It's Olive Picking Season at Agrotospita!
The Olive Tree
Symbol of peace, wisdom, fertility, prosperity, luck, victory. This tree, that loves the sea and the Mediterranean sun, grows even on arid and rocky soils and survives under drought conditions and strong winds. It has accompanied the inhabitants of this land in times of both prosperity, and deprivation and has left its imprint in every aspect of the cultural tradition of the Mediterranean people.
In the Greek tradition, when a child is born, an olive tree is planted. The olive tree and the child will grow up together and when the child will become 6 years old, the olive tree will give its first fruit. It will grow with the family, survive through decades, and will still be there for all the coming generations to always remind us the continuity and the evolution of life.The expected life of an olive tree is 300 to 600 years, yet there are olive trees more than 1,000 years old.
The Olive Oil
The fruit of the harvest, the oil, or the “green blood” as a popular saying goes, is a staple component of the Greek diet, and is well known both for its cosmetic and for its pharmaceutical qualities.
It was a source of wealth and power, particularly in ancient societies. Nowadays, Greek olive oil remains a major part of our day to day life and is renowned the world over.
The Olive Harvest
From the end of October until December, harvest-related activities are at the center of daily lives in many parts of rural Greece, including the region of Argolis and Nafplio.
Visitors can get back in touch with nature and experience every stage of the harvest. Anyone who chooses to give it a try gets a true taste of rural living, returning, albeit just for a short time, to a more traditional way of life. Firstly, visitors are brought among the olive trees, then nets are laid under them and they pick the olives using a manual comb, in a more traditional way than it would be with machines.
Once harvesting is done, guests can help transfer the harvested olives to a traditional olive press and initiate themselves into the traditional art of extracting the precious oil, watching as the golden oil begins to flow and fills the air with its aromatic fragrance. Once the olives have been pressed, anyone who has helped is welcome to taste the pungent freshness of the first drops of olive oil - a ritual not to be missed.
Olive oil Experience
This celebration of nature among the olive groves, the mix of labour and relaxation, is a unique experience for all those taking part in the olive harvest, a major agricultural event which has now become a relaxing activity for travellers and great fun for those lucky enough to take part. You can join us at Agrotospita Country Houses for the olive harvest and immerse yourselves in a fresh and exhilarating experience.
In November and December, we start collecting the olives from our grove and you can learn all the secrets of how to pick olives, how olive oil is made and how to cure and preserve your own olives. You will also visit a local olive press and even have the opportunity of learning how to cook unique Greek recipes of based on olive oil. A unique olive oil immersion experience, not to be missed! Book now!
