FOUR THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY AND THE WORLD’S NORTHERNMOST CULTIVARS

The Riviera of Olive trees: where Garda’s olive oil is brought to perfection

“The olive trees of Garda are just like us! Thin, slender, split trunk, no bulk, all breath and attention, airy grace and ingenious design’.

Gabriele D’Annunzio

There is a place, among villages and castles, where olive groves are cared for and protected. Thousand-year-old traditions carefully watch over the slow operation of the oil mills, the granite millstones that produce precious drops of oil from the greenest olives in the autumn.

The olives grown around Lake Garda are the northernmost in the world, thanks to the geographical characteristics of the area, which in itself is a perfect synthesis of the ancient Mediterranean.

The use of special techniques, selection methods, careful cultivation and research over the centuries have given rise to a unique heritage of around eighty labels. These are the only ones that can boast the protected origin status. The olive oil produced around Italy’s largest lake is, renowned everywhere for its high quality. Used sparingly in the kitchens of renowned chefs, wherever it is found, it delights the palate, drop by drop.

From the times of the Romans to the great medieval monasteries, today it has become the olive oil par excellence

Where vineyards and olive groves soften the view and embrace the lake

Considered a miraculous tree by the Greeks and Babylonians over four millennia ago, it was the Romans who introduced it to all areas of the Empire.  The best pressing techniques were then studied and developed, and this liquid gold was even used as a form of payment. The empire fell. The olive groves then survived in a few fortified buildings and isolated villas until, in the Middle Ages, these centuries-old plants praised by Virgil were cultivated once again in the abbeys. ‘Garda deputavit ad olium‘ stated the abbot of the powerful monastery of San Colombano in Bobbio in 853. And so it was: the foothills of the Alps were populated by the new olive groves on the Benaco Riviera, while Italy was on its way to becoming the world’s leading olive oil producer.

From Peschiera to Malcesine and further up, towards Torri del Benaco and Brenzone, there are gentle slopes which are reminiscent of Tuscany’s charming landscape. Happy little villages, busy vineyards, historic palaces and crenellated walls are surrounded by dark patches of olive trees. Their trunks curl into intriguing shapes, posing, in the panorama of the lake and against the backdrop of the western mountains, like characters in tableaux vivants. Caressed by the wind, the branches sway gently as the brilliant sunlight streams through them. The Olive Riviera is a piece of paradise, and an area crying out to be explored. Everywhere, dry stone walls lead to narrow cobblestones that soon become paths, running through fragrant wild herbs. Endless paths, lined with agaves and oleanders, now run alongside hidden streams and suddenly climb up through countryside and into the gentle hills, until they come upon terraces and citrus groves. Paths that disappear among palm trees and cypresses before reappearing once more. Truly, these places are a balm to the soul and a constant source of delights: fully deserving the accolade of ‘garden of Europe’ on account of their beauty.

 

The extra virgin olive oil P.D.O. of Garda

A premium Italian product, strictly protected because it is unique

Local growers tend plants handed down through generations: cultivars of ‘Casaliva‘ but also ‘Frantoio leccino‘, ‘Pendolino’ or the local ‘Rossanel and ‘Favarol’, for a unique, delicate and balanced flavour with a light, typical almond aftertaste. Every year, tens of thousands of foreign tourists succumb to the enchantment of the picturesque olive groves on the eastern shore of Lake Garda. Welcomed along rustic stone porticos, in the shade of gentle pergolas or under the high ceilings of aristocratic mansions, they take part in tastings, courses or visits to olive oil mills.

The entire Garda region has very strict cultivation and oil processing regulations, while passionate protection consortia ensure that quality and tradition are strictly adhered to. As the world ambassadors of a first-class product, they recommend you simply enjoy it on a slice of freshly toasted bread, nothing else. You will appreciate, along with its intense fragrance, every fresh and natural note. When pouring this olive oil in tiny drops you can appreciate the natural viscosity and inimitable genuineness of its golden green colour. However, when you taste it, it returns all the lightness and fragrance of the fruity aromas, in a unique blend of bitter and spicy accents.

And with oil tourism winning over more and more enthusiasts, we cannot but recommend a visit to the Cisano di Bardolino Oil Museum, where you can view ancient tools as well as modern displays. November is the month of the new oil festival: in Castelletto di Brenzone in which a tradition rooted in the mists of time is brought back to life.

Superior quality for unrivalled effectiveness in well-being and beauty treatments

Organic extra virgin olive oil: sought after and guaranteed properties

It is said that it was the goddess Athena who, by striking a stone with her staff, gave birth to the first sacred olive tree. Having always been an object of veneration, it is no coincidence that this sacred plant and its fruits are considered a gift from the gods. Indeed, there are so many naturally beneficial qualities associated with its leaves and the purest oil.

Thanks to its numerous active ingredients, such as oleic acid (in which Lake Garda olives are extremely rich), Lake Garda olive oil is invaluable for the cardiovascular system and, together with the many biophenols (such as vitamin E), it is an exceptionally effective compound for the skin’s well-being. Lake Garda’s extra virgin olive oil is also characterised by superior properties such as high chlorophyll content and low acidity. Mechanical pressing, stability, and the enhancement of natural elements are just a few of the other strict quality standards that make this oil unique in the world.

Leaves from the purest botanical species: all the natural virtues of the olive tree

Besides olive oil, the ancient civilisations in the Mediterranean also made full use of the organoleptic properties of the plant by using its leaves. Top herbalists will know this well, and highly appreciate the range of healing properties of the olive tree. Antioxidant par excellence, anti-inflammatory, the fields of application of its leaves range from their purifying and slimming action (far exceeding all expectations) to combating fatigue, draining, firming, and reducing the effects of cellulite as well as minimising the cell damage caused by free radicals.

Thus, the double secret that nature whispered to Secretum Gardae is revealed.

SG naturally decided to make the most of the incredible natural properties found in the olive tree. With OLEUM, all the technology, passion and experience of our researchers has been put to use to enhance the plant’s natural, beneficial properties. To guarantee unique vitality and radiance to your skin. To share those secrets that are the pride and glory of Italy’s extraordinary heritage.