Carlo Carli Olive Museum

The Carlo Carli Olive Museum was inaugurated in 1992, in the historic headquarters of Fratelli Carli in Imperia Oneglia, one of the main oil companies of the Riviera, the museum illustrates the history of the olive tree, which for centuries has represented the main resource of the economy local and whose presence still characterizes the landscape of the Riviera di Ponente.

The exhibition brings together the materials gathered by the Carli family in almost a century of research starting from a primitive nucleus of lighting and power tools, made up of precious oil lamps and silver cruets. 18 sections retrace six thousand years of olive tree history in the Mediterranean basin considered in its mythical, symbolic, historical, economic, botanical, cultural, technological, commercial aspects.

Documents, archaeological finds, weight measurements and systems, tools and systems seen in their technical evolution are exhibited. Very neat? the exhibition that integrates the finds with reconstructions of the environment and deepens the theme from an interdisciplinary point of view, linked to the uses of derivative products (food, medicines, cosmetics, art).

Particularly striking is the reconstruction of an animal-powered oil mill and the hold of a Roman ship with its load of oil amphorae. In the garden of the museum, among centuries-old olive trees, presses and jars from various countries offer a concise overview of the oil production and conservation systems in the Mediterranean area. In 1993, the museum set up by Hans Woodtli's Zurich studio won the European 'Museum of the Year' award.

---

Days and opening hours:

Monday 09-12: 30 15-18: 30

Tuesday 09-12: 30 15-18: 30

Wednesday 09-12: 30 15-18: 30

Thursday 09-12: 30 15-18: 30

Friday 09-12: 30 15-18: 30

Saturday 09-12: 30 15-18: 30

Weekly closing: Sunday; Reservation: None

Map: Carlo Carli Olive Museum