Tuscany Olive Oil School

The Olive Oil School for authentic Olive Oil Lovers

A short conversation with Guido Bandinelli (founder) about the
TUSCANY OLIVE OIL SCHOOL

Why did you decide to start the TUSCANY OLIVE OIL SCHOOL?

My decision to start the Tuscany Olive Oil School, has been determined mainly by two reasons: My big passion for High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil and my wish to communicate it correctly. As you know, most part of the extra virgin olive il production in the world is of industrial origin and unfortunately, the vast majority of those types of extra virgin olive oils are packed with defects and they should not get labeled as such. That’s why I have felt the necessity to start to educate olive oil lovers and olive oil consumers to recognize the differences between a bad extra virgin olive oil and a good or an excellent High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. At the moment, I believe that the “sensory analysis” remains the only instrument for the consumer to assess directly the level of quality of an extra virgin olive oil. From here my decision to start the TUSCANY OLIVE OIL SCHOOL , where I teach my students to taste olive oil and to evaluate olive oil correctly in order to form expert and competent Olive Oil Connoisseurs.

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Why is so important, to learn to recognize a High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Because a poor quality extra virgin olive oil is practically a DEAD FOOD i.e. a food entirely devoid of any nutritional value but for calories. A High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead, not only is good for the palate but we can consider it a SUPER FOOD because it is mainly comprised of monounsaturated fatty acids, a healthier type of fat, that reduces the content of “low-density lipoprotein cholesterol” (LDL ) levels in the bloodstream, while raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL ) cholesterol levels. Beside that, the High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, provides also a high content of antioxidants, like polyphenols, vitamins E and K, chlorophyll and carotenoids. Antioxidants are key to strengthening the immune system and protecting the body from the damaging effects of free-radical molecules, therefore it can be considered as a powerful “anti-aging” food. Finally, I would like to add, that the High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains also important, anti-inflammatory agents, like “oleocanthal”, which has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic molecule for different diseases, showing relevant pharmacological properties in various pathogenic processes, including inflammation, cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Why just “Tuscany Olive Oil School” instead of simply “Olive Oil School”?

Because Tuscany is my specialization. I was born and raised in Tuscany from Tuscan parents and I am still living here in Tuscany right now, therefore I know this territory and its products ( especially wine and olive oil) much better than other ones from other areas. I am not parochial at all, I know well that exist many WONDERFUL High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oils from other areas of Italy and from other areas of the world but same as for the wine school that I run (the “Tuscany Wine Tasting School” which is at the moment my main activity), TUSCANY remains my specialization.