_{Click for a larger image}

Recent studies have revealed more about the origins of the illustrious Etruscan population, who colonized central Italy approximately three thousand years ago. Thanks to modern DNA research, we can be almost certain that they first originated from Anatolia, and that they called themselves "Rasna." They were later conquered by the Romans, dominated the region, which came to be known as Tuscia.

Thanks to the bounty of artifacts and paintings the Etruscans left behind, however, we know that they cherished "the good life." They dressed in vibrantly colored clothing, created exquisite and intricate jewelry, and took great pleasure in dining, drinking wine and sunbathing under the famous Tuscan sun.

We also know that the Etruscans particularly enjoyed their local olive oil, and for this reason, we feel obliged and honored to dedicate this exclusive and precious product from Tuscany to these ancient and esteemed lost ancestors.

Rasna's Exclusivity

_{Click for a larger image}

Newly pressed olive oil, or “olio novo” as it is referred to in Tuscany, is a rarefied product with bounteous attributes. Author and Rasna co-founder Dario Castagno notes, "Its intense aroma of freshly mowed grass, its dense consistency and strong flavor and the pleasant tickle it leaves behind in the throat delight the palate. These characteristics, added to its irresistibly opaque, almost phosphorescent green hue, make it by far the prince of products in these parts. Often during tours with my clients, I devote much more than a few simple words in describing the virtues of the freshly made oil, such is my enthusiasm.”

The olive oil harvest takes place in late November through the beginning of December – for Castagno, this is an off-season for the travelers and Italophiles who come to seek him out in his magical corner of the world. While Rasna Extra Virgin Olive Oil is reliably delicious throughout the year, because of where the harvest falls in the tourism calendar, tourists and visitors rarely get to taste it at its new-born, miraculous best. That is why Rasna is committed to expediting delivery of its oil immediately after harvest so clients may taste it at its peak freshness.

Olive Oil in Central Tuscany

_{Click for a larger image}

Historically, the habitat for the olive tree was vast, the basin of production being practically any coast that faced the Mediterranean Sea: Southern Europe, the Maghreb zone of North Africa and much of the Middle East. For the plants to grow and survive (which some do, even for thousands of years), a gentle, mild climate is most advantageous.

The province of Siena, where Rasna Extra Virgin Olive Oil is produced, is not the ideal habitat in many ways, located as it is in the inner lands of Tuscany with elevation that can reach almost a thousand meters. The winters can occasionally be frigid, and a handful of freezes in the last century wreaked havoc with the local olive oil community.

Because of this, most olive trees in central Tuscany are just over twenty years old, and produce only a tenth of what similar trees can produce on the coast. Thus, the primary consumption of this precious oil has been almost exclusively destined for its producers and for a privileged few who have the forethought to reserve it long before harvest.

Why bother cultivating olives in central Tuscany, you might ask, given the near impossibility of making a living out of it? The answer is simple: its extraordinarily excellent quality. Credit must be given to the Romans for having recognized the mixture of elements in the region that contribute to making the local oil a superior one, and for importing trees in great quantities from the coast and cultivating them inland several millennia ago.

“The elements,” explains Dario Castagno, “include the altitude – which guarantees a more salubrious environment that’s less conducive to parasites – the distance from the salty sea breeze, the rocky soil, and, indeed, the young age of the trees. These are the factors that make our oil so prestigious and yet so rare.”