{"id":7062,"date":"2026-10-02T08:53:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/ligurian-olive-oil-taggiasca-olives\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T13:11:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T11:11:22","slug":"ligurian-olive-oil-taggiasca-olives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/en\/ligurian-olive-oil-taggiasca-olives\/","title":{"rendered":"Ligurian olive oil and Taggiasca olives: a guide to the Riviera\u2019s green gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ligurian olive oil<\/strong> comes from a narrow strip of land squeezed between mountains and sea, where every olive tree was won from the hillside with a dry-stone wall. In the western Riviera, and above all around Bordighera, almost everything revolves around a single variety: Taggiasca olives<\/strong> \u2013 small, dark and sweet \u2013 which end up in bottles of oil, in jars of brine and in half the dishes of the Riviera.<\/p>\n

In this guide you will find out what Taggiasca olives are and where their name comes from, how the \u00abRiviera Ligure\u00bb PDO and the new PGI for the olives work, where to see the loveliest olive groves between the coast and the Val Nervia, how the olives are harvested and pressed, and how to recognise genuine Ligurian oil when you buy it.<\/p>\n

If you are in Bordighera between November and March, you have picked the right season: the nets spread beneath the trees and the scent of the olive mills tell you that the new oil has arrived.<\/p>\n

What Taggiasca olives are<\/h2>\n

The Taggiasca<\/strong> is a variety (cultivar) of olive tree, Olea europaea<\/em>, typical of western Liguria. It is the historic variety of Ligurian olive growing: according to the production rules of the \u00abRiviera Ligure\u00bb PDO, it is still found under this name in the provinces of Imperia and Savona, while around Genoa and La Spezia varieties derived from the same stock are grown, such as Lavagnina and Razzola. In some areas the same tree is also called Gentile<\/em> or Giuggiolina<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The olive is small and slightly elongated, with a tiny stone and soft flesh. Its colour changes as it ripens, from green to a violet black, and you will often find every shade on the same branch. The flavour is delicate, with a sweet note and a light bitterness, which is why the Taggiasca is one of the few varieties used both for oil and as a table olive.<\/p>\n

Where the name comes from: Taggia and the monks<\/h3>\n

The name comes from Taggia<\/strong>, in the Valle Argentina, about twenty kilometres from Bordighera. According to tradition, also cited in the official PDO production rules, it was Benedictine monks who spread the olive tree through this part of Liguria around the 9th century; the stock took the name \u00abtaggiasca\u00bb from Taggia, the trading town from which the olives were shipped and sold. Some local accounts add that the monks came from the island monastery of L\u00e9rins, off Cannes: it is a fascinating story, but it remains a tradition rather than a documented fact.<\/p>\n

On firmer ground is a 19th-century account: in his Pomona italiana<\/em> (1817), the botanist Giorgio Gallesio observed that Ligurian olive growing derived largely from a single type of tree, known by different names from one village to the next.<\/p>\n

Where they are grown<\/h3>\n

Taggiasca olives grow mainly in the province of Imperia and around Savona, on hillsides facing the sea. In Liguria the olive tree climbs to around 800 metres: above Bordighera, at Bajardo, the groves reach about 750 metres, and the oil they yield is a rare mountain oil. The heartland, however, remains the band of hills between the coast and the valley villages, from Taggia to the Val Nervia.<\/p>\n

\u00abRiviera Ligure\u00bb PDO olive oil<\/h2>\n

\u00abRiviera Ligure\u00bb PDO<\/strong> extra virgin olive oil is the protected designation of origin for the oil of Liguria, registered by the European Union in 1997. Its production rules were revised in 2023 (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023\/1224) and now set out a few points worth knowing.<\/p>\n