Since remote times, man has always had a special relationship with olives: it is said that during the great flood, Noah sent a dove out of the ark and it returned with an olive branch as a symbol of peace.
Most people agree that olives originated from Asia Minor; traces of ancient cultivations can be found all over the basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Today olives also grow in other areas, but the quantities produced in Mediterranean countries, especially in Italy and Spain, are far superior because of the Mediterranean climate.
The olive’s origins in Basilicata are extremely old: pieces of wood, ripe and unripe olives, leaves and olive stones, dating back to the 6th century B.C. have been found in the area of Metaponto testifying to its production since the Magna Graecia period until our times, which spread throughout the whole region.