Olive cultivation in Italy is a main part of the agriculture of the country and also an important part of the Mediterranean diet. It is a sector that gives work to more than 900,000 growers and has about 1 million hectares of olive groves.[1] The turnover is about 3 billion euros per year.[2] Olive trees also have an environmental and cultural heritage value, helping to prevent soil erosion and keeping rural areas alive. Italy has the largest number of PDO and PGI olive oils in the European Union.[3] This makes the country a point of reference for high quality extra virgin oil.
Olive growing in the Italian peninsula has ancient roots, starting from pre-Roman times.[1]Greeks and Romans expanded the cultivation and improved pressing methods. Under the Roman Empire, olive oil was used for food, lighting and religious purposes. In the Middle Ages, monks preserved the tradition and helped trade.
In later centuries, cultivation spread to hills and inland zones, even in places with difficult soils. This was possible because the olive tree is rustic and can live in poor conditions.[4] Today olives are still part of Italian cuisine and the rural economy, even if the sector faces challenges.
Climate
The climate of Italy is very different from north to south, creating many microclimates for olives.[4] Around 62% of groves are in hilly areas, 27% in plains, and 11% in mountains. In southern Italy, olive trees grow from sea level to high hills. In northern Italy, they are limited to low altitudes to avoid frost. Special areas like Lake Garda have mild weather that allows olive growth much further north than normal.[4]
Climate change is moving cultivation to new zones in the north but also bringing risks like droughts, extreme heat and more pests. In the south, some zones are facing desertification and water shortage, reducing productivity.[3]
Olive-growing regions
Olive trees in Tuscany
Olive groves are not equally spread in Italy. About 79% of the area is in the south,[4] with Apulia and Calabria producing almost 70% of oil.[2]Sicily, Campania, Basilicata and Sardinia are also important. Central regions have 19% of the area, with Tuscany, Lazio, Marche and Umbria famous for high quality oils. Only 2% is in the north, but some PDO zones like Garda are there.[5] There are about 1 million hectares of olive groves in specialized use and another million in mixed farming. But about 200,000 hectares are abandoned and 300,000 are poorly maintained,[6] lowering productivity.
Olive varieties
Olives at "Mercato di Ortigia" (Ortigia's market), in Syracuse, Sicily
Average yield is about 2.43 tonnes per hectare of fresh olives and 0.48 tonnes of oil.[4] In the 1990s, production was over 600,000 tonnes, but by 2022, it dropped below 250,000.[3] This is because of old trees (over 60% are more than 50 years old), high costs, low mechanization, pests like Xylella fastidiosa, and abandoned groves.[6] There are 6,200 olive mills in Italy, many small, working on contract for growers. This helps keep local typicity but also increases costs.[4] Italy also makes 80,000 tonnes of table olives but imports over 50,000 tonnes to meet local demand.[4] Prices can be affected by international competition and changing markets.
Regulations
The olive sector is part of the Common Agricultural Policy and follows EU quality schemes. Italy has 43 PDO and 1 PGI for olive oil and 2 PDOs for table olives.[4] Regions manage support programs, promotion and quality controls.
In recent years there are proposals for a National Olive Strategic Plan to replant with modern cultivars, recover abandoned groves, improve technology and promote Italian oil abroad.[3] Some groups want territorial strategies, others prefer national rules. The goal is to keep Italy among the top producers of high-quality oil while facing cost, climate and market challenges.[8]
References
1 2 "E-book Oleario"(PDF). OLEARIO CREA (in Italian). Italia: CREA – Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
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