The olive (Olea europaea)is widespread in Salerno.
The age of some specimens of Rotondella can be traced back even several centuries before Christ, an era in which the variety could have been introduced by the Phocaeans, Greeks from Asia Minor. Probably in Picentini it was introduced after 202 BC following the defeat of Hannibal by the Romans, when Picenzia, an ally of Hannibal, was completely destroyed and the survivors were scattered in the hills of the inner area, where several villages were formed, that Rome became the Ager Picentinus.
Its habitat is in the hills at a height of 400-500 meters above sea level, in rocky terrain mainly exposed to the south. In these optimal conditions the plant does not need special treatments with the exception of the pruning and fertilization. It is much appreciated for the productivity (yield around 23%) and oil quality. In the collection phase, which should be performed according to the traditional method of hand picking. Subsequently, the drupes are placed in crates and transported to the mill, where they are crushed by machinery in a continuous cycle and at low temperature. The oil thus produced, after a period of natural decantation and the certification DOP is ready to be bottled. The cultivar comes under the production of oil PDO "Salernitane Hills" and "Sorrento Peninsula".
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“Monitoraggio del patrimonio di biodiversità. Analisi per la gestione delle risorse ambientali per la conservazione della biodiversità” , Agriconsulting per il Parco Regionale dei Monti Lattari