The history of the olive tree in the Sorrento peninsula boasts a millennial tradition that is still preserved today in its native cultivars of the area: the Rotondella and the precious Minucciola.
The Arcangelo DOP extra virgin olive oil is born from the Minucciola cultivar, which hangs its name in homage to the founder of the homonymous Sorrento farm.
The Arcangelo DOP oil from the Sorrento peninsula aims to combine the perfect combination of cultivar and territory in a product of the highest quality, respecting a millennial tradition.
From the Phocians to the Protected Designation of Origin
The marriage between the Sorrento peninsula and the cultivation of the olive tree dates back to the time of the Greek colonies that arrived on the Sorrento territory by the Focesi. Numerous are the remains found throughout the area which testify to the presence of a flourishing oil trade, with finds of amphorae inside which oily residues have been found.
The territory of the Minucciola cultivar extends over the entire Sorrento peninsula, up to the island of Capri. The presence of the Mediterranean climate and volcanic soil allowed even the first Greek colonists to plant a complex cultivation system based on terraces and reinforced by dry stone walls.
Even today the terraces present the same planning techniques, with farmers still maintaining a mainly manual production method for the olive harvest: a product of excellence that still distinguishes the production of the Arcangelo DOP oil today and which has allowed the olive oil from the Sorrento peninsula to be recognized in the Protected Designation of Origin together with the Production Regulations, acquired in 1998.
Territory and cultivar in a perfect partnership
The territory of origin of the Arcangelo DOP extra virgin olive oil is located in the municipality of Vico Equense, on an altitude between 200 and 300 meters above sea level. The production is totally obtained with Minucciola olives and does not include blends with other varieties of olives.
This choice, of which Arcangelo DOP oil is the most authentic expression, was motivated by the precise intention of wanting to produce an absolutely rooted olive oil, in the flavor, in the organoleptic characteristics, in the taste and smell, in the territory of the Sorrento peninsula.