Representing only 0.5% of the earth's surface - a lifestyle unlike any other that belongs to very few
Great things really do come in small packages.
A tiny speck of the earth’s surface exploding with a truly unique story. This precious jewel, as we know it today, called Italy - a small peninsula surrounded by the Mediterranean sea where all life is regulated by the sun and winds that caress the coasts, plains and hills each and every day.
It is a majestic treasure with unmistakable landscapes, which was the cradle of great scientific and philosophical figures of Mediterranean civilization.
A place where all cultures have amalgamated over thousands of years making it a unique land in the biodiversity of nature and the human species alike.
Cassiodoro and Pythagoras lived in this ancient land which gave them the pleasure of admiring the beauty of its sea and behind them the snow-capped peaks of the Apennines.
It was on this land that the first foundations of democracy, environmental studies, poetry and art were established. It was inevitable that such terrain should be a reference point for living beings.
It is where the Renaissance began, art expressed at absolute value. All its cities have museums and archeological lands that every year millions of curious minds flock to in order to admire them in person.
This is the land where we talk about some of the history’s greatest artists and inventors like Raphael, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo.
It is the land where the ancient Romans began their empire with the construction of the first roads, arenas, cities, aqueducts and bridges. They were the architects of most of the ancient architectural works and today they are a world heritage site.
A place that has so many living species that a natural reserve is created every year for the defense of biodiversity.
Where culinary products tell of the sun and winds that make them unique in the world just as the cultures that distinguish it in its excellence which are reflected from the dawn of ancient thoughts to the construction of new global thinking.
All past and present stories offer this corner of the world a unique sensitivity thanks to its small but rare environmental beauty.
It is here that the Italic people created their life, it is here that they learned to appreciate and enhance all that nature had, and still has, to offer them and continues to offer.
A small territory where every corner and borough has it’s own set of unique anthropological, linguistic, expressive and culinary peculiarities. One small town to the next assumes an entirely new dialect and traditions.
The uses and customs vary as you travel along its more than 8000 km of coastline. Yes, it is such a small and long land that the sea needs large arms to be able to embrace it’s coasts.
It is along these shorelines that the various climatic effects offered by the Mediterranean sea are felt, donating over 500 species of olive trees representing 40% of the world's genetic heritage, and it is always here that the different species of vines with over 51 species meet. These vines can only live in this place, because it is the place where they were born as native species and it is only here that they can thrive with the precise mixture of sun and wind that yield excellence.
Unique peculiarities in their way of being because the stretch that from the mountain tops reaches the coasts is in a short distance. In this land you can admire the cliffs, mountain peaks, rich plains, volcanoes, caves, lakes, rivers, valleys for the pastures and the slopes for the vines which in their small quantity represent 50% of the species of the world wine heritage.
And again, the wheat for its pasta, the olive trees for its oil, the glorious cheese, the sweet basil, the enchanting parsley, hot chili peppers, fine hams, particular onions, pistachio ice cream, healing licorice, marvelous chestnuts, hundreds of bird species that in the seasons migrate throughout the Mediterranean and are the high witnesses of the beautiful variety of climate and landscapes.
And then the fish, wolves, bears, foxes, cows, horses, in short, a land where bees can fly to lean on and feed on all that the floristic heritage offers at a short distance.
This is why Italy is a unique land, rich in elements and peculiarities which, if we mention them together, only arouses confusion for how varied and beautiful it is. It is a lively land, and the Italians know it. This is Alma Italica, the soul of the Italian people who live in the center of the Mediterranean in a small piece of land enclosed in 0.5% of the earth's surface.
It’s not just a way of life, it is a way of being and it is transmitted into the soul of every living organism directly from the land.
It has been said time and time again that if you look into the eyes of an Italian you will see love, art and passion. What can we expect from a person who has inhabited a land deeply rooted in art and nature?
Italians are the byproduct of their surroundings and we see this in their expressions, their unique love for food and above all, their appreciation for all that is km 0.
But what exactly is Km 0 and why does it matter? This little rich land called Italy, isn’t particular wealthy from an economic standpoint, that is actually anything but true.
It is rich in life, love and nature and if you’ve ever visited Italy, you know very well how much the culture is based on food.
There is a reason why the Mediterranean diet has been widely studied and adopted in various parts of the world. It brings longevity, and for those who follow it, promises to aid in extending health. It is a simple diet, organic and seasonal. Not complex at all. A diet that respects meal times and gives as much value to work as it does rest and nature. It is a combination of things, simple things that the most of the western world has forgotten while hustling to work.
Km 0 in plain terms in eating local and seasonal. We learned that Italy has excellent climate conditions that allows the constant production of almost anything year round and since it is so small, even large cities tend to be close enough to surrounding farms that would allow almost anybody access to fresh produce and real organic meats.
This is especially true as you go further south into the Italian boot where agriculture is king and it is here that tradition and healthy eating habits are still widely maintained. It is true that most of the southern Italian population eats what’s in season even though they can find almost anything in supermarkets at any time of the year, the Italians try to stay away from imported produce.
Photo by Vincent Rivaud
This isn’t because they are patriotic, it is because the Italian is aware of the health risks associated with imported foods and the pesticides and preservatives that they are likely to find in their plates and eventually in their bodies.
If there is one thing Italians love even more than soccer and politics, it’s eating together. Their living rooms are their kitchens and eating with their friends and loved ones is a way to show their love for one another. Meals last hours and the dinner table, usually not far from a television, is where they are likely to enjoy the company of others.
Even the very act of eating together, as opposed to alone, is said to increase life expectancy. It’s the small things that we often overlook that make a real difference. It is this incredible combination of small things that make the Mediterranean diet stand out above the rest.
And this is why Pax was born. There is nothing like a group of environmentalists to come together to bring life to a product that the world needs. A superfood that is missing from the daily diet of too many that can help prevent so many ailments.
And it is a product that is mainly produced, once again, by the perfect combination of sun, wind and air that only the Mediterranean can bring to life with care.
Olive oil, so simple and yet so fundamental to maintaining a healthy diet. In fact, there are very few Italian recipes that don’t begin or end with this super oil antioxidant and it isn’t a coincidence.
Ancient Italians had tapped into the wild benefits of extra virgin olive oil thousands of years ago and it is only right that we learn from the past and preserve the present for a great future.
PAX Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or as we call it Organic Gold, is an eco-sustainable brand that operates on basic principles, respecting not only the rights for people to have access to organic foods, but does so in a way that respects nature just as much, if not more than our own rights.
It would be easy to spray our trees with pesticides and inject our trees with growth hormones so we can produce more and more and more to yield twice as much oil as we currently do….just as many other businesses do, but profit isn’t at the heart of what we do. We might produce much less, by choice, but we do it with integrity, honesty and love.
Give our olive oil a try and let us know if it isn’t the best olive oil you’ve ever tried. Taste the difference between organic and pesticide-infused olive oil today.
Ciao from your Italian friends!
*Cover Photo by Dilara Irem