The Taggiasca olive thrives in Liguria's gentle, temperate seaside climate and calcium-rich soil. But olive oil production here is far from easy; groves are perched on terraced hills inaccessible to modern harvest equipment, so the olives must be picked by hand. Many farmers have abandoned their groves, leaving the landscape in decline and vulnerable to brush fires.

The Benza family has been making real extra virgin olive oil in the Ligurian Riviera since the 16th century. “My parents taught me that a good oil comes from a highly scrupulous production process,” explains Gigi Benza. “But also, and above all, from quality olives - that’s why I personally look after them from the time the plants flower until the harvest.”