olive picking

Welcome Julie -  Why not try Le Marche - there are lot of olive trees here and the scenary is stunning, very 'real life' and totally unspoilt.  

...as I posted a reply, but couldn't see it. Anyway, it looks like a double post - here and myabruzzohome thread.Here is my reply again - Admin I'm sure sort out the duplication.Hi Julie,Olive picking normally takes place from early October for pickling and from early to late November for oil.The work regulations here won't allow you to do this work, either paid or unpaid, so your best bet is to find accommodation where they have an olive grove and you could offer to help out.As far as I know, this isn't illegal, assuming that you don't require workers rights!I will send you a private message.Russ 

We haven't got a lot of trees mind, about 15, and aren't expecting a huge harvest after last year's bumper harvest.  However you could stay with our next door neighbours who have a private B&B and are the nicest people you are likely to meet.  I'm sure some of the old codgers in the village wouldn't mind a hand with their harvest too.  Some are trying to sell their land, because they're just getting to old for this sort of thing.  When you say autumn though, harvest with us on the Liguria / Tuscany border starts November at best and gets into full swing December / January.  Autumn is the time for grape picking really.

Hi JulieJust logged in and saw your posting. I have some Italian friends who run an Agriturismo in Abruzzo, they offer a 'Produce Your Own' olive and wine holiday which you may be interested in, their website is www.agriturismomontupoli.it or www.agriturismomontupoli.info. I've been and can thouroughly recommend it.Best of luck with your request.Nigel 

I'll send you a pm

 Ciao Julie! Good choice to see Italy in the fall where the land covers itself with a lot of different warm colors. Where to go to pick olives? In Italy there are so many places where to go to do it. I think the Puglia region is a good place where to go. This region is one fo the most productive speaking about olives. Others good regions where you can think to go to pick olives are Tuscany and Umbria. Le Marche is a good region where to go. Unfortunately, I do not know tourists-activities about picking olives but I am sure that if you ask, someone could take on you on his field^^. In all of the Le Marche region, except mountains, you can find fields of olive trees. You can catch more info phoning or writing to some agriturisms. I think they could be happy to help you. Searching in the web with the key word 'agriturismi' you can surely find a lot of them. But be careful, picking (Or to milk the olive trees, as we said in my land) is not a light work. In Le Marche we pick the olives in the last days of November and in Dicember. It could be very cold and it is possible that you have to wake up very early in the morning to go on field. However, if you are lucky with your team, picking olives is a hard, but very funny work (I like it very much and the last year, I was lucky: despite I was picking my family's olives in November, I did it in t-shirt!!! It was very warm!!!). However, If you have decided to come in Italy to pick olives and you will find a place where to go, do not forget to ask to the owner to bring you at the oil mill, where the olives are squeezed, pressed to obtain oil. The squeezing is a really fun time when you can have fun chats with the others people who have led their own olives to squeeze, while you wait to squeeze the yours. Usually, in a corner of the mill there is a fireplace where you can prepare to some free bruschetta watered with oil just squeezed and, if you want, rub with a clove of garlic (yum!!). Ciao dalle MarcheP.S. I am sorry for my bad english