Cilento

Cilento is a protected designation of origin for extra virgin olive oil produced in the southern part of the province of Salerno, Campania. The Pisciottana variety, native to the Cilento area, is the dominant cultivar. The specification sets a maximum acidity of 0.70% and a maximum peroxide value of 12 Meq O₂/kg, and limits per-hectare olive yield to 11,000 kg/ha.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO on 13 June 1997 under file number PDO-IT-1547 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013330), Cilento designates an extra virgin olive oil whose production area covers part of the administrative territory located south of the province of Salerno. The applicant group at the time of registration was the Associazioni olivicole di Salerno, based in Salerno. The principal cultivar is Pisciottana, a variety whose name derives from Pisciotta, in the commune of Cilento, where it was first cultivated; the specification also references Rotondella, Ogliarola, Frantoio, and Salella among the product family. Olives must be harvested by 31 December of each year. In specialised olive groves, the per-hectare yield of olives may not exceed 11,000 kg/ha, with a maximum oil yield of 22%. Only physical and mechanical extraction methods are permitted. The oil must present a colour ranging from green to yellow, a fruity aroma, and a flavour described in the specification as fruity with a hint of pungency and bitterness. Maximum acidity is set at 0.70%, and peroxide content must remain below 12 Meq O₂/kg. The control body named in the specification is the Ministero delle Risorse Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, Ispettorato Generale Repressione Frodi, Rome.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 13 June 1997 under file number PDO-IT-1547, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013330.
• The specification limits per-hectare olive yield to 11,000 kg/ha in specialised groves, with a maximum oil yield of 22%.
• Maximum acidity is set at 0.70% and peroxide content must remain below 12 Meq O₂/kg.
• The Pisciottana cultivar, dominant in the designation, takes its name from Pisciotta in the commune of Cilento, where it was first grown.

Tasting notes

Campanian EVOO from Cilento national park, predominantly Pisciottana cultivar. Medium-intense fruity, balanced bitter-pungent, distinctive notes of artichoke, cardoon, fresh herbs, with characteristic Mediterranean-scrub aroma.

HoReCa use

Finishing oil on Cilentan and Mediterranean diet preparations, drizzled on legume soups, grilled fish, and served raw with Mozzarella di Bufala Campana.

Packaging

• glass-bottle-500ml
• glass-bottle-750ml
• tin-3L
• tin-5L

Seasonality