The 20th edition of 'Olio e Dintorni' is about to start

Oleis di Manzano, 12 May 2025 – Villa Maseri, in Oleis di Manzano (Udine), is preparing to host the 20th edition of “Olio e Dintorni” on 23, 24 and 25 May, an event dedicated to the celebration of extra virgin olive oil made in Friuli Venezia Giulia and the valorization of the territory’s heritage.

The event is organized by the Arc Oleis e Dintorni association and supported by the FVG Region, the Municipality of Manzano, Promoturismo FVG, Ersa Fvg, the Chamber of Commerce of Pordenone and Udine, Fondazione Friuli and with the contribution of Banca 360Fvg and the collaboration of the University of Udine, the City of Albona and Dignano, FAI, Fondo Ambiente Italiano – Gruppo FAI di Cividale del Friuli, Movimento Turismo del vino FVG, Istituto ITAS Paolino d'Aquileia, Lilt, Pro Loco di Manzano.

In addition to the guided oil tastings and food and wine stands, the varied and engaging recreational and sports activities return, both for children and adults within the park of the ancient rural villa or in the magnificent surroundings, and like every edition there will be moments of in-depth study with the intervention of experts in the sector during the technical conferences in the Foledor of Villa Maseri.

The “Olio e Dintorni 2025” program will open on Friday 23 May with the inaugural ceremony at 18:50 , when the authorities will officially start the event. The wine shop with wines from the Colli orientali del Friuli Venezia Giulia will then open, as will the stands of the oil producers – from selected companies of the region that also participate in the Premio Olio dell'Abbate – and the kitchens of the Villa with dishes baked by the hands of the volunteers of Arc Oleis e Dintorni guided by the wisdom of chef Kevin Gaddi also Ambassador of Taste FVG, immediately offering visitors an immersive experience in the flavors and aromas of the territory. The evening will continue at 7.15 pm with the inauguration of the art and photography exhibitions dedicated to “Oleis: moments of celebration and work”, a tribute to local history and culture, and with a toast of good wishes. Subsequently, from 7.30 pm the Aperitiv.Olio , an event that combines refined Nonino aperitifs with good music and the dinner with the artists called “Olivarelli”, a tribute to the ten-year event hosted by Olio e Dintorni that has seen and will see once again in the evening, famous painters but not only, in front of their canvases in the extemporanea of ​​painting where they will use a special mixture of traditional watercolors and a little extra virgin olive oil, which gives a particular intensity in the rendering of the colors. The evening will end with music at 8:30 pm with the concert of the Cinque Uomini group on the Cassa del Morto.

Saturday 24 May will be a day full of events dedicated to olive growing and the discovery of extra virgin olive oil. It will start at 9 with Coltivo(g)lio , a course on pruning and management of the home olive grove by Marco Stocco of Ersa Fvg and technician Franco Diacoli, and with a meeting , at 11, " Opportunities for the regional olive sector in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy CAP 2023-2027" by Sonia Venerus of the Rural Development Service of the FVG Region - Central Directorate of Agri-food, Forestry and Fishing Resources. At midday, the kitchen will be open with the participation of the kids from the Associazione Arte e Libro, a non-profit social cooperative led by chef Kevin Gaddi.

In the afternoon, at 2.00 pm there will be an interactive seminar to discover extra virgin olive oil with tasting, led by Lanfranco Conte, president of the Italian Society for the Study of Fatty Substances and the mini laboratory OlioLab , to deepen the knowledge of this precious product always accompanied by the expert Lanfranco Conte assisted by the technician Franco Diacoli.

A special and unmissable event will be the walk “ FAI: a tour of the vineyard in the footsteps of the monks ” that will start at 3:00 pm from Villa Maseri. An initiative by the FAI – Gruppo di Cividale del Friuli that with Arc Oleis e Dintorni, proposes a journey through nature, history and local traditions, with a visit to the ancient rural village of Poggio Bello, founded in 1100 by the monks of the Abbey of Rosazzo and today, a Ronchi di Sant'Egidio agricultural company. The exceptional guide will be the expert of ancient vines, Carlo Petrussi. The walk includes a return to Villa Maseri to discover the history of this ancient rural villa guided this time by Elisa Morandini, historian and director of the Museum and Treasure of the Cathedral of Cividale del Friuli. During the tour, you will be able to listen to the narration of stories and legends of the enchanting noble residence from around 1700 set in its beautiful park which was also the birthplace of the illustrious world-famous cardiologist Attilio Maseri who, with his family, has preserved his memory (registrations also on site from 2.30 pm; cost: 12 euros for FAI members and 15 euros for non-members; bonuses for the kitchen and wine shop are provided for participants (information: [email protected] ).

Saturday's program will offer various activities from 5:00 pm until late evening, such as the painting workshop "Olivarelli Junior with Evo oil" dedicated to children aged 5 to 11, readings for children and their families at 6:30 pm, curated by the Group of Volunteer Readers of Favoliamo di Premariacco , a fashion show organized by By Biba's of Manzano (8:30 pm) and finally, live music with Cindy & The rock history from 9:20 pm.

Sunday 25 May , will start early in the morning from 8.00 in the name of sport that is good for you with the recreational motor event “Ator pai roncs di vuelis e badie” , which includes two walking routes of seven and fourteen kilometres, open to all, for a walk through the hills and vineyards that form the enchanting landscapes that surround the towns of Oleis and Rosazzo (awards are expected for the first three groups and vouchers for 5 euros for a first course and a drink – for information and registration, Alex: t. 339 6143668). At 9.00 you can sign up for the guided cycle-tourist ride to explore the area by bicycle, on a route that will wind for twenty-five kilometres with a maximum expected difference in altitude of one hundred metres (information and reservations, Michele: 339 61436689). From 10 am onwards, the stands of the Agricultural Market will also open to promote local products and the territory and those of the producers of extra virgin olive oil that can be tasted and purchased here.

In the morning at 10.30 in the Foledor of Villa Maseri, a technical conference will be held moderated by Giovanni Cattaruzzi, agricultural expert, on the " evolution of the olive growing season" with the speeches of Lanfranco Conte of the Italian Society for the Study of Fatty Substances who will describe the current situation with "Extra virgin olive oil, how much will we have in 2025? A global panorama"; Marko Devetak of the Agricultural and Forestry Institute of Nova Gorica who will discuss the "Appearance of eriophyids on olive trees in Slovenia", while Michele Morten , technician of the Edmund Mach Foundation of Trento, will introduce the topic: "How to contain the spread of olive scab". To conclude the series of speeches, Marco Stocco of Ersa Fvg who will illustrate data, trends and details of the regional olive growing season 2024.

At 12 the long-awaited award ceremony of the Olio Dell'Abate – Maseri 2025 Prize with the attribution of the coveted recognition to the company producing extra virgin olive oil Fvg selected by a jury of experts and technicians for the quality of its production but also for the company management as a whole. The winning olive oil company will also receive a painting by one of the Masters who over the years have participated in the event dedicated to painting called “Olivarelli”.

This year, 16 companies from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region sent their samples: Comelli Paolino from Faedis, Corte Tomasin from Castions di Strada , Fachin Fernanda from Gemona del Friuli, Fior Rosso from San Dorligo della Valle, Grinovero from Cividale del Friuli, Bruno Lenardon from Muggia, Remo Venturini from Osoppo.

At 1.00 pm, a culinary break to taste the delicious dishes prepared by the kitchens with the musical rhythm of “Un pocje di ligrie” by Furlans a manete.

The afternoon will be enlivened at 3.30 pm by a botanical walk with a real immersion in the woods accompanied by the expert botanist Gianpaolo Bragagnini ((information and reservations, Michele: t. 339 6143668), and between 3.30 pm and 6 pm you can enjoy entertainment for children with the classic and always popular with children, face painting accompanied by the balloon modeler in fantastic shapes of Maravee Animazione. At 4 pm, a new mini OlioLab workshop and the aperitif with the author at 5 pm in collaboration with the Corno di Rosazzo Cultural Circle which this year will propose the presentation of the book “Guida del Friuli per veri friulani” a precious collection of anecdotes, secrets and curiosities of Friuli Venezia Giulia, narrated with wisdom by Angelo Floramo illustrious academic, historian and scientific consultant of the Guarneriana Library of San Daniele del Friuli. The day The festival will end in the wine shop with an appointment with Ranieri 's " music in joy" and the theatrical show by Trigeminus.

Throughout the event, there will be a LILT information point and children can have fun with the inflatables . The kitchen , the wine shop and the stands for the purchase of extra virgin olive oil will be open at the indicated times, offering a wide choice of products and specialties. Entrance to all events is free, unless otherwise indicated. It is advisable to book in advance.

For information and reservations: Facebook Messenger: Arc Oleis & Dintorni

Instagram: @olioedintorni [email protected] – www.oleisedintorni.wix.com/oleisedintorni .

(Manuela: t. 338 1473352 I Annamaria: t. 347 7153072)

Kitchen opening: Friday 23rd 7pm/10pm; Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th 11am/3pm and 6:30pm/10:30pm. Inflatables for children Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 4pm.

DATA ON OIL PRODUCTION IN FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA 2024

(source Ersa )

Friuli Venezia Giulia is ranked second among the least productive Italian regions of olive oil, with a production of 143 tons. There are approximately 600 hectares of olive groves in Fvg of which only half can be considered professional. The last year saw an increase of +5.6% compared to 2023; in reference to the production of olives in 2023, a growing production and an annual olive milling that exceeded 1,000 tons.

These are the hectares cultivated with olive trees by professional farmers divided by province and region:

Udine: 171 hectares equal to +4.9% 2023

Pordenone: 51 hectares equal to I +10.9% 2023

Gorizia: 33 hectares equal to +6.5% 2023

Trieste: 45 hectares equal to +2.3% 2023

The most widely produced olive varieties in FVG are:

Bianchera, Frantoio, Maurino, Pendolino, Leccino, Grignano

2024 vintage report in Friuli Venezia Giulia:

Overall, the 2024 olive growing year presents two different situations for geographical areas: a satisfactory production in the hills and along the coast, while in the plain areas the production was very poor. This gap in production is attributable to the abundant rains that fell in the plains during the flowering period, while the coastal and hill areas benefited from an early phenological phase that allowed good fruit set. In 2024, moreover, the olive fly was not very present thanks to the considerable summer heat.

As regards the yields in the mill, these were rather low (4-6%) because they were affected by the rains in October, and on the rise instead, with the November harvests (10-12%), thanks to the good weather.