Lavagnina olive and olive oil history and production in Gulf of Tigullio area

An example of Olive grove in Tigullio area ready for the harvesting

Cultivation and history of the Ligurian olive tree

The olive tree is defined as a "slow" tree. It has its own pace, its own growth, its own wise behavior, capable of withstanding drought, nutrient shortages, adversity, and wind. It never dies.

Today, it is considered a "tree of haste" due to the current methods and timing of olive harvesting. Nowadays, olives are harvested by dropping them from the trees onto clean, mobile nets; fresh olives are taken to the mill in ventilated crates and pressed the same day. These are good practices aimed at obtaining an excellent product. Seasonally, the regulations for Riviera Ligure DOP extra virgin olive oil set the harvest deadline at March 31st, in order to preserve certain organoleptic and chemical characteristics.

Mechanization of the harvesting process has changed significantly everywhere, but Liguria has a vertical, complex dimension, where machines have little scope for action. In fact, the olive harvest in Liguria always benefits from the best tool available to man: his hands.

What counts most are the hands used to harvest, to assess the yield by feeling the heat of the olives, in a truly sensual way, to calculate sales and yields, and counting significant figures on the fingertips. This has always been the school of Ligurian olive growing.

In general, Ligurian olives yield an average of 2 kg of oil per measure or quart. This is the so-called 20% yield, which increases or decreases depending on many factors, especially climate, tree management in terms of fertilization and pruning, and the tree's sensitivity to production fatigue. Don't forget that in Liguria, we're almost always talking about centuries-old trees.

Under certain conditions, and as the season progresses, there are years in which the 30% yield approaches or exceeds it. To avoid any misunderstanding, it's well known that Liguria's olive oil yield is set out clearly: out of a quintal of olives, approximately 40% is vegetation water, another 40% is pomace, and the remaining 20% ​​is, on average, olive oil. This percentage is lower elsewhere, and sometimes higher in Liguria.

Lavagnina olives newly harvested

Lavagnina Olive: Identity of the East Liguria

The western and eastern parts of Liguria share a similar olive cultivar: the Taggiasca olive in the western part of the region, and the Lavagnina olive in the eastern part. They owe their names to two towns, Taggia in the province of Imperia and Lavagna in the province of Genoa, precisely in the Gulf of Tigullio’s area. These two historic and agricultural centers have spread olive growing culture throughout the surrounding area.

The olive cultivation has been documented in Liguria since the late 10th and early 11th centuries, especially in the Chiavari area (fraction of Maxena, Leivi, Sanguineto), in Lavagna one (fraction of Graveglia), in Sestri  area (fraction Libiola), and in Sori, all spots east of Genoa, included in the nowadays called Gulf of Tigullio’s area. While olive cultivation was already present there, the most massive olive groves development  in western Tigullio (Rapallo, Recco, Camogli, Portofino) occurred later and was associated with ecclesiastical, not just monastic, properties. At that time, in fact, we find no reference to large monastic properties, except for what may have belonged to San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte monastery.

San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte monastery

The 13th century saw the greatest push to undertake olive growing.

Contemporary notarial deeds relating to the Tigullio region indicate that olive groves account for approximately 37% of the total (compared to 25% for vines). The greatest concentration is in the coastal areas, while penetration inland is difficult, especially considering the much harsher climate than today. It is likely during this phase that the cultivar was selected. Lavagna, due to its location and operational capabilities in the fertile Entella Valley, may have played a key role. Moreover, the Lavagnina olive is considered the "eastern cousin of the Taggiasca."

We are likely dealing with an "ecotype," a tree that finds its ideal habitat in the Tigullio region, taking on distinctive characteristics. It is therefore a crop of great economic value, deeply rooted in the local economy: it is used locally or as a trade commodity, without forgetting its religious importance: at least one lamp before the Blessed Sacrament and the sacraments of Baptism or Extreme Unction require oil, to understand the need of olive oil supply for the historic parish churches of eastern Liguria and for all the parishes that arose over the centuries. Only in the 16th century did the Republic of Genoa also require significant quantities of olive oil in the eastern part of Liguria. Olive oil coming from eastern part of Genoa was therefore a commodity with widespread social distribution.

The selection of the Lavagnina olive must have already occurred at that time, because it was  considered a productive cultivar. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, figures such as the pomologist Giorgio Gallesio established a nomenclature and associated the cultivars. Gallesio, in his Pomona Italiana (1817-1839)writes: "The Lavagnina is an olive considered privileged even in eastern Liguria, and if the olive oil it produces in that coastline does not enjoy the reputation of that of Nice and Diano, this must be attributed to the flawed method of extraction rather than to the soil or the variety."

Likewise, Abbot Gian Maria Picconi, author of Essays on the Economy of Olive Oil, published in 1808, notes that the Giuggiolina, commonly called Taggiasca, famous from Ventimiglia to the Andora Valley, becomes Lavagnina from Genoa to Moneglia. Many years later, Carlo Carocci Buzi's analysis in "The Varieties of Olives Cultivated in Liguria," published in 1950, identifies the predominant presence of the Lavagnina in the province of Genoa, accounting for 60% of the total. Today, the agronomic data sheets prepared by the Liguria Region tell us about a plant with characteristics similar to the Taggiasca, in terms of early and gradual veraison and fruit type, also considering its propensity to be used as a table olive.

A SMART RECOVERY

The Barbieri Bakery and Pastry Shop, one of Chiavari's historic bakeries, has implemented an exciting project to enhance the local area. In addition to being a key player in the relaunch of the Chiavari Mixed Ligurian Hazelnut (see the other post "Mixed Chiavari hazelnut production"), the Barbieri family has acquired an ancient olive grove that will be used to produce olive oil for its gastronomy, thus guaranteeing the quality and origin of the raw materials. The Isola di Borgonovo Rural Agricultural Cooperative is also involved in the project, which will manage and produce the olive oil. In recent years, the cooperative has become increasingly active in the local area, including the restoration of hazelnut groves and the production of unique products using local ingredients, allowing people to rediscover and experience the flavors and aromas of these local products.