Factory Consorzio Olivicoltori di Malcesine
Malcesine, Veneto
Founded on 6 October 1946 to free small olive-grove owners from dependence on privately owned mills, the Consorzio Olivicoltori di Malcesine today brings together around 550 members on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, custodians of 46,000 olive trees, 90% of them centuries-old and almost all of the native Casaliva variety. Every Friday the mill opens its doors for a ninety-minute guided tour, to be booked the day before: visitors retrace the Consorzio's history, watch the olives being pressed, and see the antique harvesting tools kept in the adjoining Olive Museum, before finishing with a tasting of extra-virgin oil served with bruschetta and wine.