Altopascio · Lucca · Tuscany
Olive oil and wine around Lucca
Around Casal Sant'Elena the plain gives way to hills of olive groves and vineyards. A short guide to what grows here, when to come and how to visit.
Olive oil: Lucca DOP
Olive groves cover the hills around Lucca, often on old terraces. The province has its own protected designation of origin for extra virgin olive oil, Lucca DOP, alongside the regional Toscano IGP.
On a label, the designation tells you where the olives were grown and pressed. Freshly pressed oil, olio nuovo, is green and peppery in the first weeks after the harvest.
Wine: Montecarlo and the Lucca hills
Montecarlo, the walled hill town 9 km from the house, gives its name to a DOC for white and red wines. Its white wines are known for blending Trebbiano with grapes of French origin.
The Colline Lucchesi DOC covers the hills north and east of Lucca, in the municipalities of Lucca, Capannori and Porcari. Towards Vinci, the Montalbano hills have their own Chianti subzone, Chianti Montalbano.
The Strada del Vino e dell'Olio Lucca, Montecarlo e Versilia links producers of wine and oil in the province.
When to come
The grape harvest usually runs from September into early October. The olive harvest and pressing follow, roughly from late October to December, the time to taste new oil.
In spring and early summer the hills are green and the vines are in leaf: a good season for walks and for the Via Francigena, which passes 2 km from the house.
Visiting wineries and olive mills
Most wineries (cantine) and olive mills (frantoi) are working farms: call or write ahead to book a visit or a tasting, and check opening days. We are happy to help you plan the day.
If you drive, plan a designated driver. In Italy the blood alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and zero for drivers in their first three years after getting their licence.
At the house, breakfast features local produce whenever possible, from our garden or from producers in the area.
From the house: Montecarlo (9 km), Lucca (24 km), Vinci and Anchiano (28 km) and the Via Francigena (2 km). More ideas in Area attractions; breakfast and the garden in The house.
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