In ancient Rome, Istrian peninsula, as part of the Roman Empire, enjoyed an unrivaled reputation for producing the finest olive oil in the known world, oil that was mentioned in the epic poems of the era:” Cordova, thou art more fertile than the unctuous Venafro and as perfect as Istrian oil” by Marcus Valerius Martialis. Istrian olive oil was distributed across the length of the whole Empire. After the fall of Rome, even though the large olive oil market was lost, the tradition of olive oil production survived and continued.
Today, the combination of Istrian soil, climate and unique position as the northern-most olive oil producing location in the world, Istria once again re-affirmed the recognition and reputation as one of the best olive growing regions in the world.
