I have lived in Italy for 30+ years and use olive oil daily but I still learned a great deal from this very interesting oil tasting afternoon. Francesca is a delightful hostess and, if you are in Abruzzo, I would recommend a visit to the Cantinarte. You will come out much wiser and can then enjoy a trip around Bucchianico, a truly lovely little town.
During a recent trip to Abruzzo, we stopped by Museo dell_Olio di Cantinarte. Francesca did a fabulous job explaining the restored mill and how everything worked together in the olive oil making process. She and her husband were fantastic hosts. The olive oil tasting was a very unique experience. If you're in the Bucchianico area on a holiday, I highly recommend stopping into the museum.
Don't miss the opportunity to experience award winning olive oil and walk amongst a genuine historical mill and press set in a beautifully restructured cantina. Francesca, your host, shares her family's knowledge and passion as olive oil producers and is the highlight of this tour. A true sensory delight.
This place exudes history and love for olive oil. It is so well preserved and tells the glorious history of a proud tradition of olive oil making that had been in owner Francesca's family for generations. I took my 10 year old daughter and we learned so much on the tour... Just fantastic! Find this place and go there. You will not regret it!
IThe "Museo dell’Olio" (Museum of Olive Oil) in Bucchianico (Chieti), which I visited recently, it is quite a unique and interesting place whether you are new to Abruzzo, a local or a seasoned Abruzzo lover. Discovering the traditional, artisanal way of making olive oil will not just give you theoretical knowledge (and extra conversation points at dinner parties) but will also help you when it comes to buy olive oil for your consumption as you will learn what real olive oil is.The beauty of the Museum of Olive Oil is that it’s a “live” museum, you’re not just staring at exhibits and reading panels: Francesca, the museum owner and tour guide, really brings the whole process to life. I wrote a post about it on my blog if you are interested: http://loveabruzzo.com/?p=153
Francesca Di Nisio is an Abruzzo treasure in herself. She has deep roots in the countryside and is continuing in the line fine oil producers, saffron growers and wine makers. Cantinarte's restored olive mill in lovely Bucchianico is worth a stop and a taste! The huge granite millstones and enormous wooden press are at least 300 years old and give a visceral understanding of the labor involved in producing the liquid gold which is this region's olive oil. Francesca is well versed in the history and lore of olive oil production and also the actual current day production. Be sure to book an oil and wine tasting. Delicious oil and one of the finest Montepulciano wines I have ever tasted.
We met Francesca and Diego at another restaurant.They were a delightful couple and invited us to take a tour of their museum of olive oil.This shows how olive oil was originally pressed and produced with ancient tools.Francesca now runs the family business which was started by her grandmother.She is passionate about olive oil and we were taken through a very interesting talk on the production.We then progressed to learning how to taste and evaluate the types of oil and what is required to be rated as extra virgin.It was an extremely interesting visit.She also produces Multipulciano wine which we can vouch for as very good!
As a culinary guide in Abruzzo (Italy) I visited Cantinarte olive oil mill several times, it is a special place where visitors can learn a lot about oil and experience a professional tasting with lovely Francesca. She is able to get anyone involved and provide information on oil production and appreciation, the mill is beautifully restored and well maintained. Visiting Cantinarte is like diving into old times, a unique experience worth living when visiting Abruzzo.
I have lived in Italy for 20 years but just recently discovered Cantinarte... I took some Scottish friends and our 8-year-old children and we had a fantastic morning and lots of fun.. not to mention some delicious food and oil and wine tasting at the end. The frantoio oil mill is a magical place, restored to an outstanding level... and also given some special touches and colourful flourishes of contemporary local culture. I have visited lots of similar places over the years in Italy, but this one is different...it has personality, it has charisma, it is warm and welcoming... in other words, just like Francesca's warm, radiant personality. It was created as place not just to be looked at but to be experienced. I loved it. As Francesca takes you round the mill/museum, you can tell this is something she is passionate about, and her enthusiasm starts to grab you too.. even the 8-year old girls were enthralled, and loved joining in and answering questions as Francesca made them a part of the tour. After the tour, you are invited to join in a lesson about how to recognize the distinctive traits of a good olive oil. Among much laughter and hilarity (8-year-olds included!) we did actually learn a lot about olive oil, I was amazed (again after living in Italy for 20 years!). And the fun didn't stop there. Francesca then surprised us with an amazing, wholesome, homemade spread...to be washed down with a glass of the wine she also produces. It doesn't get any better than that. I would thoroughly recommend spending a morning in Francesca's company at Cantinarte. An interesting, tasty morning for all the family!!!
It was like stepping in a different era. The mill is beautifully restored but it still gives you sense of how it was in old times. Francesca was great and she did very nice job explaining the history, the old ways and the new ways of olive oil making process.After the tour, she gave us a short class about olive oil tasting and taught us correct way to taste olive oil, how to compare olive oils and how to tell difference between good vs bad olive oils and some other "dos & don'ts" and myths about olive oil. I would highly recommend a visit to Museo dell_Olio di Cantinarte if you are near Bucchianico in Abruzzo! Please note that right now there is no sign outside so look for #21.