Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting in Siena, Tuscany

Siena is the great medieval rival of Florence — a city frozen in the 14th century, with its shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the twice-yearly Palio horse race, and a Gothic cathedral whose striped marble façade is one of Italy's most striking sights. The surrounding countryside — the Crete Senesi to the south and the Chianti hills to the north — is a landscape of clay hills, isolated abbeys, and farmhouses that have been the model for Tuscan rural life for centuries.

Real Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil is closer to a fine wine than to the supermarket product most travellers know — peppery, green, slightly bitter, with a finish that lingers. A tasting in Siena at a working frantoio (mill) reveals just how much variation lies inside the simple word 'olio'.

Your host walks you through the orchard, into the cold-press room, and finally to the tasting bar — six to eight oils served in coloured glasses (the colour is suppressed so taste alone guides you). Bruschetta, fresh ricotta and the estate's own salt accompany the tasting. October–December tastings include a visit during the harvest itself.