Society page 16 of 19

Ten different descriptions of the erotic soul of olive oil. Valerio Marini’s approach, unique and original as usual, is neither irreverent nor vulgar

Poste Italiane will be present at the fourth Olio Officina Food Festival. All stamp collectors can have their mail cancelled with a special postal marking devoted to the culture of olive oil. Whoever is unable to attend this event can request the cancellation at the Post Office’s philatelic bureau during the following sixty days.

At the Olio Officina Food Festival in Milan there will be a sensory room where one can experience the vivid emotions that arise when visiting an olive grove and mill.

100 is a large number. One hundred are the years that have passed since Domenico Sommariva established in 1915 his famous olive farm and mill in the plain of Albenga. Quality and culture are the key elements recurring throughout its history, a century devoted to olive oil.

According to an illustrious Italian anthropologist, olives and their oil are not only “fruit” of the land, but over the millenniums have become symbols of many key aspects of the life of Man.

In every corner of Italy there are towns and villages whose names evoke olive trees and oil. Then again in a country where, from North to South, olive oil has played a leading role in our history for over two millenniums, it couldn’t be otherwise. A small Venice island also pays tribute to this plant.