Over the centuries, our land in Apulia wasn’t merely passed through: it was chosen. Extraordinary people — rulers, scholars, visionaries from all over the world — saw more than a landscape in these plains: they sensed a soul. And sometimes they left a mark, not only in history but in the land itself. Two figures, among many, shaped in a particular way the territory our oil comes from: Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor, and the De Sangro family, princes of San Severo.
Frederick II, the «child of Apulia»
A German emperor and one of the most fascinating figures of medieval Europe, Frederick II was nicknamed Puer Apuliae — «child of Apulia» — for the deep bond he formed with southern Italy, and with Capitanata in particular. Foggia, Lucera, Castel del Monte: this was his court, his kingdom under the sun.
In the Tavoliere he founded residences, established schools, and promoted agriculture and science, launching botanical, hydraulic and agricultural experiments. It is on this very soil that our organic olive trees grow today — trees that echo his imperial, cosmopolitan vision while remaining deeply rooted in the land.
The De Sangro family and the birth of Peranzana
The De Sangro family, too, had a deep bond with the land of Capitanata: enlightened men, devoted to science, art and innovation, who turned the territory into a centre of thought. It is likely thanks to them that, in the 18th century, a new olive variety was introduced which, grafted onto native trees, gave rise to the Peranzana cultivar.
The name of this variety, which found its ideal habitat here, derives from «Provencal», pointing to its French origin. The «Peranzana triangle» is formed by three neighbouring towns: San Paolo di Civitate, San Severo and Torremaggiore — the very same stretch of land where, centuries later, Lucio Toma would plant his own olive trees.
A symbolic return, from San Severo to Germany
Our participation in Taste Italian Excellence 2025 in Munich means far more to us than a business opportunity. It is a symbolic return. We are bringing to Germany an oil whose roots reach back into that historic bond between Frederick II of Hohenstaufen — a German emperor — and our land: the same thread that, eight centuries later, once again ties two countries together through a bottle of oil.
Every bottle of Olio del Poeta carries this eight-century story with it — and a cultivar that still has no equal today.
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