The Olive and Oil Museum
The story narrated in the Olive and Oil Museum revolves around Athena,
the Greek goddess who, according to myth, bestowed the olive tree to
mankind. An ancient plant and the major symbol of Mediterranean culture,
the olive tree and the oil extracted from its fruit are the subject of a ten-room
museum that is both unique and fascinating.
Through artistic, archeological and ethnographic collections, one can also
discover uses and traditions, at times ancient, curious or little-known: used
for divinatory and therapeutic practices, olive oil – whose traditions have
bestowed symbolic values since antiquity – had been used for centuries in
both folk and official medicine due to its emollient and soothing properties
or as a base in producing ointments and creams; an indispensible compo-
nent in cosmetics, effective protection for the body during athletic activity,
it has been also used in mechanics and in weaving, in sigillography and
statuary. An alternative source of thermal energy that has recently been
rediscovered, it is the ingredient par excellence of the Mediterranean diet
and has been a precious source of light for centuries.
Visit the MOO website
