Olive and Oil Museum The Olive and Oil Museum, located in Torgiano, Italy is the creation of Giorgio and Maria Grazia Lungarotti. The Olive and Oil Museum along with the Wine Museum help enhance the agricultural knowledge of the Umbrian area. The museum was built in what once was a building that housed an olive press. When ambling through the museum, one begins to understand the importance of the olive and olive oil through thousands of years. According to mythology, Athena was the Greek goddess that gave the olive tree to humans. Visitors can discover the uses and traditions associated with olive trees and oils. Upon entering the museum, visitors learn of the different varieties of olives grown in the Umbria region. A larger room showcases a cement wheel that was used to crush the olives. The first of the stones would have been powered by a horse or human walking in a circle. An adjacent display shows a mechanical version of the crush wheel. Visitors can see how the oil was extracted from the paste made from the crush stone at the press display. A number of amphora were exhibited. These were used to transport the olive oil.
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In another room, a model of a sailing ship has a cut out section that shows how the amphora were situated below deck. Visitors learn that olives and olive oils have many uses. A number of oil lamps are on display. Olive oil has been used for centuries to provide light. The last few rooms present the many areas where olive oil is used today including: religious ceremonies, nutrition, medicine, cosmetics, mechanics and fuel. The waste products from the pressing can be used to produce heat.
A visit to the Olive and Oil Museum will take travelers on a journey through the past and point out how versatile and important the olive is today. Olive and Oil Museum
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