he presence of olive trees in the region surrounding Taranto may be dated as far back as 8,000 years. What historians have established with certainty is that the Messapi, a people of possible Illyrian origin who settled the region in the second millennium BC, were already harvesting olives and pressing them into oil.
Archaeological excavations around Massafra, near Taranto, have unearthed the remains of several olive mills from that period. Dozens of ancient crates and amphorae, decorated with mythological scenes, depict olive trees and illustrate the various stages of oil production. Most of these treasures are carefully preserved at Taranto's National Archeological Museum.
During Magna Graecia’s golden age, Taranto became famous throughout the Hellenic world for its olive-based ointments and balms. Evidence of this can be found in the collections of Tarantine ceramic and bronze vessels that have been discovered in sorrounding archaeological sites.
The extra virgin olive oil known today as Terre Tarentine traditionally comes from the western side of the province. The landscape here harbors an optimal microclimate for the cultivation of olives, exposed to sunlight from the south, and protected in the north by Le Murge hills.
