(openPR) - An organic farm in the green hills of Umbria, Italy, proposes an unusual gift idea for Christmas: Adoption of an olive tree, a present that will help to preserve nature.

The olive tree is one of the oldest cultivated plants of humanity. Since antique times it is a symbol for peace, longevity, health and strength. A mythological tree. Greek mythology wants it that goddess Athena herself gave it as a present to mankind.

La Rogaia offers Olive Tree Gift Packages, for one year or for a whole life. The adoption of an olive tree is not only a gift of high symbolical value: it includes getting finest quality extravergin olive oil from one’s own tree.
At the same time La Rogaia Adopt An Olive Tree Project is a valuable contribution to the protection of environment. The maintenance of olive trees and the olive harvest on the impassable steep slopes in Umbria and Tuscany are costly and labour intensive. This has caused the abandonment of vast stretches of formerly cultivated olive groves.
Ancient groves used to be set up on terraces, which were supported by dry stone walls in order to prevent erosion. These walls have been built by the olive farmers during centuries of hard work and have become a characteristic landmark of Umbria and Tuscany. Unfortunately a big part of these walls, which are also home to many small animals, are more and more threatened by decay. An important part of work consists in fighting against this decay in order to preserve this natural habitat. This even might help to attract more and new species of small animals. In the course of the last decades some of the ancient olive groves around La Rogaia have been overgrown by Mediterranean macchia, a typical low woodland with broom, wild roses, laurel, holm oaks and many other trees and shrubs. This has formed a multitude of wonderful new microenvironments. The clearing of this Mediterranean macchia, with the only objective to regain a maximum production of olive oil, would cause unjustifiable ecological damage. Therefore it is an important aim to make the olive trees accessible again and to give them the care they need for surviving and thriving without destroying the existing biodiversity.

La Rogaia extravergine olive oil from Umbria
Olive oil from Umbria is among the most precious in Italy and worldwide. On the hills of Umbria and Tuscany matures an oil with sophisticated nutty flavours and very low acidity.
The health benefit of olive oil is based on its high and equilibrated content of poly unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid. Linolenic acid is present in the olive oil in the same proportion as we find it in mother´s milk, and indeed in Italy olive oil is considered an ideal dietary supplement for small children. Olive oil is among the most easily digestible oils and disposes of a multitude of important vitamins and trace elements, which make it one of the healthiest oils to be found.
At La Rogaia the olive trees (and of course all the other plants) are cultivated according to the standards of organic farming, certified by the ICEA (Istituto per la certificazione etica e ambientale). The olives are carefully picked by hand. The olive oil offered is from the first pressing only, exclusively cold pressed by mechanical means, which corresponds to the highest quality standards.

Agriturismo La Rogaia, Azienda agricola biologica
di Annette Greifenhagen
Via Campagna 17
Castel Rigone
06065 Passignano sul Trasimeno
Umbria, Provincia di Perugia
Italy
e-mail: info@rogaia.de
www. rogaia.com

Contact person: Annette Greifenhagen

Villa La Rogaia is an agriturismo situated near Lago Trasimeno in Umbria, Italy. It offers holiday apartments and a variety of creative classes, such as painting, dancing, cooking, italian language and many others. It offers also special holiday events, like participating in the olive harvest.
Villa La Rogaia is also an organic farm, that cultivates olive trees, produces finest extravergine olive oil and raises medicinal herbs and fragrant plants