It’s olive oil season!

You only need to take a walk in the countryside around Florence to see olive trees laden with fruit. The olives are ready to be harvested and, once pressed, will yield their precious juice: extra virgin olive oil.
A key element of our culinary tradition, the olive tree is a defining feature of the landscape. The olive harvest is an occasion that brings families together, with everyone pitching in to help with the harvest and receiving one or more bottles of ‘green gold’ in return.
If you are unable to do so in person, there are numerous opportunities throughout Tuscany – and in the Florence area too – to taste and buy the new olive oil; here we highlight the main events for the new olive oil.

What are the characteristics of new olive oil?

The new olive oil from our region has the following characteristics:

a bright, green colour, which will turn yellow over time
an intense, fresh aroma
a slightly bitter and peppery flavour, typical of its youth
best enjoyed raw, on a slice of Tuscan bread

Where are the olive oil festivals held around Florence?

There are numerous well-established oil festivals in the area around Florence.
Let’s start with ReOlio, Reggello’s ‘green gold’ festival and also the longest-running, now in its 53rd year. It takes place on 30 and 31 October, and 1 November at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Reggello, featuring 15 stalls run by local olive growers. Particularly valuable due to the location of its olive groves, Reggello’s olive oil is focusing this year on the link between extra virgin olive oil and wellbeing.
Reggello, situated 30 kilometres from Florence, can be reached by a combination of train and bus.

In Calenzano, the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fair is being held at the St.Art centre on 6–7–8 November.
This is the 30th edition and the programme is very varied, ranging from children’s events to in-depth talks, as well as tastings and presentations by the producers.
Calenzano is just 13 km from Florence and can be reached by AT bus number 2 (from Rifredi) or by train.

The characteristics of olive oil, an exploration of high-quality productions and food pairings will take centre stage at Si.Evo, from 6 to 8 November in the towns of Pontassieve, Pelago and Rufina in the Valdisieve valley.
This event will once again feature three days dedicated to the excellence of extra virgin olive oil, bringing the towns to life with a packed programme of tastings, talks, walks, cookery demonstrations and a host of guests.
The towns of the Valdisieve, east of Florence, are connected by train.

The agricultural heritage of the Bagno a Ripoli area comes to the spotlight with PrimOlio on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, the extra virgin olive oil fair now in its 28th year. Around forty producers will be present between the town centre (Via Roma) and the Giardini Nano Campeggi. There will be tasting and shopping areas, a farmers’ market and a host of events.
Bagno a Ripoli is just 7 kilometres from Florence and can be reached by taking the AT bus number 23 from SMN Station.

Aggiornamento: 26 ottobre 2026