In Castelvetrano Nocellara Fest with olive oil excellence
This is the first edition of a festival that is organized with the only product in Europe to have two protected designation of origin brands: the one for the Nocellara del Belice olive, very tasty on the palate, and the one for the oil, the Valle del Belice, which took its name from the place where it is grown, the valley where the Belice river flows. Castelvetrano, a municipality located close to the coastal strip of south-western Sicily and part of the Free Municipal Consortium of Trapani, represents the center of this area and it is called the City of Olives and Temples, due to the cultivar of the area and because in these places was founded the ancient Selinunte, in whose archaeological area there are the imposing remains of the Greek temples of the acropolis.
The main crops of the area, whose economy is also based on agriculture, are those of olive trees, vines, citrus fruits and durum wheat. In addition to the green gold of Castelvetrano, the local food industry is characterized by tummiria (timilia, marzuolo wheat), whose dark-colored flours are highly digestible and are sublimed in the amazing black bread of Castelvetrano. The products of Castelvetrano and Belice oil-growing supply chain, as well as the Selinunte Archaeological Park, represent internationally appreciated Sicilian agro-food and cultural excellence.
The exact location of the Festival is the central Sistema delle Piazze, made up of the three squares Garibaldi, Umberto I and Cavour, communicating with each other; originally it was a single open space, which over time, with the enlargement of the Mother Church, the Palazzo dei Principi and other buildings, took on its current shape with the seventeenth-century Fontana della Ninfa, with four superimposed basins that reach almost ten meters high, which stands out against the background.
Reach Castelvetrano with the ferries to Palermo
The most convenient way to reach Castelvetrano from the Italian peninsula is to take a ferry to Palermo and continue by road from the port of Palermo (it takes an hour and a half by car). There is also the possibility of completing the itinerary by bus, which takes between 60 and 110 minutes. From Palermo, if you have a vehicle, you can take the European road E90 (motorway A29) and the state road 119, covering a total of about 106 kilometres. Autoservizi Salemi buses, departing from the terminus in Via Fazello in Palermo, not far from the port, are directed to Castelvetrano.
The ships that shuttle between the port of Palermo and the ports of the Italian peninsula connect the capital of the Sicilian Region by sea with Livorno, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples and Salerno; as regards maritime connections with Sardinia, the line to and from Cagliari is active, with a journey time of 12 hours. The route to and from Genoa is covered in 20 hours and 30 minutes, to and from Civitavecchia in about 14 hours.
The ferries on the Livorno – Palermo – Livorno route run three times a week and complete the crossing in about 20 hours. If you click on the route link, you will discover timetables and prices, depending on variables such as any accompanying vehicle and accommodation on board, as well as further useful information. The ship is the Grimaldi Lines Zeus Palace, almost 212 meters long and 25 meters wide equipped with armchairs, cabins including Superior ones, self-service, cafeterias, piano bars, video games room, children’s area and on-board shop.
The ferries that sail on the Naples – Palermo – Naples route guarantee the possibility of daily departures and take around 10 hours. At the route link you will find timetables, prices and other information necessary to obtain a travel estimate, with or without a vehicle and various accommodation options, before choosing to proceed with the online ticket purchase. The shipping companies Grimaldi Lines and Tirrenia are operational, respectively with the Cruise Ausonia ship and the three ships Florio, Janas and Rubattino in rotation. The first offers both standard and superior armchairs and cabins as well as restaurant services, a bar, a video game room, an area equipped for children and a shop. The carriers of the second company mentioned are equipped with restaurants, bars, cinemas and a children’s area, with armchairs and cabins as types of accommodation.
The event programme
The first edition of the Nocellara Fest event takes place on Saturday 10 and 17 December 2022 and Sunday 18 December with the stands of oil mills and farms, tastings, cultural events, shows, itineraries and… for the joy of the children, Santa Claus!
It begins on the 10th in the Collegiate Church of San Pietro in the Sistema delle Piazze (historic center of Castelvetrano) with the seminar “The olive tree between myth and reality” organized by the Hypsas Association, with the welcome of the State Professional Institute for Food and Wine and Hotel Hospitality “Virgilio Titone”, the introduction by the Director of the Archaeological Park of Selinunte, Cave di Cusa and Pantelleria and the interventions “The Olive Tree (and the Green Gold) in verse and prose: from antiquity to today”, “The tree of the goddess of Wisdom between myth and tradition” and “Oration in defense of a sacred olive tree (Selinunte in assembly for the sacred frond)”. In the afternoon there is the conference, in the Auditorium in the former church of Sant’Agostino in Via Garibaldi, “Innovation of the Olivicolo – Olearea” by the National Association of Oil Cities. After the greetings, including those of the President of the Sicilian Table Olives Productive District, the interventions of the professors of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences (SAAF) of the University of Palermo concerning the innovations in the microbiology of table olives, the olive growing 4.0 and technological innovation in the oil mill (the attribution of professional training credits is foreseen).
The event will be inaugurated on Saturday 17 December 2022 in the Sistema delle Piazze location with the opening of the stands, the participation of the “Do Re Mi” school choir and, organized by local schools, the narrated photographic exhibition on the history of SAICA, the “Oli Art” competition and a guided tour of the historic centre; to follow there is a dance show, the passage of the Tamburinara, a concert, a cabaret show and live music.
On Sunday 18th, in the Sistema delle Piazze, you can watch the start of the Nocellara Bike Tour shortly before the opening of the stands and a guided tour of the companies and mills. In Piazza Umberto I, cultural activities, entertainment, the arrival of Santa Claus and the traveling musical band are scheduled; followed by tastings with the Pane Nero di Castelvetrano and Hypsas associations. In the afternoon there are performances by the dance schools, animation and Santa Claus, a traveling orchestra, the creation of a giant cake, live music and cake tasting.
The event, organized by the Hypsas association with the Municipality of Castelvetrano, the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fishing of the Sicilian Region and the national association Città dell’Olio, counts among its partners the Archaeological Park of Selinunte Cave of Cusa and Pantelleria, schools, Pro loco and local organizations.
The stands with extra virgin oil and olives
Among the exhibitors, in the stands in the historic center of Castelvetrano, we find the local production realities Oleificio Lombardo, an oil mill in the Valle del Belice certified for milling and bottling D.O.P. and Organic; Frantoio di Campagna, which produces organic oil and table olives of the Nocellara del Belice cultivar; Triolo Table Olives, which produces natural green and black olives in brine or seasoned, as well as extra virgin olive oil, and the Olio Oru Virdi company.
The Nocellara del Belice olive is large, consistent and tasty; the oil, which is cold extracted, has an intense and fruity taste, very slightly bitter and spicy, it is very rich in polyphenols and has a green color with golden reflections. The black bread of Castelvetrano, protected as a Slow Food presidium, is produced with native wholemeal durum wheat flour and wholemeal Sicilian blond wheat semolina, stone-ground, cooked in stone ovens fed with olive branches, and covered with sesame.
