Olio Tamìa Flagship Store

The farm was founded in 1928 by the brothers Sergio and Sante Delle Monache and was dedicated to animal husbandry, the cultivation of various qualities of vegetables and mainly to olive growing, with particular attention to the search for new cultivation, pruning and fertilization techniques, for which it availed itself of the collaboration of various experts and research institutes. Our lands are located in the heart of the territory that was once of the ancient Etruscan people, the Tuscia, in the immediate vicinity of Vetralla in the province of Viterbo, which has always been a town strongly linked to the culture and traditions of the olive tree and olive oil and in a central position in the district of Protected Designation of Origin Tuscia - PDO TUSCIA. The land is of volcanic origin and rich in minerals particularly suitable for the cultivation of the olive tree. It is located on rolling hills at an altitude of around 280 meters above sea level with an optimal exposure to the south-west and has a total area of 20 hectares. The more than 2,500 olive trees, some of which are centuries old, are arranged at a distance of at least 6 meters from each other, optimal for allowing the ventilation of the leaves and to fully enjoy the sunlight, divided into sectors according to the cultivars (varieties of the olive tree). This arrangement allows a harvest of the fruits selected by cultivar, useful to find a perfect balance for the production of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The fruits of our Canino, Frantoio, Leccino, the most common varieties in Tuscia, and Moraiolo and Maurino Olive trees, expertly combined in the right proportions, give life to an Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a rich and unique taste.

A bit of history:

• 1928 the company was founded and distinguished itself for the avant-garde techniques used and won the first national awards in the olive field

• 1931 The Ministry of Agriculture chooses our olive groves as the site for an experiment on planting and fertilization methods designed by Luigi Sommaini (Institute of Agricultural Chemistry of Rome), one of the best-known agronomists, to increase the quantity of production and the quality of extra virgin olive oil. Thanks to the results obtained, still known today as the "Sommaini Method", a turning point was marked in the field of olive growing and the cultivation of arboreal plants.

• 1948 The company becomes the exclusive property of Sergio Delle Monache who focuses particularly on the care of the olive department, continuing research and experimentation for the purpose of improving the quality of the oil produced, including the continuous collaborations with the Agricultural Inspectorate of Viterbo and research institutions.

• 1969 Francesco delle Monache, who shared his father's love for the land and olive trees, now an established geologist, actively participated in an important 4-year research project conducted by ENEA in collaboration with the University of Tuscia, Cooperativa Energia and the Province of Viterbo, on olive growing in the Tuscia area. The results were presented at a conference at the same University and made known by Enea with the publication of Technical and Economic Aspects of Viterbo Olive Growing, of which Francesco was co-author. More than 40 analytical and sensory parameters of over 100 samples were compared and the results confirmed that Vetralla oil, if produced with particular care and attention, is among the best ever.

• 1985 Having definitively established the quality of Vetrallese oil and taking advantage of the growing ecological impulses of those years, the new challenge became to obtain an increasingly healthier oil, capable of fully satisfying its customers, made up of aware, demanding, competent and attentive people a healthy diet. Thus, at the end of the nineties, Francesco delle Monache was among the first, both to undertake the process of conversion to an organic company, and to obtain the qualification of O.N.A.O.O. oil taster.

• 2002 The “Sergio Delle Monache” agricultural company is definitively relaunched and with it all its heritage, made up of history, passion, traditions, culture, experiments, organic developments and excellent products with the birth of extra virgin olive oil Tamìa olive, an authentic, artisanal and healthy product: it is very rich in polyphenols.

• 2012 Present in the most important sector guides with excellent reviews, Tamìa oils win national and international awards, winning, among many, the Award of BEST ORGANIC DELICATE OIL IN THE WORLD from the NYIOOC – New York International Olive Oil Competition.

• 2014 Tamìa wins another 9 international awards, including BEST ORGANIC DELICATE OIL IN THE WORLD at the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. Added to these are the prestigious awards relating to packaging: "Le Forme dell'olio" in Milan, "Orii del Lazio" in Rome, "Terrolivo" in Jerusalem and "Innovative Packaging" in Los Angeles, just to name a few.

History and Territory

The riches of this land, in addition to its history and culture, are in the fertile soils of volcanic origin which, interacting with the climate, are enriched with unique mineral components, making them very suitable for the cultivation of olive trees. This richness, together with the wisdom handed down for millennia in cultivation and processing, gives the olive oil unmistakable organoleptic characteristics, a rich taste and a particular typicality legitimized by the recognition of the Tuscia Protected Designation of Origin - D.O.P. by the European Union. TUSCIA. Numerous studies indicate the structure of the territory and its unique climatic and pedological characteristics as one of the areas with the highest vocation for olive cultivation. In ancient times, Tuscia was the name attributed to Etruria after the fall of the Etruscan people and the subsequent assimilation of its territory and its illustrious civilization by the Roman one, and included a vast geographical area between upper Lazio and a large part of Umbria and Tuscany. Numerous historical vicissitudes have led, today, to identify with this term the geographical area in upper Lazio corresponding to the Province of Viterbo, very rich in evidence that has survived to the present day: monumental necropolises, remains of cities and works of art.

In the ancient world, the Etruscan Civilization was one of the most mysterious and advanced, reaching high social, civic, artistic, commercial and agricultural levels, to the point that their products were known and appreciated throughout the Mediterranean basin. Furthermore, it was the Etruscans who introduced and spread olive cultivation in Italy, with techniques that have been handed down to the present day. In the center of the Mediterranean basin, the Tuscia Viterbese still offers uncontaminated landscapes today with its mountains surrounded by centuries-old beeches, oaks and chestnut trees, its beautiful volcanic lakes of Bolsena and Vico, the hills rich in centuries-old olive trees and hazelnut trees, the waterways, the plains of the Maremma, the numerous thermal springs and the medieval villages. A land with a landscape rich in history and culture, a land that is sometimes harsh, enveloping and fascinating. Vetralla is located in the heart of this territory and its medieval village is located on a tufaceous cliff close to the ancient Via Cassia. It belongs to the National Association "City of Oil" and every year, in the first days of December, it organizes the "Oil Festival".