Page 18 - Italian-American Herald - December 2023

18 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | DECEMBER2023 AGRICULTURE
Seasons change, but the olives grown on this farm seem almost timeless
By Barbara Ann Zippi
Known throughout Italy for the rare olives Ciao Bella Living Italian Style
grown only in this region, Olio Pretole is one LORETO APRUTINO, Abruzzo – I met
of three farms with fields of these rare olive Pierluigi Pace and his wife Gianna of Olio
trees. His farmland dates back to Roman Pretole Olive Grove ushering in the 2023
times. Remnants of earthen houses centuries New Year in my grandparents’ village of
old have been unearthed on neighboring fields. Loreto Aprutino. They were among the guests
Among 500 varieties of olives worldwide invited to a sit-down dinner celebration
and over 30 varieties of olives in Abruzzo, ending with an explosion of fireworks from
Pierluigi’s grove is located within the “golden surrounding mountain towns seen from the
triangle of oil” where there is a special variety balcony of the home of my grandmother’s
of only three olives farmed among a group of niece Antonietta Buffetto (who was once Miss
growers from Pianella, Loreto Aprutino and Loreto 1936) located in this historic medieval
Moscufo.
hilltop village in Abruzzo.
With a personal goal of 24 hours from
I am honored to write about Pierluigi
harvest to milling, Pierluigi can identify
Pace through the 2023 harvest season. I have
which olive trees are taken to the mills and learned so much from this distinguished
what product bottles are associated with gentleman farmer, one of the region’s national
that batch delivered to his warehouse. His and international award-winning premiere
olive oil has been shipping worldwide since olive growers, experts, innovators and one
expanding his production in 1987.
of the founders of the Olive Growers Mill
His knowledge fascinated me. I mistakenly
Cooperative Association of Loreto with 205
members combining centuries o
f learning
with modern technology and transport.
thought I understood the “o
live oil from Italy’’
my uncle would “share” with my mother sparingly and also the supermarket brands.
With all due respect to the brands, I didn’t.
They are olive oi
l, yes, but all contain a blend
of olives from many regional groves including Greece, Spain and Tunisia shipped days for milling.
The Olio Pretole Tasting Room is nestled among the historic regale district. I asked
for a countryside visit to the farm during the sleeping month of winter, February 2023. So began my adventure with driver, interpreter,
Loreto Aprutino-born cousin Simona Nobilio
and I driving vertically downhill dir
t paths to
th
e valley surrounded by fields and estates of
olive trees farmed since Roman times. Pierluigi prefers to limit his grass cutting
to three or four times a year working with a high cut and utilizing the techniques that countrymen have used for centuries combined with modern technology.
Olive trees are ancient. Pierluigi’s trees are old, some over 400. His theory, organic in nature, takes the birds, insects, hawks, snakes, hedgehog
s, foxes and nature into
consideration.
Wedding & Engagement Announcements
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ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
Pierluigi Pace and his wife Gianna sort the olives by hand, removing as many of the leaves as possible before the crop reaches the mill.
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