Terra d’Otranto extra virgin olive oil in Lecce

Terra d’Otranto DOP extra virgin olive oil is one of the most representative agricultural products of Salento, obtained mainly from olives of the local Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola cultivars. It generally ranges in color from golden yellow to green and has a fruity aroma, often accompanied by light bitter and spicy notes. It is an oil intended more for raw use than for cooking, ideal on bread, vegetables, legumes, and Mediterranean dishes. Its identity is closely tied to the centuries-old olive groves that shape the rural landscape around Lecce and across much of the Salento peninsula.

Olive oil has long been one of the pillars of Salento’s economy and diet. For centuries the area between Lecce, Brindisi, and Taranto exported oil throughout the Mediterranean, both for food and, in the past, as fuel for lighting. The monumental olive trees scattered across the Salento countryside are not only agricultural resources but true symbols of the local landscape. The Terra d’Otranto DOP designation protects this production tradition and links the product to a specific territory and its historic cultivars.