Fruits of Labor
by Sarah Humphreys
Traveling through Tuscany in autumn, you are bound to spot olive groves alive with activity as nets are spread out under the trees and olive pickers gather in La Raccolta (Harvest). This yearly event is an ancient tradition and methods have changed little over the centuries.
Preparation for the harvest takes place in spring when the trees are carefully pruned to maximize the number of olives a tree will produce. The pruned branches are then burnt in the fields.
To create the highest quality olive oil, it is vital to time the harvest perfectly. Unlike in other regions, olives in Tuscany are picked before they are ready to fall from the tree. This produces a fruity and lean extra virgin olive oil, even if the yield is lower. The ideal time to harvest is when the unripe green olives begin to mature and turn black, which is when they contain the highest quality oil. However, this is easier said than done since even olives on the same tree may mature at different rates. The flavours of green and black olives vary but both are needed to make good quality oil. The initial oil is generally more bitter but olives that fall when too ripe make poorer quality oil. Plucked directly from the tree, the fruit is extremely bitter and almost inedible.
The ideal olive picking team consists of as many family members and friends as possible to share the labour. Firstly, huge nets are spread out around the trunk of a tree. Naturally, most olive groves are far from flat so the nets often have to be propped up by sticks or branches pruned from the trees to prevent the precious harvest from rolling away.
When the nets are in place, olives are removed by hand, with metal pincers or with plastic combs. Long rakes are used to reach the fruit on the higher branches. Ladders can be used to reach the tops of the trees but it is best to leave tree climbing to experienced olive-pickers since the trees can be brittle and slippery. When picking olives from lower trees, baskets or buckets are used to collect the fruit directly and nets are not always necessary.
Although very light, the nets are rather cumbersome to move around and harvesters often have to stand in uncomfortable positions on steep slopes. It is essential to gather the harvest before the weather becomes too cold, so work needs to take place, rain or shine. It is also essential not to crush the olives that have fallen onto the nets so you need to be careful where you put your feet.
A mechanical “tree-shaking” device called an “oliviero” is sometimes used to remove olives from the trees but most of the hard work is still done by hand. It takes around 4 or 5 kilos of olives to make a litre of oil and an average harvester can pick around seven kilos of olives per hour by hand.
Guided Hiking Tour in Tuscany with Lunch Wine and Olive Oil Tasting
If You Go:
The main airports in Tuscany are Pisa Galileo Galilei and Florence Peretola. The main train station in Pisa is Pisa Centrale, which can be reached by bus or taxi from the airport. Florence airport has a regular bus service to Santa Maria Novella, the main train station in Florence. You may well need to hire a car if you wish to participate in olive picking.
Links to olive picking holidays:
Olive harvest experience at a Tuscan grove
Chianti olive picking
Farm Holidays La Baghera
Green Holiday Italy
Sarah Humphreys is originally from near Liverpool, UK and has lived in Canada, The USA, The Czech Republic, Greece and Italy. She currently lives in Pistoia, near Florence, where she teaches English, writes freelance and is a part-time poet. She has been writing since she could hold a pencil and her passions include Literature, poetry, music and travel. Follow her on twitter: Sarah Humphreys @frizeytriton.
All photos by Sarah Humphreys except #4 which is by Isacco Marini:
Multi-coloured olives
Setting up the nets
Cleaning the olives
Il Frantoio – The finished product
My husband and I arrived in Rome during the heat wave that broke records all across Europe in the summer of 2015. After a week of sweltering in temperatures up to 36.7 (99.68 F) in London and 39.7 C (103 F) in Paris, we were resigned to buying bottled water at every possible opportunity. We were about to learn that Rome is actually better prepared to handle thirsty tourists than most major cities, and that it has been for centuries.
I was surprised to find the water clear and cold, the perfect temperature for drinking. I filled my bottle, guzzled half while standing there—it had been a long wait in the strong Mediterranean sun to get into the Colosseum — and refilled it again.
The apparent wastefulness of all that water flowing 24/7 isn’t lost on the city. During the 1980s the city added taps to the fountains, requiring that thirsty Romans operate a nob or button in order to drink. The results were far from satisfying. On hot days, water standing in the pipes heated up, making it less than appealing. Vandals broke the new taps, freeing the flow of the water, and officials gave up on the project. The water doesn’t go entirely to waste. It’s recycled to grow gardens, flush sewers and in industrial cleaning.
I found one that wasn’t in use on a side street as my husband and I walked back to our hotel from Trevi Fountain on a very hot afternoon. I wondered for a second if it was functional, but as I stepped around it I found a stream of fresh cool water splashing into a grate at my feet. I splashed my face and filled my bottle. By the time I was done, a couple of people had queued up behind me. I felt as much like a native as a brief visitor can feel.
Do give the nasoni of Rome a try while you’re there. Your first time may feel a bit daunting, but once you try it, I’ll bet you’re sold on this delicious free resource.
I visit the gift shop to buy postcards and ask questions. The friendly shop keeper is happy to oblige a curious Canadian. She explains that the words under the Madonna at the entrance of the port translate into – “We bless you and the city.” It is believed that this message had been written in a letter to the people of Messina by the Virgin Mary when they converted to Christianity in 42 AD, after a visit from the apostle Paul. This explains why she is called Madonna della Lettera or Madonna of the Letter. I purchase a ticket for five euros to visit the museum and attached clock tower.
I venture next door to climb the 236 steps to the top of the bell tower. It is worth every step. This belfry houses the largest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clock in the world. On the landings I am able to view, from the inside, the amazing mechanically animated bronze images that rotate on the façade of the tower at the stroke of noon. At the top levels hang the massive bells that ring out the time. I am fortunate I timed my visit between the ringing of the bells. Once at the top, I am rewarded with a splendid view of the city from all four directions. The rain has stopped and the sun is out in full force. I feel I am in heaven, or close to it. I take my time descending, in order to have a better look at the intricate figures, aided by explanations on boards in English as well as Italian. The carousel of life, composed of four golden life size figures representing childhood, youth, maturity and old age, has death in the form of a skeleton following behind. Biblical scenes are depicted on other carousels and changed according to the liturgical calendar. One scene is dedicated to the Madonna of the Letter, where an angel brings the letter to the Virgin Mary followed by St. Paul and the ambassadors who bow when passing in front of the virgin.
The vibrant plaza in front of the cathedral holds the gorgeous Fountain of Orion. A great place to view the clock tower from the outside and watch it come to life, should you be there at noon. I remove my raincoat and wander the streets. I find an iron worker creating figures in front of his shop called Hollywood. Many sculptures are scattered throughout the town including an imposing conquistador. The picturesque Church of the Catalans, built before Norman times on a pagan site dedicated to the god Neptune, provides different views from each side. A quote from Shakespeare catches my eye, “I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina… He hath an uncle in Messina will be much glad of it.” from Much Ado About Nothing.
Messina has always been the main portal to Sicily. Founded by the Greeks in the eighth century BC, the influence of Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Swabians, who have landed on these shores over the years, contributes to the rich culture.
The heavy wooden door closed and I stood surrounded by silence. Flying anywhere from Australia takes a long time, and after a night and a day and a night I was exhausted. Tired and befuddled, I emerged into the chaos of Rome. I finally found a taxi, with a driver who careened down tiny streets where footpaths were more a suggestion than reality.
Rooms may be simple, but this does not imply austerity. Convents and monasteries are often to be found in Renaissance palazzos, Medieval walled towns or set amongst lavender fields and vineyards. Many hide artistic treasures; a painting by Rubens, or walls adorned by Fra Angelico. Each religious house has its own character, such as the monastery Convento Sant’Agostino in San Gimigiano which refused entry to HRH The Prince of Wales when he arrived after closing time. (Although probably apocryphal, the story alone makes the place worth a detour.)
Rome boasts a convent or monastery in whatever quarter of the city you choose to stay. The rooms of Domus Carmelitana overlook the Castel Sant’ Angelo, while from those of Casa da Accoglienze Tabor you can see the Vatican. Near the Colsseum, the Cistercian Monastery of Santa Croce is in a 10th C building. Some of the balconies overlook ancient ruins and archaeological digs.
In Florence, the Casa Santo Nome di Jesu is in a 15th C palazzo. I reached my room via a marble staircase, complete with trompe l’oil ceiling of putti and plaster relief. The window overlooked a large garden, complete with kiwi fruit, persimmons, pomegranates, grape vines and wisterias, with trunks as thick as my body. The arbour was a perfect place to sit and pass the afternoon when exhausted by sightseeing.
Most convents provide breakfast – fresh rolls and strong coffee are a staple – and often dinner as well. In some, monks still make wine to recipes centuries-old. My first time in Venice, my choice lay at the end of a maze of cobble-stoned side streets and piazzas. The Instituto San Giuseppe stands beside a canal, with a door opening directly onto the water. As I crossed a small limestone bridge a gondola came to a boisterous stop to collect passengers.
My room was simple and clean. The windows opened onto a terracotta skyline, with clothes strung on a line between two buildings. Across a flower-strewn courtyard a woman in black was busy in her kitchen, filling the air with delicious aromas. Every evening an extended family materialised for dinner. Geraniums hung everywhere in pots. In the distance a camponile tolled away the hours while towering (at a slight angle) over the other buildings,
The next essential is catching a boat from the airport to the city, either on the public vaporetto, or by a much faster private boat. Our vessel was all streamlined wood, the skipper as sleek and polished as his vessel. Despite a complete lack of Italian, as soon as my husband began admiring the boat (being a long-time sailor himself) the skipper happily displayed the boat’s paces. As the rain finally poured down and visibility vanished, he raced along the narrow channel to the city, overtaking every other boat in a shower of spray.
Next came a gentle cruise through a network of tiny canals. Some were barely wide enough for the boat, the wash lapping against the buildings and doors in a moss-tipped waterline. Crumbling buildings complete with Juliette-balconies and geraniums stood tranquilly along the canal, as they have for centuries. Seagulls called overhead, bridges arched gracefully over the water, and the chaos of travel and Italian airports floated away. We even passed the gondolier repair shop on the Rio San Trovaso, one of the few remaining squeri in Venice.
The entrance to the convent Canossian Institute San Trovaso lies on a pretty canal, devoid of tourists. Being in the Dorsoduro area of Venice, the streets are far less crowded than the more popular areas, locals outnumber the tourists, and at night the area is quiet. An elderly nun opened the door, and we walked into tranquility. She led us through an inner courtyard, where some other guests sat sipping wine as their kids feasted on gelato.
Convents and monastery are not only in cities, but also in idyllic countryside settings. Stays are not restricted to Italy, and some are to be found in the most unexpected of places. An example is the 12th century monastery Kriva Palanka, hidden in the Osogovo Mountains of Macedonia [TOP PHOTO]. It is worth a visit for the medieval frescoes alone.
Photo credits:
by Sarah Humphreys 
An unknown architect finished the Basilica of San Vitale in 547 on the spot where St Vitalis was martyred by being buried alive. Richly ornamented mosaics inside depict scenes from The Old Testament, including the Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses and The burning bush and Cain and Abel. Decorative leaves, fruit and flowers encircle the Lamb of God on the vault of the presbytery. Glittering mosaics pay homage to the Emperor Justinian I and his Empress Theodora.
Exiting from the back of San Vitale, you will come across a small, ordinary-looking brick building, which contains Ravenna’s finest treasures. The powerful Roman Empress Galla Placidia, who wielded extreme power as regent for her young son Valentinian III, probably commissioned the tiny Mausoleum which bears her name. Shaped like a Greek cross, the building has sunk 4.5 feet into the ground due to subsidence. The limited space within the structure means visits are restricted to five minutes only, guaranteed to be intense moments.
The Basilica of San Apollinare Nuovo houses a series of impressive mosaics dating from 500 under rule of the Arian King Theodoric, which show scenes of Christ’s miracles, parables and The Passion. The lower rows of mosaics date from 560, when Ravenna was under Christian rule, and feature saints, martyrs and a procession of Virgins led by The Three Magi, sporting animal-print leggings. According to legend, Pope Gregory had the earlier mosaics blackened to prevent worshippers from being distracted, and many of the original Arian mosaics were removed. It is still possible to see some disembodied limbs that evaded destruction.
The Chapel of St Andrew, housed in the Archbishop’s museum, is the smallest private early Christian oratory to have survived until the present day. Dazzling mosaics create a shimmering tapestry of saints, angels and decorative motifs and 99 species of birds are shown against a splendid starry sky. Christ is shown as a warrior, crushing the figures of a serpent and a wild beast.
The only UNESCO World Heritage Site not to contain mosaics is the Mausoleum of Theodoric. Its unusual structure, consisting of two decagonal parts topped by a monolithic dome, is formed from Istrian stone blocks. The combination of Roman, Barbarian and Medieval architecture fascinated The Romantics and The Mausoleum was popular with tourists on The Grand Tour.
Other notable sites include the extraordinary underwater crypt in the cathedral of San Francesco, complete with goldfish, and the “House of Stone Carpet”, the remains of a Byzantine house complete with huge decorative floor mosaics. Just next to the Cathedral is the final resting place of Dante, who died in Ravenna in 1321. Although exiled form Florence in his lifetime, the city has continuously appealed for the great poet’s remains to be returned. Ravenna has constantly turned down this request. On the 2nd Sunday in September, olive oil donated by the city of Florence, is brought to Ravenna to light the lamb that hangs over Dante’s tomb.
Although the main sites in Ravenna could be seen in a day, it is well worth spending longer in this peaceful city. The place where Dante finished his “Divine Comedy” and Byron started writing “Don Juan”, was recently voted the number one place to live by “Il Sole 24 “ financial newspaper and it surely won’t take you long to see why.
