In Focus: The Dritta Olive
Dritta is the signature oil olive of Abruzzo, the mountainous region on Italy’s Adriatic flank. Centred on the hills behind Pescara, it gives a balanced, medium-fruity extra virgin of green almond and artichoke, and forms the backbone of the Aprutino Pescarese PDO.
Dritta — also called Dritta di Moscufo, Loretana or Moscufese — is the leading oil olive of Abruzzo, concentrated in the Vestina hills behind Pescara, above all the villages of Moscufo, Loreto Aprutino and Pianella. It is the principal variety of the Aprutino Pescarese PDO, alongside Leccino and Toccolana. A dependable, disease- and cold-resistant tree with good, early-ripening yields, it is the olive on which Abruzzo built its quiet but serious reputation for balanced, well-made extra virgin.
Abruzzo’s own olive
Abruzzo is one of Italy’s greenest, most mountainous regions, and its olive country runs along the hills between the Apennines and the Adriatic. Dritta is its home variety — the reliable local cultivar that clothes the Pescarese hills and fills the region’s mills. It crops early and steadily, shrugs off cold and disease, and gives a good yield of quality oil: exactly the practical virtues that make a variety the foundation of a whole region’s production, even if the wider world knows Tuscany and Puglia far better.
In the bottle
Dritta oil is medium-fruity and notably balanced: golden-yellow with green reflections, aromas of green almond, artichoke and wild herb, and a bitterness and pepperiness that sit in gentle equilibrium rather than shouting. It has a good polyphenol content and a soft, rounded mouthfeel — approachable and food-friendly, neither timid nor aggressive. Use it as an all-round finishing oil over vegetables, pulses, grilled fish and the hearty dishes of Abruzzese cooking. Its balance also makes it a forgiving oil for everyday use.
The under-the-radar region
Here is the honest angle, and it is a happy one. Abruzzo produces a lot of genuinely good oil but has none of the marketing gloss of Tuscany, so its oils — Dritta included — are often better value than more famous names for comparable quality. The flip side is that much Abruzzese oil disappears, unnamed, into generic ‘Italian’ blends. To taste Dritta itself, seek a single-variety or an Aprutino Pescarese PDO bottle with a harvest date: quiet quality, fairly priced.
| Origin | Abruzzo, Italy |
|---|---|
| Also called | Dritta di Moscufo, Loretana |
| Type | Oil olive |
| Protected origin | Aprutino Pescarese PDO (principal variety) |
| Harvest | October–November (early) |
| Flavour | Medium-fruity, balanced; green almond & artichoke |
| Best use | All-round finishing; vegetables, pulses, grilled fish |
Buying & using Dritta
- Seek a single-variety or Aprutino Pescarese PDO bottle with a harvest date.
- Its balance suits all-round finishing — vegetables, pulses, grilled fish.
- Abruzzo oil is often fine value for the quality — less hyped than Tuscany.
- Much of it goes unnamed into blends, so buy it named to taste the variety.
Dritta olives: common questions
Is Dritta an oil or table olive?
An oil olive, grown for a balanced, medium-fruity extra virgin. It is the principal variety of the Aprutino Pescarese PDO.
Where does Dritta come from?
Abruzzo, in the Vestina hills behind Pescara — the villages of Moscufo, Loreto Aprutino and Pianella above all.
What does Dritta oil taste like?
Medium-fruity and balanced — green almond, artichoke and wild herb, with bitterness and pepper in gentle equilibrium and a soft, rounded mouthfeel.
Is Abruzzo olive oil good?
Yes — Abruzzo makes a lot of genuinely good oil, and because it lacks Tuscany’s marketing gloss, Dritta is often fine value for the quality.
How should I use Dritta?
As an all-round finishing oil over vegetables, pulses, grilled fish and hearty Abruzzese dishes; its balance also suits everyday use.
Dritta is Abruzzo’s own olive — the reliable home variety behind the Aprutino Pescarese PDO, giving a balanced, green-almond-and-artichoke oil that neither shouts nor sulks. The honest angle is a happy one: Abruzzo makes a lot of genuinely good oil but has none of Tuscany’s marketing gloss, so Dritta is often better value than famous names for comparable quality. The catch is that much of it disappears, unnamed, into generic ‘Italian’ blends. Buy a single-variety or PDO bottle with a harvest date and you get quiet quality, fairly priced.
Drawn from the Aprutino Pescarese PDO specification and Abruzzese variety references.