Like apple picking in rural Massachusetts or blueberry picking in Oregon, harvesting olives in Tuscany recalls an ancient and for some an essential connection to the land. Indeed, the olive groves dotting Tuscany today preserve a landscape that has remained unchanged for centuries.

Participate in the olive harvest at Il Rifugio, and enjoy the fruits of the Tuscan region - cooking and eating local foods, drinking area wines, and soaking up the rural beauty of Tuscany while staying in a 17th century stone farmhouse just ten minutes from the Etruscan hill town of Cortona.

When my wife and I acquired Il Rifugio, one of our first concerns was to restore the four- to five-hundred-year-old olive groves that graced the property but had been let go for several decades. If we invite visitors to help us pick the olives and enjoy the beauty of the place, as well as the art, culture, culinary delights, and landscape of the Tuscan and Umbrian regions, it is because we have come to see the olive harvest as a unique opportunity to participate in an autumnal ritual that is essential to Italy's agrarian and culinary interests.

Our olive picking days begin in the morning when the dew dries off the trees, and continue in the afternoon following an abundant lunch. We spread nets under the trees and pick into baskets (cistella) tied to the waist; or by climbing ladders and using handheld tools, we drop the olives to the nets below, a method that dates back more than a thousand years. Typically, the harvest at Il Rifugio lasts three to four days, but we allow extra time for possible inclement weather. Pickers enjoy the camaraderie of the harvest, traditionally a social event bringing families and friends together, in a scene of great natural beauty, quiet, and spectacular views.

The olives are stored in manageable bins, and once we have about 300 kilos, brought to the traditional stonepress, called a frantoio, where they are ground and pressed into olive oil. (Homer referred to it as "liquid gold.") Each year the olive oil has a slightly different flavor, but whatever the nuance, whether sweet or slightly peppery, you will be the first to taste and enjoy Il Rifugio's extra virgin organic olive oil.

Please know that when you leave Il Rifugio after participating in the olive picking season, you will take home far more than a liter of olive oil. You will have experienced the olive harvest in Tuscany, unchanged for over a thousand years.

Il Rifugio sits on the eastern edge of Tuscany bordering Umbria. Fifty-six private acres of olive and chestnut groves, woodland (with inviting trails), and open fields surround the farmhouse. The neighboring hill town of Cortona dates back to 1100 BC. Small cafes, restaurants, churches, museums, and historic buildings make its hilly side streets and intimate squares a great place to walk, sightsee, or spend an afternoon over a glass of delicious wine. Florence is less than 1.5 hours by train and Rome, 2.5 hours.

When is Il Rifugio's Olive Harvest?
Olive picking starts about the last week in October or the first week in November and takes place over a few days time. Arrive for a one or two-week olive picking vacation in Italy on a Saturday and depart on the next Saturday or 2 weeks later.

How long does the harvest last?
The time it takes to harvest the olives depends in large part on the weather because the olives must be picked dry. We suggest planning on spending from 4 to 7 hours a day for from 3 to 4 days picking olives. The rest of the time is yours.

What is included in the price?
• Transportation to local train station for arrival and departure
• All meals on harvest days
• An olive harvest dinner party
• A double occupancy bedroom
• All the necessities such as linens and basic supplies
• Full use of the house, grounds, and kitchen for shared meals
• Two bottles of olive oil to take home
• An experience you will not forget

What is not included?
• Air transportation
• A rental car (recommended for more than one person traveling together)
• Off-site meals at restaurants, etc.
• Individual wine consumption

What is expected?
We do expect harvesters to commit to the task and be flexible with the timing of the harvest, which depends so much on obliging weather. You must be able-bodied and willing to work, using ladders or even climbing into the trees . We want everyone to be safe and have fun but timing is everything. The quality of the oil depends on getting the olives off the trees and to the mill as quickly as possible.

How much does it cost?
TBA per person/week (Prices are based on two people per bedroom)

Il Rifugio is a private Tuscan farmhouse for rent by the owners, located in the village of Montanare, community of Cortona, Italy