Marina Colonna Società Agricola

The Colonna Estate in the farmlands of Bosco Pontoni at San Martino in Pensilis in the Molise region, belongs to Marina Colonna, daughter of Prince Francesco Colonna.

The Estate covers 320 hectares where cereals such as wheat, oats and corn, sunflowers, canola, is grown together with vegetables such as tomatoes and fennel, and traditional fodder crops feed 1000 Comisana pedigree breed sheep. The olive groves occupy 70 hectares and there are over varieties of olive grown on the farm; these are harvested and milled on site, a blend is then created and marketed with the Colonna trademark.

The classic Colonna blend is made from selected olive varieties from the estate: frantoio, peranzana, coratina, cima di melfi, nociara, fs17, nocellara, maiatica, kalamata and other experimental varieties, thus creating a harmonious blend in which the bitter and the piquant tones are perfectly balanced in a rich though smooth medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil. The Colonna DOP Molise (Protected Denomination of Origin) is made from Leccino, Rosciola and Gentile di Larino varieties. The estate is committed to innovative methods of planting, growing and harvesting; the utilisation of these techniques makes the lowest impact on the environment. Harvest takes place early in the season, before the olives are fully ripe, with pneumatic combs or shaking machines, which shorten picking times thus assuring high quality oil that is extracted within 12 hours through the continuous cooling cycle of the farm oil mill.