Itinerary

This section illustrates some of the botanical characteristics of this plant, within a setting dominated by a suspended olive grove that enhances the display of ancient agricultural tools used by farmers in the past.

In ancient times, oil was transported in amphorae or stored in precious small vessels.

First Eastern seafarers, and later the Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Greeks traded in olive oil and perfumed ointments.

Through these contacts, the coastal populations of antiquity discovered the remarkable properties of olive oil and learned the techniques of olive cultivation.

“The Mediterranean ends where the olive trees end.”

In Classical Athens, the olive tree was held in exceptional regard: the tree planted on the Acropolis of the goddess Athena was the symbol of the city, embodying its survival and prosperity.

The olive tree reached Greece in very ancient times: the many artefacts on display and the scenes depicted testify to how present and important olive oil was in every aspect of life in ancient Greece.

The olive tree and its precious fruits reached the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century BC through Phoenician traders.

Ceramics, ivory, jewellery, perfumes and other luxury goods coming from the East were used to obtain the metals Spain was rich in: copper, silver and gold.

Fragments of oil amphorae, used to transport oil from the Iberian Peninsula and Andalusia, were used to build an artificial hill in Rome, known as “Monte Testaccio.”

It stands as a unique monument in the world and as an extraordinary historical archive, as well as as a sign of the  importance of olive oil trade in ancient Rome.

From the Ligurian Alps, valleys descend steeply towards the sea: to use the little land available, a monumental effort of terracing was required, building walls to retain the scarce soil and make it cultivable.

Stone by stone, terrace by terrace, our Liguria was created. It was our ancestors who built the dry-stone walls of Western Liguria over the centuries, from the sea all the way up into the mountains.

In this same room, you can also see some olive oil cans which, from the second half of the 19th century, carried our oil from the Riviera across the seas to the rest of the world.

It was packaged in lithographed cans, very colorful and often imaginative in their branding and decoration.

This type of mill was the most widespread in our territories, as it was powered by animal force and could therefore be installed anywhere, even in house cellars.

For this reason, it is also known as “a bestia” or “a sangue.”

It consists of a millstone and a press made of stone and wood.

Hydraulic mills were built in locations where watercourses could be channelled, often along streams and rivers.

They processed larger quantities of olives and operated more continuously.

Here, two mills connected by a system of gears are on display, along with a double press.

In Roman times, olive oil was one of the most essential products of daily life: large urban centres, Rome in particular, were supplied by vast fleets sailing from oil-producing provinces to the various ports of the Empire.

Here you can see a faithful reconstruction of the hold of a Roman merchant ship, with its cargo of amphorae—the transport container par excellence.

Their distinctive shape allowed them to be stacked in overlapping rows, making them especially suitable for maritime transport.

From the ancient world, throughout the centuries of the Middle Ages and into the modern era, the history of humankind and that of the olive tree have been intertwined across the Mediterranean.

Two objects can be seen as symbols of this story: oil lamps and cruet sets. From the collection of these items we get a picture able to assemble history, uses, cultivation and processing techniques, trades, rituals, poetry and works of art, which you can admire here as the perfect conclusion of this journey into the world of olive oil.