Participate in the olive harvest

You can participate in the olive harvest as much or as little as you want.

We start picking olives on Sunday morning and continue until Thursday evening or Friday noon.

The olives are picked in teams of 3–5 persons per tree.

Please consider that picking olives can be physically exhausting. Often it is necessary to climb ladders or into the trees to reach the upper branches.

Hence, we do not expect you to pick large quantities but hope that you will enjoy this way of intense contact with nature.

We pick our olives only manually, not with machines. It takes longer to harvest a certain quantity of olives, but thus the trees are not damaged and the picker's ears are spared the noise.

On the last day (Friday), the olives are pressed and the “fluid gold” is embottled so you can take it home. Half of the olives you pick are yours, and you can take home the oil pressed from them.

Depending on the year, the weather during the week and how much time you spend picking, this can be between 2 and 15 litres of olive oil per person per week.

During the olive harvest we do not offer food, but the group of pickers often prepares meals together in a common kitchen.

Our apartments are well equipped for self-catering; the next possibilities for shopping and restaurants are at the village of Castel Rigone, at 4 km distance from La Rogaia.

On the last evening we will invite the group of pickers to the traditional “rinfresco”, an informal traditional Umbrian dinner.

Maximum number of participants: 16 persons

Pick your own olive oil :: Click here to book right now

Participation Fee:

• EUR 640 per person per week with lodging in double room (shared bathroom for 3 - 4 persons)

• EUR 840 per person per week with lodging in single room (shared bathroom for 2 - 3 persons)

Included in the fee:

• lodging as indicated for one week

• introductory lecture on olive cultivation and olive oil production

• participation in the harvest and share of oil

• every day a small picnic ("merenda") in the olive grove with savory and/or sweet foods and wine

• costs for the pressing of the oil

• tin cans for your oil

• farewell dinner ("rinfresco") on the last evening

Not included in the fee:

• Extra charge for lodging in larger private apartments for 2 persons (with private bathroom and kitchenette):
  "La Mimosa" EUR 60 per person per week (double occupancy)
  "La Pipo" or "I Cuccioli" EUR 120 per person per week (double occupancy)
  "La Grapo" EUR 150 per person per week (double occupancy)
  "La Nostalgia" or "Il Peperino" EUR 200 per person per week (double occupancy, also in 2 single rooms)

• Extra charge for lodging in a private apartment for 1 person (with private bathroom and kitchenette):
  "La Mimosa" EUR 300 per person per week (single occupancy)
  "La Pipo" or "I Cuccioli" EUR 400 per person per week (single occupancy)
  "La Grapo" EUR 500 per person per week (single occupancy)

• Food (except for the farewell dinner). All apartments are fully equipped for self-catering. There are shops and restaurants in the village of Castel Rigone at 4 km distance from La Rogaia.

• Travel arrangement to La Rogaia

Photos on this page by Peter von Felbert: www.felbert.de