THEY ARE BACK!

Preparing for Olive Season in Sicily

Luca and Sara welcome friends and volunteers back to their rural property in Sicily to help prepare the olive grove for harvest and work on the tiny house.

Tiny-House Improvements

Luca works on the technical room and supports for the air-conditioning unit, while the couple installs a bathroom vanity panel. They discover that the bathroom fixtures they received are white rather than the champagne color they ordered. The property also features a Mitsubishi Electric 12,000-BTU AC unit.

Getting the Grove Ready

The group clears growth around about 30 olive trees so harvest nets can be spread without snagging. They carefully remove unwanted shoots, since leftover stubs can catch the nets and quickly regrow. They chip the wood as they go; old, hard olive wood that cannot be chipped must be burned.

Harvest Timing and Olive Oil

The olives are ready, but the local olive mill is closed until the following Wednesday. Luca and Sara prefer to pick their olives and bring them to the mill the same day, aiming to have them pressed within roughly 9–10 hours to make extra-virgin olive oil.

In early October, some olives are turning purple while still partly green—a stage Luca and Sara describe as ideal for picking. Because the property is steep, olives ripen at different rates across the trees. They also explain that fig trees growing among the olives help protect against the olive fly.

Fruit, Food, and Rest

With fewer olives expected but plenty of figs and persimmons, the group picks fruit to eat fresh and share. Luca and Sara also mention a cake they made with persimmons, figs, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Between work sessions, the friends take a break in the pool. They find swimming refreshing and a welcome way to recharge before returning to the grove. Several visitors describe the landscape and time in nature as restorative.

Returning Volunteers

Volunteers from the United States and the UK share how much they enjoy coming back and help with family and property projects. One is visiting Sicily for the first time; another is returning for a fourth year.

People mentioned: Luca, Sara, Patrick, Christie, Megan, David, Julia, and Maria Locations and items mentioned: Sicily, the olive grove, the tiny house, the pool, a Mitsubishi Electric 12,000-BTU AC unit, extra-virgin olive oil, figs, and persimmons.