoni decided to open her family estate to celebrate the beginning of the new olive harvest and share knowledge, tastings, and conversations.
The afternoon and evening will include a guided tour of the family’s olive mill, a professional tasting of freshly harvested Ascolana Tenera extra virgin olive oil, a traditional aperitivo featuring local specialties, and an evening walk through one of the area’s treasured medieval towns. The gathering at Frantoio Fratoni will also be joined by Professor Leonardo Seghetti, one of Italy’s foremost experts on the Ascolana Tenera olive variety and deeply respected for both his knowledge and his generosity in sharing it.
This will be an intimate opportunity to experience the harvest through the people, traditions, food, and olive culture of the Marche region. Advance RSVP is requested at events@womeninoliveoil.org. A $20 contribution will be collected at the door.
Oil-themed relaxation at Palazzo di Varignana
Emilia-Romagna
Olive oil tasting at Palazzo di Varignana
The harvest season brings a special energy to Varignana, a beautiful estate in the Bolognese hills that blends farming and the production of organic wine, premium extra virgin olive oil, and other products with luxury, wellness-focused hospitality. The Olivum Experience, though, is available all year.
This one-night package is a sensory journey focused on Palazzo di Varignana’s extra virgin olive oil. It includes a guided tasting with an expert oil sommelier and a four-course dinner at the Aurevo restaurant, paired with the estate’s olive oils. On the wellness side, guests get a 3-hour pass to the Varsana SPA circuit (with hydromassage pools, Finnish sauna, Mediterranean sauna, Turkish bath, sensory showers, sound pool, and more) and the "Olive Oil Ritual Massage" for two—a relaxing treatment with the nourishing benefits of premium olive oil. For more information, email: info@palazzodivarignana.com
Frantoi Aperti Strada dell’Olio Umbria DOP
Umbria
Olive trees at Frantoi Aperti
In Umbria, olive trees and olive oil are a key part of the landscape, history, and daily life (read more about olive oil in Umbria). The Umbria PDO covers the whole region, and the Umbria DOP Olive Oil Road is a leading example of oil tourism in Italy, with events, tours, and activities throughout the area. The harvest season brings one of the most important and anticipated events: FrantoiAperti® in Umbria, which runs for five weekends from October 17 to November 15 this year. This event highlights the region’s signature product, extra virgin olive oil.
Now in its 29th year, the festival offers a full schedule of activities focused on the olive harvest and the production of new-season oil. Visitors can explore working oil mills, taste extra virgin olive oil, enjoy olive-filled landscapes, visit historic villages, and experience Umbria’s great food.
The program combines tastings and visits to olive groves and oil mills with cultural itineraries, artistic events, concerts, and initiatives dedicated to showcasing the region's landscape heritage. As 2026 marks the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis – who was born and died in Umbria – the "EVO&Art Experience" tours, organized over the five weekends, will also visit the region's most significant Franciscan sites that preserve the Saint's legacy, weaving together the culture of extra virgin olive oil with art, biodiversity, and spirituality.
Sports and outdoor activities are also a big part of the event. New for 2026 are the Frantoi Aperti® Motorcycle Tour in Umbria, which offers motorcyclists various routes through olive groves and historic villages, with stops at oil mills to taste fresh oil, and the first Frantoi Aperti® Trail Run, set for Sunday, October 18, through olive groves and on dirt paths. This run is planned to become a touring event. On the same day, the fourth "Grande Pedalata" (Great Bike Ride) will take place along the Assisi-Spoleto Olive Grove Belt, a cycling route from Spoleto to Campello sul Clitunno that passes through one of Central Italy’s most famous rural landscapes and is being considered for UNESCO World Heritage status. For more information, email: info@stradaoliodopumbria.it
Olive Oil tasting in Tuscany
Tuscany, with its rolling hills full of olive trees and vineyards, is a top place to visit during the harvest season. If you want a more hands-on, personal experience, the beautiful countryside offers plenty of options.
Olive groves at Fattoria La Maliosa
In the heart of the Maremma area, near the famous Saturnia thermal baths, Fattoria La Maliosa is a beautiful estate founded by Antonella Manuli. It focuses on sustainable wine tourism and produces natural wines and extra-virgin olive oil. The estate offers guided tours of vineyards and olive groves, trekking, yoga, tastings, e-bike routes, winery tours, picnics, and personalized experiences. Visitors can even stay in one of four StarsBOX© micro-cabins set in the lush Tuscan countryside. From October 20 to December 20, 2026, the "Maliosa Experience" (€29 per person, booking required is dedicated to the “new oil.” This one-hour session, available in Italian and English, lets you discover the seasonal Aurinia oil (a blend of Tuscan cultivars) and the Caletra cru (from Leccio del Corno olives), served with traditional “fettunta” (toasted bread with olive oil). A professional guide leads the tasting, held indoors or outside under the pergola. For more information, email: info@fattorialamaliosa.it
Sartomare courtesy of Tuscany Now & More
Tuscany Now & More, a London-based company specializing in Italian villas and custom experiences, can arrange olive oil-focused activities tailored to guests’ location and timing. These include visits to local mills, tastings, and other harvest events. Tenute Poggiazzi, for instance, is a fully staffed historic estate between Florence and Siena. Staying here can include joining the olive harvest, visiting a working mill during pressing, and enjoying an olio nuovo dinner with a guided tasting. Some other villas – such as Villa Denise, Podere Brogi, and Sartomare – also make their own olive oil. For more information, email: enquiries@tuscanynowandmore.com
OilOliva in Imperia
Liguria
OilOliva cooking demo
Imperia is a charming port city on the Ponente Riviera and is at the center of Ligurian olive growing and of the production of famous extra-virgin olive oil. In November, its historic center, with narrow streets and small squares surrounded by olive-covered hills, hosts the annual OilOliva event from November 6 to 8, 2026.
For three days, the city center will host local producers, millers, and visitors coming together to taste and explore some of the best olive oils. Visitors will have the chance to try blends and single-varietal oils (especially the popular Taggiasca variety, common in local groves) and attend masterclasses led by top experts, as well as tours of traditional Ligurian mills that are still in operation.
Throughout the day, Imperia's old town will be filled with themed stalls, hands-on workshops, and guided tastings. Experts will share the flavors and aromas of different Ligurian olive oils. Families can join sensory workshops for children, play educational games about olives, and take part in creative cooking activities using extra-virgin olive oil.
The 2026 edition will also be dedicated to celebrating Italian cuisine, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, highlighting it as an expression of identity, knowledge, traditions, and conviviality. Olioliva will thus showcase the connection between olive oil, Italian cuisine, and Mediterranean culture, featuring chefs, producers, and key figures from the world of food and wine. It is a major event celebrating new-season olive oil, Italian cuisine, and a heritage of culture and biodiversity to be preserved and promoted. For more information, email: oliolivafesta@gmail.com
Sagra dell’Olivo di Canino
Lazio
Tuscia is a region in central Italy that covers parts of Tuscany and Lazio, lying between the sea, Mount Amiata, and Lake Bolsena. This area is known for its hills and highlands filled with vineyards and olive groves: olive growing here dates back to Etruscan times and was valued by the Romans as well.
About an hour and a half from Rome, the small town of Canino, which lends its name to the Canino PDO Olive Oil Route and the prized Caninese olive variety, has hosted the popular Sagra dell'Olivo since 1939. It is one of Italy’s oldest olive oil festivals. Although the harvest season has changed here, as in other parts of the country, the festival still happens around December 8, which used to be the peak of the harvest.
During the festival, which is planned for December 5 to 8 this year, Canino’s historic center comes alive with history, culture, and food. Visitors can enjoy bruschetta with fresh olive oil and other local dishes, such as Pappardelle with wild-boar ragù.
The Sagra also features historical reenactments that celebrate the area’s past with costume parades, games, and tournaments for all ages. An artisan market fills the center, where visitors can discover local products, traditional crafts, and the real flavors and culture of old Lazio.