The olive harvest goes on for well over a month. The fruit doesn't get overripe and doesn't fall from the tree (barring severe wind). The oil from the earlier harvest tends to be a bit spicy, or "peppery", while the later harvest yields a more mellow oil. I prefer the peppery flavour, but it's a matter of taste.

Superb! Will bring a few empty glass bottles with me...good idea, or not necessary? Then just pack with the bubble wrap I always bring...... Much more interested in the oil than in the wine...

Since I have your ear for a moment, can I trouble you to ask about the outlets near Ancona? I know there is a Tod's/Hogan. Are these worth a visit for shoes or purses? Whenever I've been in Rome, locals tell me that this area is heaven for outlets..are they just the same type of stores that we can find all over Italy, or cause the manufacture may be done there, are they worth a visit?

Might be of interest to you, from today's NYTimes:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/f...w-economy.html

How far are you from Bargni? Or Senegallia? Want to meet for a lunch (Bargni) or dinner?

Oil is often sold in frantoii in stainless steel tins (lattine) of two or five liters. These are ideal for travel, and also for long term storage. The larger ones often have a spout for pouring.

I've never visited an outlet in my life, with the exception of one in the US that my sister dragged me to. I'm one of those people for whom shopping ranks with a visit to the dentist. However, there are definitely many outlets in that area, although I think more to the south than in the province of Ancona. Le Marche is a center of Italy's shoe industry, and Tod's is a marchigiano company. I think they're in Sant'Elpidio. Here is the English language page about shoe outlets in Le Marche.

https://www.italytraveller.com/en/e/top-marches

I live about 20 km from Senigallia. Send me a pm and we'll see if we can arrange something.

Hello all - We are back. I will try to get to a little report over the weekend, but in the meantime feel free to ask questions, and I'll check in to answer them. EK - We did not make it to Sulmona. The forecast was pretty much solid rain for the only two days we would be there, and as a photographer most of what I wanted to see was outside. Luckily our airbnb apartment in Fossacesia was available, so we went back there and enjoyed the coast, sun and seafood. We did do a day trip to Ascoli, and I really did enjoy that little city a lot. I'd go back. We also did a day trip inland to Guardiagrele; more on that later, but also very lovely.

We did indeed visit Castel del Monte, as it was the only place to get groceries near our apt in Calascio. But - I had planned to explore this town anyway, and it is well worth it. Construction is ongoing; however, we just walked through where we could. I would return to Abruzzo in a heart beat. LOVED Abruzzo. Also loved Umbria but didn't explore as much as I would have liked. More to come! Thank you again for all the input here and on other threads!

BV: Will do, this week.

Surprisingly, for anyone who is interested, we didi find new oil in Umbria, near Trevi, at a frantoio recommended by our hotel. The owner said they had begun picking two days before. It was a blend of two oils. I bought two i-litre tins to take home but will look for more once we reach Abruzzo.

BV..Will send you a PM, as we are now in Senigallia....gorgeous town! The warmest people!

There is an outlet mall in the Pescara/Chieti area. Città Sant'Angelo Outlet Village. Basically a cookie cutter copy of the other malls run by the same people. Same shops. Some items. Same prices.

If you're interested in something particular you should look for the manufacturer has their own outlet shop. Those can be worth a visit but the malls are often mostly a mix of made for outlet product and the same stuff you'll find in normally shops.

If you visited during the sale season and wanted to brave the crowds maybe it would be worth the trip but now? I wouldn't waste valuable vacation time . At least I wouldn't

Did not mean those groups of stores known as outlets although I used that word; we have them in the US and I never go. I meant factory stores like the Tod's which, indeed, is in St. Elipidio. But we are going to skip it just the same. You are right, not worth it on such a short vacation.

For BVLenci: Thank you for the mention of the mill in Prezza near Sulmona. We phoned and they were happy to have us come over yesterday and have a look around, and taste some oil that had just been pressed. Turns out they got a good report in the latest guide to oil, which they had in the office and which I peeked at. So I bought a few 1-liter cans to take home. They have, indeed, been picking here in Abruzzo but I was told by a couple of people that this year's oil is not as good as 2017's.

Ekscrunchy: In Le Marche, the harvest this year is very meagre. Last year was a bumper harvest. They're just beginning to harvest here, and I haven't heard anything about the quality of the oil. Was the oil you bought from 2017?

Thanks to my husband, who always insists on buying much more than we use, we're just beginning to use the 2017 oil, and we won't need to buy any oil this year. Every year, I tell my husband that we use approximately 1 litre per month, so we shouldn't ever buy more than 15 liters. So he insists on buying 30 liters.

Interesting...the oil I bought was just pressed. In Umbria we watched the pressing, and in Prezza the owner opened a spout on a steel container and filled the empty metal tins. I bought about 8 liters total..one liter tins. Hope they fit in my bags, or I will need to buy a new suitcase!! Also bought an olive wood salad bowl at the press near Corinaldo; their 2018 oil is not yet ready, though, but they were very lovely.

Maybe the harvest is meagre just in this area. Our own tree has hardly any olive on it.

I met a Canadian with Abruzzese roots who was visiting family in the Chieti area. He told me that his uncle was not going to harvest this year because his olives were afflicted by some kind of worm.

Question: Does the color of the olive (green or black) have any connection to the taste of the oil? Are both colors used equally frequently?

At the time of harvest, there are almost always olives with a wide color range. They are not separated by color before pressing. The time of harvest is determined by a chemical analysis, or by the trained eye of the farmer.

For preparing cured olives for the table, I separate them by color.

In some years, there has been widespread infestation by the olive worm in our area. Around here I don't know anyone who sprays their trees. A few years ago, there was a bad infestation and most people didn't harvest their olives.

EK - I hope you will do a trip report; I'd love to know your thoughts about Sulmona, Abruzzo, etc. I will do a report but it will probably be disappointing because we generally just stopped to eat wherever we found ourselves. So, nothing major to report on fancy restaurants and so forth. I'm loving this conversation about olives, oil, etc. We brought back a few things, wine, olive oil, lentils, and some fun pasta that we've not seen around our place. Also some truffle paste and truffle oil. But I am quite jealous of your 8 liters! How did you lug that back home?

Rocket,,I will do a report, at least I took notes for one this time. You must do one as well....does not matter where you ate.

We are still in Rome, so how to get that stuff home is concerning me at the moment. Just for fun, here are the options I came up with:

1. Send home my clothes with FedEx and put the oils and pasta and bottles of colatura and all the rest I have yet to buy, in the checked bags. Expensive.

2. Buy new, cheap-ish suitcase and check that, filled with the foods. (I can check 2 bags, I am pretty sure)
do not need another suitcase buy buying one will cost less than FedEx, I am pretty sure

3. Pay overweight, IF I can cram all the stuff into existing bags. (bad idea, i think)

4. Have hotel pack up the stuff in a carton and check that, along with other suitcase (worried about airline taking carton as checked baggage; also denting and crushing)

Now, how can I aattend to all those silly details when I am now just waking up in the center of Rome, with all this glory stretching around me in every direction!?

Well, I can't advise you on that one! I'm sure you'll let us know what you came up with for that packing situation. I hope you brought some bubble wrap, though. I used every bit of it that I brought with me! When we finally get some colder weather I will sit at my computer and type out a report. I hope you've had a great trip!

Thanks! I chose #2, buying suitcase at a Rome outlet of Carpisa, and will let you know how it goes once I get around to a trip report myself!!

Ha. Handle has already broken off the new suitcase and I am still in airport lounge in Rome!!