Filo d'Olio Award

The Valle Telesina extra virgin olive oil competition

For over twenty years, the Filo d'Olio Award has been the premier event celebrating the culture of Sannio extra virgin olive oil in Solopaca. Promoted by Pro Loco Solopaca APS, the event traditionally takes place in March, once the previous season's olives have been pressed and producers are ready to showcase their year's work. The awards ceremony is held in the Council Chamber of the Solopaca Town Hall, located in the heart of this village in the province of Benevento, Campania.

A renewed commitment to transparency

Following a hiatus during the pandemic, the competition was redesigned to ensure maximum impartiality. Samples submitted by producers are anonymized using alphanumeric codes: they first undergo laboratory analysis before being assessed by the Slow Food panel, who evaluate them without knowing their origin. Only after the tastings are the codes matched to the producers' names. This is a point of pride for the organizers, who believe that in a local competition, the credibility of the verdict is paramount.

Competition categories

• Intense fruity — bold oils with characteristic bitter and spicy notes;
• Medium fruity — the most common category among local extra virgin oils;
• Light fruity — delicate oils, perfect for milder dishes.

Producers submit their samples to the Pro Loco headquarters by the deadline set in the regulations in the weeks leading up to the ceremony: in 2025, collection took place between mid-February and early March, with each participant providing three 250 ml samples.

Ortice, the signature cultivar of the Sannio hills

The undisputed star is Ortice, the native cultivar that gives its name to many of the award-winning oils and defines the olive groves of the Benevento hills; alongside it, company blends and other local varieties are also featured. The competition serves as a valuable opportunity to understand how the quality of an extra virgin oil depends on harvest timing, milling processes, and proper storage.

Tastings and local products

The awards ceremony is more than just a formal event. After the results are announced, the competing oils are tasted by the public, paired with traditional local products: in the 2025 edition, the extra virgin oils were served with primosale cheese, Saragolla wheat bread, and tozzetti biscuits, showcasing how an oil's character shifts depending on its pairing.

Solopaca, a land of wine and oil

Best known for its Solopaca DOC wine and the historic Grape Festival, Solopaca is a town in the Valle Telesina overlooking the Taburno-Camposauro Regional Park. Vineyards and olive groves share the hillsides: in this sense, Filo d'Olio acts as the late-winter counterpart to the great autumn wine festival, reminding us that olive growing is the other major agricultural vocation of the town and the entire province.

An event for producers and enthusiasts

The audience at Filo d'Olio consists of olive growers, millers, restaurateurs, and curious food lovers. For small local farms, the recognition provides concrete visibility, while for visitors, it is a direct way to learn how to identify the flaws and virtues of an extra virgin oil. The atmosphere remains informal and convivial, typical of the best local initiatives: you arrive out of curiosity and leave knowing how to read a label.