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28
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Episode #10: The Olive Season

On tradition, family, and the simple things that keep us grounded
28
8

While looking for inspiration for this episode of Project Home, I found myself scrolling through my gallery, and by a fortunate chance, I discovered that in the last four years, I’ve always spent the first days of October in Sicily.

While these may be ordinary days for the younger generations, among the elders, October means only one thing: olives.

I remember being a kid when my uncle brought me along to harvest some for the first time. I hated it. For that day, I couldn’t see my friends, play in the streets, or relax with our new PlayStation. Even studying seemed like a reasonable option. Anything but olives.

How things change with time, it’s beautiful.

Sicily, 2023.

Today, it’s one of my favorite activities. I always drive around the countryside to talk with landowners, hear their stories, and congratulate them on the season. What amazes me is the pride and joy in their eyes. In a world that changes and feels completely different from what it was 60 years ago, harvesting olives is what keeps them connected with their past. A tradition that repeats itself every year since their childhood. A thin thread that ties them to what once was, making them feel at home, even when everything around them is different.

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While talking about the past, a bit of sadness clouds their eyes. If before, olives were harvested by the whole family, today it is mostly outsourced because sons and nephews no longer have time to dedicate to it. And it makes me wonder: how far are we willing to go? How open are we to losing our traditions in favor of efficiency?

Olives were never just about oil and production. They were an excuse to spend days with the entire family, sleeping outside, eating in the field, and singing together. We’re not just losing a beautiful activity that provides oil for the year, we’re losing the precious family time that’s becoming increasingly scarce.

Sicily, 2023.

Some friends from Ethiopia once made coffee for me and my brother. They started with raw beans, completing the whole process an hour later. They called it a “ceremony,” giving it time, love, and importance. To this day, it remains one of the most flavorful cups of coffee I’ve ever had.

Ask yourself: How many things am I doing today that I’ll keep doing for the rest of my life?

Find your “Olives,” your “Coffee Ceremony,” and be jealous about it, don’t give it away. Keep it for yourself. Involve family, friends, and the people you love. Whatever tradition you have that makes you feel at home, give it the love and care it deserves, and it’ll continue to nurture you through every season of your life.

Until the next one,
Much love.
F

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Francesco Latino