For over ten years, Assisi has celebrated the newly-pressed olive oil with the UNTO festival, lasting this year from October 31 to December 1st (the period of picking and pressing of olives). Olive mills in the area open their doors and countless UNTO festival activities celebrate l’olio nuovo: guided olive-oil tastings in local olive oil mills, lectures, concerts cultural trekking outings, didactic activities for children,
On October 31st, UNTO officially opened with the inauguration of 25 stands selling Umbria goodness (and not just olive oil!). The stands have center stage in Assisi’s main square, backdropped by the 1st c-B.C. Roman temple to Minverva and the medieval belltower and civic building.
As they came out of the food tent with all the booths, many photographed the ancient wonders…..
Exiting the area of the food stands, large white letters spelled out “UNTO,” the letters standing for UNESCO (Assisi has 13 UNESCO sites), NATURA, TERRITORIO and OLIO:
On the opposite side of the tent, those letters fllank the entrance, too and are backed by huge vases of olive branches. Our 14th-century city hall in the local pink and white limestone rises proudly behind:
The full UNTO program of events is posted to the right of the front entrance:
As you enter the tent to stroll the booths, a smiling man on your right will offer you a taste of local salami and tastes of his pecorino (sheeps’s milk) cheese
Cheeses reign at other booths, too:
Lavender brightens one of the stands booth (and behind the smiling vendor you can see the Minerva temple right outside…):
Two smiling young women from Norcia offer the famous tiny Castelluccio di Norcia lentils as well as many other legumes of their area….
Local honeys are offered, too
Local wines tempt as well:
and even beer…
….for the UNTO market offers not just olive oils but the goodness of the TERRITORIO.
Olive oil takes main stage, though, and various vendors will tempt you with their own “green gold” of Umbria on bruschetta:
Don’t miss taking in the UNTO festival if in Umbria in late fall. You’ll want to join in one of many events, promoted on the festival brochure – appropriately – as “eventi a macchia d’olio.” Literal translation? “Events like an olive oil stain.” A rough equivalent in English? “Events spreading like wildfire” (or taking over the area).
You now …and you now know the significance of the acronym “UNTO.”
But “unto” is an Italian adjective deriving from “ungere” (to stain with oil, to grease, to anoint) and signifying “oily” or “stained with oil.”
At the events of Assisi’s UNTO festival, you’ll appreciate all things “unto.”
See here a note on a past UNTO festival.
Read here one of many articles on picking our olives
Read here about taking our olives to the mill for pressing
