Montemurlo Olice oil Festival 2018

Oil tastings, food, markets and exhibitions in the frame of the ancient Rocca di Montemurlo

From 09 November 2018 to 25 November 2018

From 9th to 25th November, Montemurlo, Italy, will house the 25th edition of the olive Oil Festival, one of the Tuscany festivals in 2018 that today as in the past offers the tantalizing opportunity to taste the flavors of autumn. The king of the event will obviously be the new olive oil of 2018 to be tasted on fragrant bruschetta but also added to other succulent delicacies. At the Montemurlo olive oil festival you can also taste and buy many excellent local products, such as chestnuts, wine and mushrooms and browse around stalls of handmade crafts. There will be plenty of entertainment for young and old thanks to shows, medieval dances, historical re-enactments and interesting exhibitions. All this in the Borgo di Montemurlo, a small town near Pistoia and Prato that overlooks the Florence floodplain and is characterized by a strikingly beautiful historical center. Among other things, the purpose of this event, which is one of the most frequented festivals Prato festivals in November 2018, is precisely to promote and enhance this small treasure chest. What’s more, all donations raised by the event will go towards preserving the village itself and especially the Fortress of Montemurlo. All that’s left for us to do now is to give you a few suggestions on the program, bearing in mind that, even if the list of events during this event is endless, the climax date of this olive oil festival in Italy is 18th November. Just to give you an idea, this is how last year’s edition unfolded: 300 kg of bruschetta bread, 40 kg of Montemurlo olive oil to dress them, 50 kg of sausages and as many of beans sold at the food stands and nothing less than 600 donuts to wrap up the day which recorded more than 2000 visitors. Not bad, don’t you agree?

MONTEMURLO OLIVE OIL FESTIVAL 2018 PROGRAM

• From Friday 9th to Saturday 10th November: festival kick-off
  Tenuta di Bagnolo of the Pancrazi Marquises will be the protagonist of the first days of the olive oil harvest 2018 in Montemurlo (Prato). Both Friday 9th November at 19.00 and the day after from 18.00, it will be possible to visit this ancient estate and taste both the olive oil and the wine produced there.
  
  

• Sunday 11th November: Olio in festa. Piazza del Castello
  La Rocca di Montemurlo is surely one of the factors that make this autumn event unique if we look at other events in Prato. It is an ancient military fortress that, after serving as a sixteenth century villa, it became a historic home, so much so that coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, it was included among the wonders of Italy. Unfortunately, you cannot visit the interiors, but these ancient buildings and the greenery that surround them, make sure that the atmosphere in the village is unique. And where should you enjoy this atmosphere while tasting many delicacies? During the olive oil festival in Montemurlo, Prato, the bar della Rocca will be open from 7.00 onwards to offer you breakfasts and snacks. At lunchtime at the Rocca rectory, you will also enjoy the appetizers of the olive oil press with bread, cereals and tasty cold cuts. If you prefer, you can also opt to eat in comfort at the restaurant that also offers discounts for all its customers during the 2018 olive oil festival. If you want to get ahead and burn a few calories before all the tastings, you can take part in a walk around the green marble quarries starting at 8.30. The day will also include exhibitions, street markets and even exotic oriental dances!
  
  

• Saturday, 17th November: art and oil. Pieve di San Giovanni.
  The most important day of the olive oil Festival in Tuscany is approaching. The climax keeps building up with the de rigueur tastings: you can choose between those offered at the end of the conference on the 'Pala dell'Assunta' and those at the bar Le Terrazze. As you will have understood, this day is also dedicated to art with exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances.
  
  

• Sunday 18th November: Olive Oil Festival 2018. Borgo della Rocca
  Here we are, the day you've been waiting for has finally arrived! Where to start from? Well, first how to get to the Montemurlo Castle, since you cannot reach the village by car? If you feel like it, you can take a nice walk, but if you are more like the lazy type, do not worry, help is at hand! There is even a Montemurlo festival shuttle! Once you reach your destination, do you want to know what to do? If you are not too lazy, at 9.00 there will be a walk lasting about three hours and crossing the area of Montemurlo, in Tuscany. Also interesting is the exceptional guided visit to the Pieve and the Borgo that will allow you to enjoy the garden of the castle. You can also visit the olive press of a farm that will be open for the event and also participate in Camminolio, a beautiful walk through the olive groves. However, having decided to take part in an oil festival in Tuscany, we are sure that your first thoughts will be captured by the food attractions of the event! Well, you should know that with the Montemurlo olive oil festival ticket, you are entitled to a nice bruschetta with olive oil and salt, here called 'fett'unta'! Isn’t that enough? Don’t worry, you will have several options: you can taste many delicacies at the traditional Montemurlo 2018 stalls offering: bread soup, tortelli, sausages and beans, fresh wine, frugiate, berlingozzo (a typical Montemurlo dessert) and for the more daring ones, porchetta, lampredotto and tripe. At the Pieve parish house, it will be possible to have lunch in the field with typical farmers menus. For those of you who like comfort, and probably who also chose to take the shuttle, during the 2018 olive oil Festival you can also eat at the Rocca's restaurant, taking advantage of attractive discounts. What else to expect from one of the busiest and most varied events in Montemurlo? Also, in centre of the village there will be the classic craft market, while the day will be enlivened by many events such as performances of Renaissance dances, fire eaters, jugglers, magicians and even the world champion of soap bubbles. Also, this year’s olive oil Montemurlo Festival program includes the beguiling historical parade of the Maggiaioli di Bagnolo folk group.

So, what do you think? Will we see you in Montemurlo during one of the most anticipated oil festivals in Tuscany? Being just over 55 km from Florence, Montemurlo and its surroundings are perfect for an autumn weekend in Tuscany. I recommend you take advantage of our tours in Florence to discover this wonderful city! Meanwhile in Montemurlo between tastings and tastings, you will discover what crop yields have been like in 2018, which promises to be low regarding quantity but not quality, which should be excellent. The jurors of the Montemurlo olive oil contest will have no simple task in choosing the winner to be announced on 25th November at the end of the festival!