Puglia the heart of olive oil Italy begins with an image: endless fields of silver-green trees dancing in the sunlight. More than 60 million olive trees grow here, scattered across hills, valleys and plains. In no other region of Italy is the presence of olive groves so dominant. The trees are not just farmland, but landscape, history and lifeline all in one. They set the pace of life, of work and of the flavour that comes from this region.
Puglia lies between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. The sun shines here for an average of 300 days a year. The dry, calcareous soil and warm climate combine to create the ideal terroir for olive trees. The alternation of cool nights and hot days promotes the ripening of the olives and produces aromas that are nowhere else in the world so intense. This climate is not favourable by chance - it is perfectly suited to age-old trees and their cycles.
In Puglia, olive oil is not produced, but made - with attention, time and pride. Each family has its own way of harvesting, pressing and preserving. Some use stone mills, others modern presses. But what they share is respect. For the tree, the fruit and the oil. This approach is palpable in the flavour: spicy, round, sometimes spicy, but always balanced. It is oil with an identity inextricably linked to its country of origin.
Italy has many olive oil-producing regions, but Puglia supplies the most. Annually, almost half of Italy's total olive oil production comes from this region. Yet much of this oil remains small-scale. Not for the mass market, but for enthusiasts who want to taste the difference. At L'Oro Verde di Puglia we bottle that difference - in small batches, using local olive varieties such as Carantina, Ogliarola and Coratina.
Each region within Puglia has its own dominant olive variety. In the north you will find lots of Peranzana, in the centre Ogliarola, and in the south the powerful Coratina and rarer Carantina. These varieties each give their own expression to the oil. One is soft and fruity, the other bitter and peppery. This makes Puglia not only a producer of volume, but also a source of diversity and depth. No two bottles are the same.
Pugliese cuisine is all about simplicity and quality. No excess, but pure ingredients. Olive oil is indispensable for this. Not as a sauce or dressing, but as a base. Every pasta, every focaccia, every grilled vegetable - everything starts with oil. It is not an additive, but the foundation of flavour. And therefore also of culture. Because in Puglia, you don't just eat, you celebrate the harvest, the season, the earth. And that starts with a good oil.
Although Puglia is rooted in tradition, it does not stand still. New generations of farmers combine old-fashioned craftsmanship with modern techniques. They are experimenting with organic farming, working with precision agriculture and reducing their ecological footprint. All this without compromising on taste or character. This is how Puglia will continue to be the beating heart of olive oil in Italy - proud, resilient and forward-looking.
Want to know why Puglia is the heart of olive oil Italy? Then taste the oil for yourself. In our webshop you will find oil that is not just made in Puglia, but ís Puglia. From tree to bottle, from sun to taste. A product with roots in the earth, but made to enrich your kitchen.
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