In the heart of Molise, on the slopes of Mount Santa Croce, stretches a landscape of rare beauty made up of centuries-old olive groves and ancient scents: this is where Olio di Venafro, an Italian excellence celebrated since Roman times, was born. Its importance was recounted in recent times by Vincenzo Cuoco, a writer and intellectual from Molise, but before him, numerous writers who already defined Venafro oil as the finest since ancient Roman times.
Guardian of this heritage today is the Venafro Regional Olive Park, the first protected area in the Mediterranean entirely dedicated to the olive. The Park aims to enhance traditional olive growing, an activity that once made Venafro famous throughout the Roman Empire for the production of the finest oil in the ancient world.
Recognized in the National Register of Historic Rural Landscapes, the park also offers a network of trails and nature trails ideal for hikers, families and lovers of slow tourism. Among ancient terraces and hilly landscapes, you can enjoy an immersive experience of history, nature and taste.
The pride of the area is Venolea, an annual event celebrating olive growing and oil tourism. Organized in the fall by the Park and the Mario Lepore Foundation, with the support of local and national institutions, the event features excursions, tastings and meetings with extra virgin olive oil producers.
The undisputed protagonist is the Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Licinius,” the fruit of green olives harvested by hand and cold-pressed within a few hours. A product of the highest quality that embodies the identity of an extraordinary territory, now more than ever committed to the protection of its roots and the promotion of its excellence.