Former Police frontman Sting is inviting tourists to assist with the olive harvest on his Tuscan estate.
For €262 ($345), interested olive oil aficionados have the opportunity to spend the day on the sprawling 900-acre estate, Il Palagio, located 45 minutes southeast of Florence. It features terraced gardens, olive groves, vineyards, beehives and a wooded areas where wild boars roam free. Purchased by Sting and his wife Trudy in 1997, the estate has been fully restored and has nearly doubled in size.
Il Palagio paints the opportunity as a full-fledged Mediterranean agricultural learning experience, according to a release.
“Start the day with a picnic on the expansive lawn and a briefing from the estate manager to help you understand your work as a farmer-for-a-day: learn about the soil, the vines and trees, and techniques for harvesting,” read the statement.
Sting lists the olive groves as one of his favorite spots on the estate, and names picking olives as a therapeutic activity.
The estate sells its products online and at locations across the United States and United Kingdom, including Harrods in London. A percentage of profits are donated to organizations like the Soil Association, dedicated to promoting organic farming in the UK, and to the couple’s own Rainforest Association.
The estate sells its oils, wine, vegetables, fruit and salami in a farm stand nearby.
In an interview with The Olive Oil Merchant blog, Paolo Rossi, Il Pagio’s estate manager, said his olive oil is a cut above the rest.
The main difference? “Attention to the smallest details and love,” he said.
According to its website, the olive trees at the estate date back hundreds of years. Instead of relying on irrigation, the trees are cared for in a much more labor-intensive process and the olives are harvested by hand..
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