3617 Cartoceto--city of olive trees and oil.

Situated in the Metauro valley, Cartoceto was once a fortress town and one of the main defenses for nearby Fano.
Some of Italy's best olive oil comes from here as well as excellent cheeses.
Dating as far back as the Papal states, Cartoceto was amongst the best known olive producing areas.
The wealth and power of a family was judged by the number of olive trees they had and the local "frantoio" or olive press was the centre of the village social life.
Cartoceto is still a thriving oil producer and in recent times has seen a steady growth in its production.
Now there are over 38.000 olive trees producing in excess of 75.000 litres of the golden nectar.
Various varieties of olives are grown here and the modern tendency is to produce oil from individual plants (monovarietali) and then once the character and taste has been established they will proceed with a blending process.
Some of the best producers or "frantoi" are:
LOLIBON-FRANTOIO DEL TRIONFO-SERAFINI AND DELLA ROCCA-----The later owned by Beltrami family who also produce some excellent cheeses considered high quality and served in many of the more select restauarants.
In early November the Mostra Mercato dell'Olio DOP takes place and Cartoceto is buzzing with various events and stalls where you can taste the products produced.
Buyers from the world over are present.