The Olive Oil Road on the hills around Pisa, called Monti Pisani, is a path that winds passing through art, culture and cuisine, and the discovery of a great olive oil, one of the excellencies of these lands. The route stretches along 138 kilometers passing through the territories of Buti, Calci, Vicopisano, San Giuliano Terme and Vecchiano. Plains, alternate to hills and mountains along this route. There are many historical and artistic sites to visit, numerous medieval villages, monasteries, churches and ancient villas, including Villa Medici Agnano belonged to Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Calci is the first town encountered along the olive oil road. It is famous for its imposing Certosa, now the museum of natural history of the territory. From Monte Serra, the highest of the Pisan Mountains, you can gaze over the sea and see the far away Tuscan archipelago. Continuing through Asciano one admires the Medici aqueduct, to then arrive in San Giuliano Terme renown for its thermal spa. Vecchiano offers its Parish of St. Alexander and Santa Maria al Castello, while the ancient Buti still retains the characteristics of the medieval village, just like Vicopisano, the last leg of the olive oil road. The village still holds intact the fortress designed by Brunelleschi, the Praetorian Palace, the Town Hall and the Towers.
The Olive Oil Road has much to gift also from a gourmet point of view. Extra virgin olive oil, wines and other gourmet delights such as chestnuts, mushrooms and honey can be tasted. Traditional meats such as pork, wild boar, Mucco from Pisa, the Cinta Senese, spices and herbs processed in accordance to ancient rules are all the ingredients that keep alive the taste of being around a Tuscan table together.
The rural tradition has heralded bread and pasta with the honor of being a staple in Tuscany. Each family would make its own bread and pasta, all by hand. Today, driving along the Olive Oil Road you can find artisan workshops that prepare food according to the ancient tradition.
Fairs, exhibitions and open markets celebrate the new olive oil, chestnuts and mushrooms. Traditional cooking offers tasty dishes based on mushrooms, vegetables, cabbage and kale, game, fresh pasta, homemade desserts like the nozze and pan ficato that get perfectly along with the local wines and muscats. Chestnuts are widespread on the Pisani Mounts and have always been a primary source of livelihood for mountain peoples and in the form of fruit or milled into flour, used to cook bread, polenta and castagnaccio.
The Olive Oil Route Map:
View The Olive Oil Road near Pisa in a larger map
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November 24th, 2009 at 10:01
Great write up on Olive Oil Road! I’ve heard Monti Pisani is one of the places to go when traveling to Italy!