Olivo Quercetano
Quercetano Olive
A native olive of Seravezza, and specifically of the Querceta plain, from which it spread along Versilia. That plain sits high enough that it escaped the waterlogging which took much of the Versilian coast, so its old groves survived; Pisa and Lucca fought over them, and Versilian oil mattered enough to Pisan trade with the Arab world to pass almost as currency. The tree is vigorous and upright with drooping young wood and long, narrow, glossy leaves; the olives are small, oval and slightly pointed.
Designation
- Certification
- Slow Food Presidium
- Category
- Oils and fats
Where it is made
Seravezza and neighbouring comuni, Versilia, Lucca province
How it is made
Grown for oil, with alternating good and poor years but consistent quality. The oil is clear to faintly hazy, golden olive-green, medium and delicate in fruitiness, bitter and pungent in balance, smelling of cut grass and herbs. Because the fruit is small and carries little flesh against the stone, the olive fly reaches it late, which helps the harvest. Picking starts in October and the oil is sold from November.