The use of olive oil dates back over 6000 years, serving as an ointment, medicine, and lamp fuel. Greeks and Romans later expanded olive cultivation across the Mediterranean, establishing Italy as a premier producer of olive oil.
In Irpinia, olive cultivation flourished during the Angevin and Aragonese periods, becoming firmly rooted by the nineteenth century. A pinnacle of Irpinian quality is Ravece oil, crafted from a distinct olive variety abundant in the Ufita Valley. The earliest documented cultivation of these olives dates back to 1517 in the region of Ariano Irpino.
