In the hermitage overlooking the dense woods above Castel Campagnano, amidst olive trees and shady oaks, mother Adele entrusts the flowers of the locust tree to the boiling olive oil. The meal based on vegetables is served on a wooden table, overlooking wild views: sage fritters, pasta and chickpeas with chard and salted anchovy, savoy cabbage rolls in red cabbage leaves, wild broccoli meatballs, stuffed onions. You eat above the vegetable garden where herbs, peas, broad beans, onions, salad, artichokes and wild chicory are grown, in the shade of the old house with its original floor and oven. “When I arrived here 20 years ago in search of a soul place, it was a ruin with trees growing inside”. She was advised to turn it into a Hollywood-style house, but in actual fact it became a kingdom of silence. There is also a cellar built for enigmatic reasons by her dad Carmine, an All Blacks super-fan.

EVO oil flows alongside blood in the veins of Paolo Mastroianni, born in 2001, and perhaps the first Gen-Z oil maker. Five generations dedicated to the harvesting and pressing of olives have formed his DNA. He is the future of these hills. Here they work with three pressing systems: stone grinders, hammer crushers and disc crushers in a continuous line. “At the age of three I was already immersed in the life of the mill, I remember the scents and sensations perfectly. My dad Tommaso passed on his passion to me, helping me to understand quality oil and to develop relationships with the olive farmers, characters who require great sensitivity and attention.” The Caiazzana and Corniola olives have no secrets from Paolo and his extra virgin olive oil tells the story of these hills. But that’s not all. Paolo also knows how to make wine: Pallagrello Bianco, Nero and Casavecchia.

Tradition and quality. The olives are harvested by hand slightly in advance of the ripening time and the pressing takes place with the traditional stone “molazza”. The result is the Oro di Caiazzo, a high-quality EVO. In the 1940s, the olive oil maker was Costantino Cervo, who had built an animal traction oil mill. In the 1950s, technological breakthroughs led to mechanisation and the Mondrone family ensured that traditions continued: pressing with stone millstones within 24 hours of harvesting. The company also sells artisanal pasta made with Senatore cappelli wheat flour.