Olive oil has always had great spiritual and religious value; we can say that it is alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, in fact, it accompanies us from birth to death: we are anointed during the ritual of baptism and, if seriously ill or on our deathbed, the oil, used for extreme unction, in this case represents the Holy Spirit and unites us with him. The dove returned to Noah with an olive branch, many religious rites have always included the presence of oil, kings were anointed at their coronation, ancient athletes massaged their muscles with it, and many other examples could be given. The first evidence of cultivated olives dates back over six thousand years ago in the Middle East: pressed, their juice was used as a skin ointment or in terracotta oil lamps as a primitive form of illumination. The first oil mills were underground with large tanks for fermenting the olives, which were left to rest for many days, so that, after pressing, the oil would have adequate acidity to burn. In 2500 BC, the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi regulated the production and trade of olive oil, while in Egypt, even before the beginning of the 19th dynasty (1300 BC), olive branches adorned the tombs of the pharaohs. Only around 1100 AD did olive groves begin to flourish again in Italy: it was the trade of oil, an important source of income, that favored its new spread. On the one hand, the populations of Northern Europe affirmed the primacy of animal fats, while in the South, especially in Italy, oil became the natural condiment for every type of preparation. In the fifteenth century, Italy was the largest producer of olive oil in the world and supplied the kitchens of the Renaissance throughout Europe. Currently, olive cultivars in Italy far exceed one hundred, giving rise, with modern pressing methods, to a panorama of extraordinary fragrances, and recently monovarietal oils are making their way, which enhance and make appreciated the organoleptic characteristics of individual olive types. But many olive groves, especially in Tuscany, are planted with various species expertly selected to create a smooth and balanced blend. Naturally extra virgin or EVO, as it is called today.