Olive and Olive Oil Festival

A festival dedicated to the green gold of the Colline Ennesi

The Olive and Olive Oil Festival takes place in Nicosia, an ancient mountain town in the province of Enna, in the heart of inland Sicily. Every year, typically during a weekend in late November, the event celebrates the arrival of the new olive oil and the ancient olive-growing culture that defines this corner of the Erei Mountains.

Colline Ennesi PDO extra virgin olive oil

The absolute star of the festival is the Colline Ennesi PDO extra virgin olive oil, a recognized excellence of the territory. It is produced from olive groves consisting mainly of the Moresca, Nocellara Etnea, and Biancolilla varieties, accompanied by cultivars such as Giarraffa, Tonda Iblea, and Ogliarola. Olive cultivation in Nicosia has deep, ancient roots and represents a significant pillar of the local agricultural economy.

Tastings and local products

At the stalls set up in Piazza Garibaldi and along Via Fratelli Testa, visitors can purchase and taste oil from local producers on homemade crostini and the typical pane cunzato, paired with local legumes. The stalls also offer numerous local products, traditional sweets, natural cosmetics based on olive oil, and Nicosia-made crafts.

Culture, tradition, and folklore

The festival is about more than just gastronomy: the program usually includes culinary workshops, an exhibition of rural farming tools, photography displays, and entertainment with folk music and dancing. Past editions have also featured cooking shows and in-depth discussions on the quality of extra virgin olive oil, including educational sessions for schools with guided tours of the oil mills.

An event that tells the story of Nicosia

Organized by the local section of FIDAPA, the Olive and Olive Oil Festival is a well-established fixture in the autumn calendar of the Municipality of Nicosia. Visiting it means discovering, beyond the oil, a town rich in history with its Cathedral, noble palaces, and the traditions that animate the town all year round, from Holy Week to the Historical Pageant.