Cilento Olive Oil and Mediterranean Diet by Ancel Keys

Typical Mediteranean plants particularly found in the lower Mediterranean, are plentiful and true to the strain (olivastri) and are found growing naturally in this area alongside the sea. It is not known exactly when they were first cultivated but these trees are ancient. The olive trees cultivated for the production of our “L’Olio Pinto” have been named “Salella”.

The production is exclusively limited to Casal Velino and Salento residing in theNational Park of Cilentoand the Valley of Diano under the production zone of Cilento Dop. Introduced by the colonies of Magna Grecia (Velia, a colony of Magna Grecia is only 8 km from Casal Velino) in Campania (Southern Italy), this antique cultivated variety comes from the cultivators living locally in the hills of Casal Velino which sweetly rolls down to the sea.

The fruit of the tree still given today is of an oil with unique organic characteristics and above all retains a flavour of the highest quality. Angel Keys, the father of the Mediterranean Diet which is known and appreciated throughout the whole world, has defined it as the Factor of Longlife.

Keys chose to live in Pioppi (near Casal Velino) in the lovely Cilento area of Italy, a coastal town just south of the Gulf of Salerno to carry out studies on human nutrition and share the typical Cilento lifestyle. Now, in honor of Keys, Pioppi is the home of the Mediterranean Diet Association.