Virgil described the Itrana olive as a precious fruit as far back as the time of the Aeneid, but it reached its peak in the Middle Ages when sailors from Gaeta took the olives to all the major European market places. Harvested on the Pontine Hills in early spring when fully mature, it has a characteristic purplish color, an oval shape, a medium-fleshy pulp and a unique, faintly bitter flavor, with a savory hint.