Le Colline Lubrensi | Harvest to Award-Winning Olive Oil, Sorrento Coast
Autumn has always been my favourite season —the cool weather, warm hues of foliage, fresh, crisp air…and a long, cozy list of reasons more. But it’s been especially so since I have been living in Massa Lubrense, where the silvery-green rolling hills come to life as the olive harvest takes place and men, and still today entire families, are hard at work.
The olive harvest typically begins in mid-September, with the laying down (and sewing up) of the nets beneath the trees, where the ripened olives will fall —and lasts until December, or even January, depending on weather conditions. During this fruitful time the importance of this agricultural tradition, which is deeply rooted within the local culture and its identity, can’t go without being noticed and appreciated —whether traveling on a main road or a quiet country trail.
The hills of Massa Lubrense are blanketed with olive trees, along with the lemon trees that produce the world-renowned lemons of the Sorrento Coast. From high up in the hills down to the sea, you can catch a glimpse of this autumnal harvest in every direction you look—including the coastal views with Mount Vesuvius, Ischia and Capri on the horizon, and Marina della Lobra, the ancient port town below—all beautifully accentuated by the silvery-green of the olive groves.
