Fonte di Foiano

The Oliveto Fonte di Foiano Farm is located in Castagneto Carducci, in the province of Livorno. The area enjoys a mild microclimate; the absence of excessive temperature changes has favored olive tree cultivation, both from a from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. It is no coincidence that this activity has been rooted in the territory for thousands of years, as evidenced by the numerous century-old plants and some millenary specimens. Constant exposure to the sea breeze, and the soil rich in clay and limestone, are the other elements that drove Michele and Marina to give life to Oliveto Fonte di Foiano at the end of the 1970s. In a short time, they recovered several centuries-old olive groves of the Frantoio, Gremignolo, Leccino and Moraiolo varieties. Cultivation then expanded to varieties lacking in the area such as the Maurino, La Ravece and Picholine. Oliveto Fonte di Foiano has had its own oil mill since 1990. Over the years, the baton has been passed on to their sons, Paolo and Simone, who look after the 30 hectares of land animated by the same passion as the previous generation. Even today, respect for the plant and its natural cycles, and attention to the storage and bottling phases, both carried out by the same farm, are key. The olive harvest is carried out manually with the aid of facilitators, and it is the fruit of a daily work in which pruning, shredding of residues, grassing and cleaning at the foot all follow one another. Oliveto Fonte di Foiano, thanks to the experimentation carried out on crushing systems, has also managed to achieve important results abroad, exporting extra virgin olive oil to about 30 countries. Consumers can choose between traditional oil (in the New Harvest, Tuscan IGP and Organic varieties), monovarietal oil (Zefiro) and cru (Riflessi, 1979 and Grand Crù), as well as taking part in tastings and guided tours of the olive grove and the oil mill.