Frantoio Galioto

Olive cultivation is the agricultural activity par excellence in the provinces of Siracusa, Ragusa and Catania. Hundreds of small oil mills have sprung up along an area of about 19,000 hectares, characterized by great altitude variations. Frantoio Galioto has been operating in Ferla, in the Syracuse area, for four generations, proving to be one of the most flourishing realities in this field.

It is the passion for work combined with the desire to innovate without sacrificing tradition, that ensures varieties of extra virgin olive oil that stand out for their quality and authenticity. There are about twenty thousand olive trees on 100 hectares of land. While more than two-thirds are of the 'Tonda Iblea' cultivar, the remainder is divided between some of the indigenous cultivars of the Monti Oblei, such as Marmurigna, Biancolilla, Moresca and Nocellara.

If the Galioto family's love for olive-growing has been the basic principle since 1952, the year the business began, so has the continuous attention paid to the various phases of production. Indeed, harvesting is done by hand with the help of mechanical facilitators, and takes place before the olives reach full maturity; although this leads to a lower yield, the oil quality benefits greatly from it.

Once harvested, the olives are transported to the oil mill within a few hours, where they are washed, processed with the crusher and subjected to kneading, and then centrifuged in the decanter. Once the extra virgin olive oil is obtained, it is stored in stainless steel tanks with inert gases so as to delay oxidation.

Of the different oils of Frantoio Galioto, we have selected the Monovarietal PDO Monti Iblei Frigintini Moresca for its balsamic and fruity notes, and because we believe it can be a valid expression of the characteristics of this corner of Sicily.