With a big smile on my face, I can tell the world that on my last trip, I experienced paradise, and immersion into the world of olive oil. Villa Campestri (Italy) was my destination.
The word Italy brings to mind images of big-city life in Rome and Florence, a constant flow of pedestrians moving from monument to monument striving to explore hundreds of years of history in one day. However, I wasn't one of these big city roamers on my last trip. Instead, I was up above the noise and chaos, admiring the Tuscan scenery from my room at the Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort.
A 3 kilometer drive up a steep green-packed road acts as an imaginary wall blocking out the noise of life in the city and introducing you to a new series of sounds; a simple transformation from noise to music.
Upon entering the road leading to the this beautiful 13th century Villa, on one side olive trees and greenery are all that is visible, and on the other side, the hotel greets you with the special smell of olive oil flowing from the kitchen.
Villa Campestri, consisting of the oleoteca, exquisite restaurant, greenery, a swimming pool, art, culture, and history has the power to instill memories that last forever.
The sensation of attack, decay, sustain, and release upon tasting a splash of olive oil is unforgettable. Mixing fresh ingredients with the Campestri olive oil, Jerry, the one-of-a-kind chef, is capable of tranforming a simple dish into a piece of art.
The importance, power, and quality of olive oil attracts several tourists to the Villa and opens their eyes to a new world of food and sensory detail. The movement OliveToLive was sparked by the charismatic owner of the Villa, Paolo Pasquali, and his passion has sparked the renaissance of olive oil, a product that was first consumed around 3500 BC.
At this Olive Oil Resort, the delicious olive oil that they produce gives both the food and the entire vacation a new meaning. The combination of silence and the music of nature on the hill prepares the senses for new discoveries: the fruttiness of the oil, the bright colors of the hydrangea, the sound of the light breeze blowing.
Being exposed to the unique taste of its olive oil and to the beauty of the place gives any Campestri guest a new take on certain aspects of life and makes him part of the olive oil world, a member of a new movement: the renaissance of olive oil. read more